D-219 Retools To Raise Low Reading Rates
78 percent of Niles West & North High School graduates who attend Oakton Community College need to take remedial reading classes; the district wants to merge its English and social studies departments by 2015, saying this will address the problem.
English and social studies teachers from Niles North and Niles West high schools crowded into the Niles Township High School District 219 school board meeting Dec. 17 to protest plans to combine their two departments into one humanities department starting in the fall of 2015. The goal, said Superintendent Nanciann Gatta, is to make sure social studies teachers focus on improving students’ reading and writing skills in their classes, just as English teachers do. In the end, the board unanimously agreed to call for a humanities department, under one department director, with separate divisions for English and history. The proposal was one of many included in this year’s annual review of programs and has been listed as a recommendation …
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LongIslander
3:23 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
100% of the people who read this article don't read for understanding. The article doesn't say 78% of the students can't read it says 78% of the students who attend that community college from that district need remedial help. Does every student from the school system go to that college? I think not! So it can be only a few students who attend but 78% of those that attend need remedial help. more ›