71% of Students Assessed in Cohort Gained/Maintained Literacy Knowledge
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 14, 2018) – Read Fort Worth’s 2018 Summer Scholars Cohort demonstrated significant results in curbing summer learning loss, also referred to as “summer slide,” in the area of literacy thanks to a collaborative and coordinated community effort.
According to results from the Iowa Reading Assessment, 59% of students assessed demonstrated gains in literacy knowledge, another 12% maintained their literacy knowledge levels, meaning that 71% of students assessed avoided summer slide. The Summer Scholars Cohort served more than 800 rising first- to third-graders at 21 sites across Fort Worth.
Through Read Fort Worth’s Summer Learning Collaborative Action Network, co-chaired by Gleniece Robinson, representing the City of Fort Worth, and Chris Alvarado of United Way of Tarrant County, committed partners, such as AB Christian Learning Center, Clayton Youth Enrichment, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth/Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, Fort Worth Public Library, YMCA of Fort Worth, Project Transformation and United Community Centers, Inc., enthusiastically volunteered to be a part of the Cohort, which focused on gathering data regarding quality summer learning programs aimed at providing young readers the reinforcement they need to grow in literacy skills over the summer and not lose ground.
Fort Worth ISD contributed their leadership and support to this effort by leading efforts to identify Best Practices around summer literacy, training providers and literacy guides, identifying the common assessment tool, as well as providing funding for the literacy guides.
“This is collective impact at its best,” said Anel Mercado, the new Executive Director of Read Fort Worth. “Use data to identify what works, start with a coalition of the willing, implement effective practices, use the data to celebrate the wins and begin to plan how to take the effective practices to scale. All of this done by collaboration with community partners with a big heart and desire to do what is best for kids.”
Read Fort Worth honored the eight learning partners that made up the 2018 Summer Scholars Cohort, along with literacy guides and Fort Worth ISD leaders, at a special luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 13 at the United Way of Tarrant County offices.
Funding for the Summer Scholars Cohort was made possible through the Miles Foundation and the Fort Worth ISD. Read Fort Worth led the coordination of this summer’s efforts and employed current and retired FWISD teachers who served as literacy guides for the programs and were responsible for assessing the kids.
“The 100×25 goal will only be obtained through a community collective impact effort, this is why Read Fort Worth has the strong support of Mayor Betsy Price, Matt Rose, Chairman of BSNF and the Fort Worth ISD,” FWISD Superintendent Kent Scribner said.
The Summer Scholars Cohort is one of several strategies Read Fort Worth has coordinated to engage the community in Fort Worth ISD schools and provide young readers and their families the support they need to succeed in school. Read Fort Worth is a collective impact effort to align partners, strategies and resources to significantly improve early childhood literacy so that 100 percent of Fort Worth ISD third-graders are reading on grade level by 2025.
About Fort Worth ISD
Fort Worth ISD enjoys a diverse student population – more than 86,000! — and strong community partnerships. Under the leadership of the superintendent and the Board of Education, the District is undergoing a series of initiatives that will redesign, transform, and revitalize Fort Worth ISD Schools.
About Read Fort Worth
Read Fort Worth exists to provide unique, actionable data; to organize and align partners under the shared 100×25 goal; to develop strategies for significant improvement, and to communicate best practices and drive results. For more information, visit www.ReadFortWorth.org.