Morgan County schools preparing students for state reading assessment testing

MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – Elementary students in Alabama are taking annual standardized reading tests this month.

For third graders, the reading portion is extremely important as it could make the difference between going to the next grade or being held back.

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Students are reviewing the basics in Morgan County schools, like phonics, cue cards and taking part in intense after-school reading activities. All to prepare them for one of the most important tests of the school year this week.

It’s called the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program testing.

Back in 2019, Governor Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Literacy Act into law.

It requires third-grade students to be held back if they fail to demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency.

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But it hasn’t gone into effect, until this year.

Morgan County schools Superintendent Tracie Turrentine told News 19 that their students are set for success and that’s in part thanks to the extra exercises for students.

“We’ve offered the past two years after-school tutoring and then summer school for the last three years also,” said Turrentine. “The state gives us a window of about a month to get it all in.”

Turrentine says those exercises led to 86 percent of their second and third grade students being proficient in reading last year. If a student fails the test the first time, they’ll have a second chance to pass.

If they fail again, they will go to summer school, where they have one last chance to pass.

“We’ll need to get those scores in soon so we can look at what students might need to be retained or to go on to summer school,” said Turrentine.

Experts say the 3rd grade is a critical year for reading where students cross the line from learning to read, to reading to learn. By grade four, the foundation is set to gain knowledge of other subjects.

“If you have a child in school in Alabama in the 3rd grade, now we are starting to look at their progress and their growth,” said Lisa Navarra, a childhood education consultant. “Their annual growth progress is very important.”  
Turrentine says the goal is to move every third grade student in the district to grade four.

“If they have been through everything that we are doing, and they are still struggling then it really is possibly the time to look at retaining those students,” Turrentine explained.

Turrentine hopes that retraining teachers, group instruction and tracking individual progress will lead to a greater proficiency in reading. 

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