Esmeralda CountyEsmeralda County School DistrictEsmeralda County School District is supporting Reading First activities in three schools:
Demographics:Esmeralda County School District consists of three isolated elementary schools with a total student population of 74 in grades K-8. Secondary students are bused into Tonopah to attend high school. Dyer Elementary School, located in Fish Lake Valley near the California border, has 44 students, 3 teachers and 2 Title I instructional assistants. Agriculture serves as DyerÂ’s economic base. The student population is equally Caucasian, Hispanic, and Native American. Seventy-five percent of the students are low income meeting criteria of the National School Lunch Program. Several of the fourteen Hispanic students are Spanish speakers and 16 identified as Limited English Proficient so a bilingual paraprofessional is employed by the district. Silver Peak is a mining town located in the center of the county. The elementary schoolÂ’s lone teacher serves 10 children in grades K-8 with 2 (20%) meeting the criteria as low income. Goldfield is the county seat located 27 miles south of Tonopah on Highway 50 on the eastern side of Esmeralda County. Two teachers in the Goldfield Elementary School serve 20 children with 3 (15%) low income. Schools to be served:All schools are in need of services to improve reading skills and instructional delivery. Dyer and Goldfield have been receiving assistance by Title I paraprofessionals. All schools will be served by Title I during 2004-2005 school year using the paraprofessional model. One special education teacher serves all three schools. A Migrant Education application is being submitted for 2004-2005 to provide assistance to those children in Dyer. The greatest problem is distance and the loss of instructional time for itinerant staff. Commitment to Essential Elements and Time for Literacy Instruction:All Nevada Reading First schools in Esmeralda County School District will adhere to a 90 minute, uninterrupted block of time for literacy instruction. All Kindergarten classes will adhere to a 60 minute, uninterrupted block of time for literacy instruction. This uninterrupted block of instructional time will focus on systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing based on scientifically-based research. Instructional Activities:Esmeralda County School District Reading First activities will include both explicit and systematic strategies, a coordinated sequence, alignment with instructional materials, and ample practice opportunities. Our new (2003) Houghton-Mifflin Reading Series will be the core element in our reading program. This series was purchased in 2003. Additional instructional materials, including leveled reading libraries for all grade levels, which enhance and upgrade our 2003 reading series, will be selected and purchased to assist the instructional staff in teaching the applicable power standards. In order to accomplish this, teachers at Nevada Reading First schools will receive support through these measures:
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