Schools

To Get Kids to Read, Sipley Principal Will Shave His Head

John L. Sipley Elementary School Principal Don Mrozik told the District 68 Board of Education Monday of a new contest the school is running until December.

Don Mrozik is prepared to shave his head -- even to let his students shave his head -- if enough of them commit to reading 30 minutes a day. 

Mrozik, principal at , announced the contest at Monday's meeting. 

If 95 percent of Sipley students read at least 30 minutes a day between Oct. 14 and Dec. 5, Mrozik will go bald. 

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The contest doesn't stop there. The students in grades second through sixth and the advanced reading students in Sipley's literacy enrichment program are also competing for the most engaged reading minutes. 

Students in fourth through sixth grade with the most engaged minutes of reading will receive a Nook e-reader. 

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Students in second and third grade with the most engaged minutes of reading will receive a $50 gift card to  

Engaged reading minutes are determined by which books the children read. Each book is assigned a certain number of engaged reading minutes it would take for a child to complete it. Students have to pass Accelerated Reader tests, which judge the student's knowledge of the book, for the book to count. 

After Dec. 5, the school plans to buy more Nooks and gift cards to continue the contest. 

Sipley officials presented its school improvement plan for the 2011-2012 school year during Monday's board meeting. The plan is required under No Child Left Behind as  (AYP) for the past two years, though for two different reasons. 

In 2011, Sipley's Hispanic subgroup did not make AYP. You need 45 students in the grades taking the ISAT for a subgroup to be counted. There were not enough Hispanic students in 2010 for this subgroup to count. 

In 2010, Sipley's economically disadvantaged subgroup did not make AYP. In 2011, that subgroup met its goals. 

The presentation addresses how Sipley is using data-based approaches to identify and reach students whose reading skills are below state standards.

In a method unique to Sipley, students spend the end of their school days in assigned groups based on their reading levels. 

Students who need more help are put in smaller groups. The rest are in groups of 18 or under. Those with advanced reading skills work on more challenging literature in the school's literacy enrichment program. 

While the students in need are receiving more attention, to meet state standards, they need to read more. 

"Students who weren't meeting standards weren't reading," Mrozik said. 

Teachers and Mrozik are meeting with parents and students and offering incentives for reading. The school already recognizes students who read the most words on a million-dollar-reader bulletin board in the school. 

Students who are million-word-readers receive a medal during a ceremony near the end of the school year. 

 will add a 400,000- or 500,000-word-reader bulletin for its younger grades, as well. The school started the boards last year to much excitement from the students. 

Mrozik hopes the new contest will make a difference in time spent reading and in ISAT test scores. 

The contest seems to be reaching its target audience, Mrozik said. 

"I called the parent of one child who was reading 12 minutes a day on a Monday, and her mother told me she had been reading an hour a day Friday, Saturday and Sunday," he said. "She said she wanted that Nook." 

And while the Nook is enticing, seeing their principal bald seems to be the largest incentive, Mrozik said.

In a separate segment of the board meeting, officials said more of its students are unable to go to the due to lack of transportation, putting more emphasis on the quality of books in the schools' libraries. 

Through a library audit, the district found that it lacked books in its elementary schools at a 9, 10 or 11 grade reading level for more advanced readers. However, it is difficult to find books at this level with content appropriate for elementary school, they said. 

At , there was the opposite problem. There weren't enough books for the school's readers who struggled more. 

The district is assessing the schools' libraries and plans to make changes as necessary. 


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