TEN SLEEP – During the May Ten Sleep School Board meeting Monday evening the responses to student and parent survey’s caused concern for board member Jane Thurston. Thurston was concerned about the complaints issued by students and parents regarding the schools reading program Pioneer Path.

Thurston stated that the comments from several students and a couple parents on their surveys this year and comments on past surveys complaining about Pioneer Path when answering the question, “How do you feel we can improve our school?” gave her cause for concern. “I realize reading is very important but needs may change,” she said.

Ten Sleep School teacher Barb Lee, who is in charge of Pioneer Path, stated that the program was started in 2004 because the reading scores were so low and that in the beginning the program was structured down to what lessons were taught and what students were required to do which caused the reading scores to improve. But over the years the person in charge didn’t persist with the structure. “The previous Title I teacher started unraveling all that structure to the point where it came down to you read one book a quarter and you pass and it is for a quarter credit. When I took it over we were not using it for what it was intended to be. So, I started tightening those things up. Instead of one book they had point goals. If you met your point goal then you either had to be reading or studying. The kids didn’t like it. There is a core of kids and I have had one look straight at me and said, ‘I like reading Mrs. Lee but I don’t like being told I have to,’” Lee said.

Lee went on to explain, “The reason our reading scores have stayed where they are is because we have been consistent for the last 13 years in requiring from kindergarten through 12th grade that these kids read. The other thing I did when I took over is power lessons were not being done as they should be. In the last two years I have worked my tail off bringing in analogies, synonyms, antonyms all kinds of lessons that prepare these kids for their ACT test and the Aspire test and everything. I work on them with reading skills, everything that the power lesson should have been in the previous years and because there is structure and I require that the kids be accountable for what they are doing, because they have to fill out reading logs now, there is a core of students who complain consistently,”

Pioneer Path is a reading program utilized by the school to help students be better readers. According to the Washakie County School District No. 2 (Ten Sleep School) Comprehensive Plan 2016-2017, the Pioneer Path program is used to increase student reading and writing scores throughout the curriculum.

For 30 minutes after lunch, students will gather in a home room class to read a book based upon their STAR Reading scores. The number of pages read and book difficulty levels will be monitored via Accelerated Reader tests at the completion of the book.

Ten Sleep School teacher Nikki Erickson added, “As a staff member I have been to Columbia University’s writing, reading workshop. They were just flabbergasted that we actually have a half an hour of protected time for our students to read and thought it was so fabulous. The only way to get better at reading is to read copious amounts at your level, there’s actually a lot of support for that and I think that we are very fortunate that we are able to offer that to our students.”

After the discussion, Thurston asked that Lee write up a summary and post it on the school’s website to show the reasons why Pioneer Path is the school choice and why the requirements are the same for seventh-12th graders. “The surveys have to be addressed, if the school believes it the best, I just ask the information to get out to the people so they don’t think there is no reason to fill out surveys,” she explained.

Lee stated that she would do as requested and that if parents had any questions, she is available.