Kentucky Commissioner of Education Dr. Jason Glass visited Eastern Elementary last week to meet school staff and administration in addition to greeting students during two, seven-minute classroom visits.
Eastern Elementary students are among those across the state who are part of the recent state initiative to implement the “Science of Reading” strategies for improved language recognition and comprehension.
“We jumped on the “Science of Reading” just because we feel like the research was there,” said Glass, adding that the state has prioritized this research-backed approach to reading for the past couple of years.
Dr. Masters said Henry County has implemented the “Science of Reading” for elementary and middle schools, which provides teachers with curriculum that has evidence-based success in helping students learn how to read through methods consistently taught in all early grade levels in Henry County.
“We as a district are going by what the research says to give our kids the best chance to succeed,” Masters said of the program.
Glass also addressed the importance of equipping teachers with the expertise to teach the “Science of Reading” through such programs as LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), which he said received prior funding through federal Covid money.
“We hope we can use state dollars going forward,” said Glass.
The LETRS program is part of the Kentucky Reading Academies strategy to provide professional learning for teachers over two years. The program covers eight topics essential for literacy instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, writing and assessment. Teachers who participate in LETRS commit to completion of the two-year course, which requires approximately an hour each week, plus six hours for each unit for live training, to complete the program.
Following his visit to Eastern Elementary, Glass went to Henry County High School to tour the campus.
“He was quite pleased with everything he has seen in Henry County,” said school board member Steve Dent, who joined Glass and the group for both stops during the tour. “He seemed to be very impressed with the curriculum and all of the discipline models we have.”
The district visit by Commissioner Glass came a day after the school district held its facilities planning committee meeting for public comment about present and future school facility needs. The committee meets three times with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. at the school board office in New Castle.
Dr. Masters said the school district is required to revise its facility plan every four years. He added that municipal financial advisor, Dwight Salsbury, is expected to attend the Jan. 31 meeting.
In August, the Henry County school board heard a presentation by Salsbury about bond issuance strategies available to secure $22 million in funds primarily for construction of a new Campbellsburg Elementary school.