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The Accelerated Reader Program, or ARP, was
adopted by then WM Ken Lane Sr. in 1998 at John Rogers Elementary.
Through the hard work of Debbie MacDonald, the ARP focal educator at
John Rogers Elementary, the Brethren of St. John's have worked
diligently to help promote reading education in Seattle area
schools. The ARP is a reading comprehension program, designed to
help teach students how to comprehend the books they are reading.
The students choose a book on the approved reading lst. Once
completed, the student takes a computerized test that measures their
level of comprehension, and upon passing that level of test, the
student moves up to a higher reading level. A lower score will
indicate to the teacher that the student is having difficulties in
comprehending the book, and will allow a more one on one focus for
the student's difficulties. Teachers have found that this program
has been especially successful in helping English as a Second
Languag(ESL) students, which have become a larger a growing
percentage to the schools population. We have received many tearful
testimonials from the parents of these students, and in turn have
seen the direct benefits to our community at large. In later year we
added Cedar Way Elementary in Montlake Terrace, and finally
Sacajawea Elementary was added to St. John's ARP. Through St. John's
sponsorship, the lodge has help purchase books, tests, and even been
able to help purchase computers and a server, that allows all the
schools computers to run remotely, as opposed to all the students
having to test off one central computer. Cedar Way Elementary has
said that their library is now larger and filled with more books
than any other school in their district. |
