Kennewick School District Featured in Book Detailing Strategies for Academic Success

A new book, "Annual Growth For All Students, Catch-up Growth for Those Who Are Behind," chronicles the strategies of the Kennewick School District in ensuring annual academic growth in K-12 for all students, including the use of research-based, explicit curriculum such as SRA/McGraw-Hill's Open Court Reading program.

Each elementary school in Kennewick School District is able to choose its own reading curriculum. In the fall of 2002, nine of its 13 elementary schools implemented Open Court Reading in Grades K-5. Teachers immediately saw marked improvement.

District-wide, the percentage of Grade 3 students reading at or above standard has consistently risen over a 10-year period. Before reform efforts were in place in 1996, only 57% of Grade 3 students read at or above the standard, which was set at the 42nd national percentile using the Northwest Evaluation Association reading assessment. By 2006, that figure reached 90% and continues to hover in the 87-90% range.

"Open Court Reading starts with phonemic awareness, moves to phonetics, and then quickly to comprehension. It also has more extensive daily classroom materials and activities," said Dave Montague, principal at Kennewick's Washington Elementary School.

The district's progress earned them the Pride of SRA Academic Recognition Award for 2006. A documentary about the district's success is available at SRAonline.com under the Pride of SRA icon.

"Annual Growth For All Students" has been well received by educators nationwide. Allan Odden, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Co-Director of Consortium for Policy Research in Education said, "Any district in America could produce the same results if it followed the practical strategies discussed in this book."

A review by the Tampa Tribune stated, "The Kennewick experiment is proving amazing progress is possible even in poorer communities."

To order a copy of "Annual Growth For All Students," please contact the New Foundation Press at (509) 783-2138 or visit ReadingFoundation.org.

About the Authors

The self-published book, "Annual Growth For All Students," was written by Lynn Fielding, Nancy Kerr, and Paul Rosier, Ed.D. Fielding has served for 20 years as a director of Kennewick Schools, eight years as a director of Washington State School Directors Association, and is in his seventh year as a director of the Northwest Evaluation Association. Kerr has served as the president of the National Children's Reading Foundation since 1998. Rosier is the executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, former superintendent of Kennewick School District, and former president of the Washington Association of School Administrators.

About Open Court Reading

Open Court Reading is a leading Pre-K-6 reading and language arts program published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. Developed from 45 years of intense study and field-testing, Open Court Reading incorporates sound teaching practices from scientific research. In the schools and districts where the program has been implemented, not only have students' reading test scores increased, but teachers and principals also are seeing gains in student achievement overall. The newest edition of Open Court Reading is now available as Imagine It! For more information, visit ImagineItReading.com.

About SRA/McGraw-Hill

SRA/McGraw-Hill is the top provider of specialized research-based educational programs and professional development for the elementary market. Leading programs include SRA Imagine It! reading program, Direct Instruction, and additional core and supplemental programs. SRA is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of print and digital instructional, assessment, and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at mheducation.com. For more information on SRA/McGraw-Hill's products, call 1-888-SRA-4543 and visit SRAonline.com.

  Media Contacts:


  Amy Tillinghast                     Melina Metzger
  SRA/McGraw-Hill                     Paul Werth Associates
  (614) 750-7285                      (614) 224-8114 Ext. 236
  amy_tillinghast@mcgraw-hill.com     mmetzger@paulwerth.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: SRA/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: CONTACT: Amy Tillinghast, SRA/McGraw-Hill, +1-614-750-7285,
amy_tillinghast@mcgraw-hill.com, or Melina Metzger, Paul Werth Associates,
+1-614-224-8114 Ext. 236, mmetzger@paulwerth.com

Web Site: http://www.imagineitreading.com/
http://www.readingfoundation.org/
http://www.sraonline.com/