The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, Seplember 25, 2002 - A7

School trustees differ on literacy plan

By JENNIFER LANG system,” One year a province-wide snap shol of reading, The district plans to introduce ils
PRIMARY school students could be said Wee- ago the writing and numeracy skills, consist- own tests to help establish baselines to
spending a lot more time learning how ber, who district ently finds one-third of Coast Moun- compare improvement as students
to read - or a lot less time - depend- introduced began tains School District aren't meeting move through each grade.
ing on who you speak with. , the mo- taking reading expectations for their grade King spoke in favour of making the

‘ The board has endorsed a motion _ tion. jsteps to level. time allotment compulsory.
‘thal establishes 40 per cent of teach- H e ensure Not all trustees were willing to “I do believe it’s our job to push the
ing time as a guide for how much time thinks | students make the 40-per cent guideline com- benchmark,” King said. “I don’t think
teachers. spend on reading and wriling those stu- jin pri- pulsory. Under education ministry it is outlandish to ask our employees
skills in Kindergarten to Grade 2, The dents in 1m aor y guidelines, primary school teachers to do something.”
move comes two years after the board particular erades determine, how much instructional Some teachers disagree. “There is a
~ put“ literacy as‘its top priority: would spent at time they devote to required subjects: — real breakdown in understanding on
“The most serious issues facing this bene fil least 40 “As trustees, we're taking over the what teachers do,” Terrace and Dis-
school district is that a number of our f r o m per cent job of educators,” Hal Stedham said. trict Teachers’ Union representative
‘students, between 30 and 35 per cent. Icarning of their Stedham also pointed to the school Veralynn Munsen.
are not reading well enough,” Hazel- how to daily in- district pledge to improve reading and She said a range of teaching me-
ton trustee Peter Weeber said. tead using structian- math skills across the district by five thods and activities work on literacy
Trustees have also asked district phonetics, al time in per cent in an accountability contract — skills, making it difficult to add up the
administration to look into developing a  once- Pete Weeber Hal Stedham activities it signed with the provincial govern- amount of time spent on reading skills.
the reading and writing expertise of popular aimed at ment earlier this year. “More than 40 per cent of our time

“Perhaps what we're doing is some-
what redundant,” he said.

improving literacy.
The Foundation Skills Assessment,

is dedicated to literacy — ] can assure
you of that,” Munsen told the beard.

primary school teachers.
Students “are drifting through our

system of reading instruction that fell
out of favour.

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