Grades 1 Through 6, O’Connor Elementary School, Victoria, Texas
Before staff development in Carbo Reading Styles, only 19% of O’Connor’s fourth-graders were passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS); only fourth graders were tested. After the implementation of CRS, scores rose dramatically. In 1995, 1997 and 1999, the percentage of students passing the TAAS was 83%, 90% and 92% respectively for grades one to three. As O’Connor principal Sherry Gorsuch noted, “Over the past six years, since beginning the Reading Styles Model, according to our TAAS testing data, scores have continued to rise in reading, math and writing.” Discipline referrals decreased dramatically. O’Connor is both a year-round magnet school and a school-wide Title I campus serving more than 700 students in grades PK-5. In 1999, the school population was 71.8% Hispanic, 14% Anglo and 12% African-American, with 75% of the students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. O’Connor Elementary School became a National Reading Styles Model School in 1997. It has welcomed thousands of visitors to its campus to experience its outstanding Reading Styles Program. O’Connor also serves as a partnership training school for the local university’s teacher training program. Reporting educator: Sherry Gorsuch, Principal, O’Connor Elementary School. |
