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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Court issues civics lesson to school district ... State, miners headed for showdown over dredging ... Jacksonville to add downtown parking spots ... Our View: Court issues civics lesson to school district ... State, miners headed for showdown over dredging ... Jacksonville to add downtown parking spots ... EDUCATION Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 6:10 PM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 6:10 PM » Social News The Medford School District is hiring more than 50 part-time support staff and nearly 10 teachers to provide targeted reading and math assistance to elementary students over the next three months. The district allocated between $10,000 and $18,000 to each of its elementary schools — about $200,000 total — to spend on staff and supplemental support as determined by each individual school. “There are some students out there who need extra time and more supports in a smaller group setting, and we are wanting to use our dollars in a unique way this year to see if we can bridge those gaps,” said Julie Evans, Medford’s director of elementary education. Many of the elementary schools are opting to hire support staff and teachers to meet in small groups with students who are falling behind. Others are purchasing additional curriculum, offering before- and after-school options, or hiring someone to oversee attendance and follow-up with students who are chronically absent, Evans said. For example, Kennedy Elementary School plans to hire one certified teacher and two support staff to work on math with small groups of fifth- and sixth-graders and to purchase additional reading and phonics materials to be used by regular classroom teachers. “Since our reading scores were stronger than our math (scores), we wanted to focus the bulk of our funds on math interventions,” said Kennedy Principal Tom Ettel. The district expects to serve about 1,200 elementary students through these interventions and prepare them to take the Smarter Balanced test in the spring. Schools will administer assessments — for example, a writing sample or math set — later this month to determine which students need additional help and, in March, to see how much the student improved and so the district can track the success rate of various interventions, Evans said. Last year, the district allocated roughly the same amount for elementary interventions but awarded the money in the fourth rather than third quarter. Evans said she hopes that by offering the interventions during the cold, dark winter months, as opposed to the spring, more students will want to participate. “We’re basically doing the same thing we do in a normal school day," Ettel said. "We just have extra staff and some really good material to use. This gives us more money to do better." Elementary schools offering before- or after-school options will provide bus transportation as needed. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 6:10 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501