What Should You Know as a Parent?

• In October 2016, Michigan lawmakers passed Public Act 306 in an effort to boost reading achievement.​

• Beginning in Kindergarten, your child’s literacy progress will be closely monitored by your child’s teachers.

• Each child will have a reading plan. This means that your child’s teacher and school will work with your child to find where your child needs support and create a plan to support your child. The plan will include: 1) extra instruction or support in areas of need; 2) ongoing progress checks; 3) at home reading plan (20 minutes of reading outside of the school day); 4) Your child may be encouraged to participate in summer reading programs.

• Extra support in your child’s individualized reading plan will occur in small group or one-on-one instruction during the school day. Your child will not miss regular reading instruction.

Ideas to Help Your Child at Home 

Family involvement is critical for your child’s reading success. Our goal is for your child to become an independent, lifelong reader. To that end, the following is a list of tools and strategies that we encourage you to use often with your child in order to develop both their overall understanding of texts and a love of reading. 

Please click on the header above identified as your child's "Area of Focus" on his/her Individual Reading Instructional Plan (IRIP) for more ways to support your reader at home. 

• Read aloud of age-appropriate books and other materials, print or digital. Before reading, model or ask the child to make predictions about the story based on the title, the cover, headings, and/or illustrations.

• Allowing your child to choose interesting books will increase motivation and engagement. Our local library provides an excellent collection of children’s literature, sure to interest any child.

• The best way to develop language skills is through communication. Talking, rhyming, and singing with your child will develop vital language skills including phonemic awareness.

• As your child learns how words work, encourage daily writing. This will develop phonics skills and the understanding that print conveys meaning.

• Re-reading texts often will build fluency. Repeat exposures to favorite songs, stories, poems, and images.

• Encourage the child to make connections between the story and his/her own life, other books, and/or the world.

• Ask the child to retell specific portions of the story to improve understanding/comprehension.

Attendance is a great predictor of academic success. Please ensure that your child is in school whenever possible.