Photo: From left, representatives from the Mississippi Department of Education Literacy Leadership Team congratulate Chickasaw Elementary principal Dr. Crystal Robinson, former Chickasaw principal Selina Nichols, and assistant principal Marché Phillips. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Aug 8, 2024– The teachers and students of Chickasaw Elementary School in Olive Branch recently learned the school had received a special honor from the state Department of Education (MDE), one they had to put a little work in to achieve.
Wednesday, the school celebrated that it had been named an Emerging Science of Reading (SOE) School, making it one of six schools in Mississippi to earn that category.
The Emerging SOR designation is for schools that have trained teachers in the science of reading, exemplified a change of instructional practices, and embodied a school culture that focuses on building skillful, strong readers in kindergarten through third grade.
To recognize the achievement, representatives from MDE came to the school for a celebration event on Wednesday afternoon.
MDE Chief Academic Officer Dr. Donna Boone and Dr. Michelle Nowell, the department’s Executive Director of Elementary Education and Reading, were both on hand to offer congratulations and present a banner to the school signifying their achievement.
Former Chickasaw Elementary principal Selina Nichols also provided her comments with pride on how the school has been driven to grow its reading program.
Nowell said numbers have proven that Chickasaw Elementary vastly improved its reading proficiency through its Science of Reading efforts.
“In the school year 21-22, your reading proficiency was 49.2,” Nowell said. “In 22-23, it was 60.9. That is a growth of 11.7, which is amazing.”
Nowell also gave other figures that showed the growth in reading for the Olive Branch school.
Each spring all Mississippi K-5 schools are invited to apply for the Science of Reading recognition.
Key components of the program are:
Phonetic Awareness and Phonics
Vocabulary Development
Reading Fluency
Reading Comprehension
Professional Development for Teachers
Data-Driven Instruction
Science of Reading has been credited for the state’s improvement in literacy rates. For instance, fourth-grade increased scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing became known as the “Mississippi Miracle.”
Science of Reading is also now a model for other states looking to grow its own literacy rates for grade school students.
To be named an Emerging SOR school, the following criteria must be met to be considered:
A school can receive Science of Reading recognition after it has been an Emerging school for two consecutive years. That’s a recognition Senatobia Elementary School received this year.
“Congratulations to the teachers and leaders in each of these schools for their commitment to providing evidence-based reading instruction for their students,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “Their dedication to implementing the science of reading is crucial for helping students become strong, confident readers who are prepared for success throughout their academic careers and beyond.”
