Maya McFadden photo
Barnard kindergartener Max shows teacher Jocelyn Freeman his completed workbook assignment in a classroom piloting the HMH reading program.
The city’s school district has picked Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) Into Reading and ¡Arriba la Lectura! programs to anchor a new approach to teaching literacy for kindergarten through fifth grade.
New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) spokesperson Justin Harmon made that announcement in a Wednesday afternoon email press release.
The selection comes at the end of a three-month, 12-school “science of reading”-based pilot designed to improve literacy levels among New Haven’s youngest public school students. The pilot marked a turn toward a new approach to teaching reading in New Haven.
“The decision takes into account feedback from teachers, literacy coaches, school administrators, and parents after a three-month pilot in 12 schools, including biliteracy schools,” NHPS Supt. Iline Tracey is quoted as saying in the press release.
Click here and here to read more about the pilot.
See below for the full press release.
NHPS Selects Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for its Reading Program
NEW HAVEN, CT, March 29, 2023 — The New Haven Public Schools has selected Into Reading and ¡Arriba la Lectura! from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) for its comprehensive reading program in grades kindergarten through five.
“The decision takes into account feedback from teachers, literacy coaches, school administrators, and parents after a three-month pilot in 12 schools, including biliteracy schools,” said Superintendent Iline Tracey. The pilot featured Into Reading and ¡Arriba la Lectura! by HMH, as well as myView Literacy and miVisión Lectura by SAVVAS.
“In both programs, it was evident that the student work was rigorous and aligned with the grade-level expectations,” said Assistant Superintendent Keisha Redd-Hannans. “This is important in moving forward on an academic outcome trajectory needed to accelerate learning.”
While teachers in both programs indicated a wealth of resources and high student engagement, HMH was rated higher in key areas:
• The teacher manual and navigation supports were significantly higher-rated by instructors during the HMH pilot.
• Strategies, supports, and activities that address the learning needs of all students, including multilingual learners) and students with disabilities, were plentiful and embedded in daily lessons.
• Assessment choices will provide a throughline from Grades K‑10, utilizing the Growth Measure, which is an updated version of the Reading Inventory. The addition of Amira, the new State Department of Education-authorized universal screener, provides a Dyslexia screener and streamlines assessment requirements for early literacy. This provides guidance for small group instruction while matching resources available within the core classroom. Amira also is customizable for Spanish-speaking students.
• Phonemic awareness lessons in HMH support and enhance the district’s current phonics program (Fundations) and follow a systematic order of instruction following the Science of Reading.
It is also important to note that HMH provided site-based coaching on the job to teachers during the pilot. “The responsiveness to the needs of our teachers was exceptional, and we are confident that the HMH staff will continue to meet the needs of our teachers,” said Supervisor of Literacy Lynn Brantley.
As a result of the positive response to Into Reading and ¡Arriba la Lectura! by staff and students and after reviewing the comprehensive materials for grades 4 – 5, NHPS will expand the implementation of the program to include grades K‑5. This will ensure cohesion across grade levels and schools in order to ensure all elementary students access a strong core literacy program.
See below for other recent Independent articles about teaching, reading, and working inside New Haven Public Schools classrooms.
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• Career High School Lifts Every Voice & Sings
• Student Inventors Keep Classmates Upright
• Celentano School Assembly Celebrates Jamaican Connection
• Obama School Takes A Day To De-stress
• Student-Artists Build Houses Out Of Blight
• Black Stars Shine Bright In Preschool’s Orbit
• Hillhouse Coach Cheers Teens To School
• Obama Students“Caught Being STRONG” At Black History Celebration
• Praise, Frustration Follow Star Teacher’s Departure
• Chess Students Learn Power Of The Pawn
• Facing Down Phones, Riverside Adapts
• Refugee Reader Brings Courage To Class
• Middle-School GSA Finds Its Way
• Student Council Gets Down To Governing
• In Class, High-Schoolers Learn To Lead
• High-Schoolers Get Tips From Future Selves
• TAG Turns Into“Wellness Wednesday”
• Volcano Pose Helps Students Erupt, Cool Off
• Gateway Chief Uncovers Student Superpowers
• New Tutoring Site Focuses On Phonics
• Race Finds A Place In The Classroom
• “Little Engineers” Build Boats For Pirate Pete
• Seeking Stability, Cross Principal Hits The Halls
• Hispanic Heritage Takes Center Stage At Career High Fest
• Teacher Tim Takes To TikTok
• Amid Shortage, Teachers Cite Disrespect
How much phonics will be included and how much of the discredited balanced literacy will be retained?