Sunset Elementary teachers recognized for reading program mastery in St. George

Written by Bridger Palmer
May 1, 2024

ST. GEORGE — The Utah State Board of Education recently shined a spotlight on Sunset Elementary School, awarding teachers who have skillfully navigated the new frontiers of the Science of Reading.

Data comparing Washington County School District’s second grader reading levels against national trends | Graph courtesy of Amy Mitchell, St. George News

Sunset Elementary School held a reading awards ceremony on April 24. The awards recognized several teachers and other faculty members of Sunset Elementary and Washington County School District for their proficiency in reaching the science of reading.

The Science of Reading is a literacy initiative backed by the Utah State Board of Education.

Sunset Elementary School’s outgoing principal, Julie Smith, said they had to unlearn previous techniques to teach children how to read.

“The teaching practices that we’re using now are a lot different than what we were doing before,” Smith said. “The focus now looks at best practices like phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary instruction.”

All of their staff completed Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling training, a program that educates teachers on how to best teach reading and spelling. It covers a lot of ground and takes a lot of time — about 160 hours over two years.

Sunset Elementary principal Julie Smith after emceeing the event, St. George, Utah, April 24, 2024 | Photo by Bridger Palmer, St. George News

The faculty revamping their curriculum led to a state observation by the Utah Board of Education in October. Officials evaluated the implemented changes through classroom visits and graded them using a rubric.

Julie Clark, the literacy and early learning coordinator at Utah State Board of Education, outlined how they decided to award Sunset Elementary and the wider school district’s eight awardees, including the fact that “there are only 25 people in the state of Utah that have these awards.”

“They have to get 100% on the rubric to receive the award,” Clark said. “We only have one other school in the state that has had multiple teachers receive the award.”

Smith and her successor principal, Heather Campbell, were also interviewed. They are just the second and third principals to receive the award.

Campbell said they’ve read studies on the science aspect of the Science of Reading initiative, including studies by neurologists and their inventory of brain scans that show just how the brain actually learns how to read.

“We’re able to see different connections that need to be made,” Campbell said. “We are relying on research and science to help us.”

Peers nominate their school and teachers for the awards. After the Utah State Board of Higher Education reviews the nominations, they visit the campus to ensure that only the most qualified educators are recognized.

Kathy Hall, district literacy coordinator K-5 at Washington County School District, was one of the few administrators to receive the award, along with Amy Mitchell. She was grateful to win the award but emphasized that it is the teachers she is most proud of.

An awardee holds their Science of Reading Teacher Award, St. George, Utah, April 24, 2024 | Photo by Bridger Palmer, St. George News

“They have worked so hard taking all of the training and implementing in their classrooms,” Hall said. “I am happy the USBE has recognized them for the good work they continue to do.”

The data shows that over three years, the percentage of kindergarteners performing “Above Benchmark” increased from 41% to 48%. In first and second graders, there was a consistent rise in the number of students scoring “Above Benchmark,” especially second graders, improving from 56% to 65%.

However, in grades three to five, while there are increases in higher performance levels, the percentage of students performing below the benchmark remains high.

The overall number of students assessed has also slightly decreased, indicating potential demographic changes or other external influences on school enrollment.

By the end of 2027, the school aims for 70% of their third graders to be at grade level in reading.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bridger Palmer was born in St. George, Utah, before being raised in the Inland Empire in Southern California. He was inspired to pursue journalism because he was an avid reader of Bill Simmons’ sports and popular culture blog, Grantland. Palmer wrote a screenplay in 2020 and launched his own website, newgrantland.com, shortly thereafter. He worked his way from proofreader to editorial assistant at a weekly newspaper in Redlands, California. He returned to Southern Utah in late 2023.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!