Muncie Community Schools Crafts Vision to Transform Primary Literacy Outcomes
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, community members serving on Muncie’s Educational Transformation Team have thoughtfully crafted a plan to transform primary literacy outcomes at three elementary schools. As recipients of a Next Generation School Improvement Grant, Longfellow Elementary, Grissom Elementary, and South View Elementary will receive more than $8 million to help all students learn to read proficiently by the end of third grade.
To achieve this goal, the Educational Transformation Team has identified five priorities.
Priority 1: Expand and Enrich Pre-K Programming
By adding preschool classrooms at each elementary school, Muncie plans to enroll an additional 130 four-year-olds into high-quality programs. This foundation will help prepare students for kindergarten and set them up for success in early grades.
Priority 2: Implement New Curriculum Aligned to the Science of Reading
After carefully considering the reading materials available at Muncie elementary schools, the Educational Transformation Team decided to adopt a new program: Amplify CKLA. This curriculum is aligned to the Science of Reading, a culmination of decades of research focused on the best practices of skilled readers. Educators will participate in robust training on these new resources. Most importantly, the district will provide ongoing coaching, both within and outside of the classroom, to ensure that teachers are making the most of these learning materials.
Priority 3: Support Student Attendance and Engagement
Chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing at least 10% of school, is a problem around the country, and unfortunately, it’s an acute one in Muncie. With additional personnel and funding to increase transportation capacity, Muncie plans to collaborate with families to address barriers to regular student attendance. Over time, these partnerships will reduce chronic absenteeism and significantly increase time spent learning in the classroom.
Priority 4: Provide Individualized Behavior Supports
Being a young person today presents unique challenges, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason and others, the three elementary schools selected for this grant opportunity will hire assistant principals to support student behavior. In addition, a professionally-trained behavior coach will support students, teachers, and families as they address challenges.
Priority 5: Academic Engagement and Acceleration
To promote student engagement in the classroom and design accelerated learning opportunities, Muncie will hire instructional coaches, implement proven practices, provide high-dosage tutoring, and offer summer enrichment programming. Many of these initiatives will require considerable community support, including volunteers willing to meet regularly with the same group of students throughout an academic quarter or semester.
What’s next?
The next three school years will focus on implementation. In other words, the next three years are about taking action on the project plans that have been carefully-designed to achieve the priorities above. SkyBound is grateful for the opportunity to support Muncie Community Schools, and we look forward to celebrating the many successes of Muncie’s students, educators, and families in the days ahead.
