Thoughts from the district… "We have been so pleased with the enthusiasm of our students and just watching and hearing them sing and interact with the skills is wonderful. Many of our students come from low income homes and having the kind of technology Waterford provides to them in the school setting is extremely important." |
 Tarkington Independent School DistrictCleveland, Texas
Challenges Presented
Solution—Waterford Early Reading Program The Waterford Early Reading Program™ from Pearson Digital Learning was implemented at the Tarkington Primary and Intermediate school during the 1999–2000 school year. The purchase was made possible through the Academics 2000 grant put together by Region IV. Jean Scott, Reading Coach at Tarkington says, "We received a portion of this grant along with other districts in our area and each district received Waterford for the technology portion of the grant." Purchasing Additional Waterford through Reading First
The Reading First initiative is a focused nationwide effort to enable all students to become successful early readers. Funds are dedicated to help states and local school districts eliminate the reading deficit by establishing high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction in kindergarten through grade three. Building on a solid foundation of research, it was designed to select, implement, and provide professional development for teachers using scientifically based reading programs, and to ensure accountability through ongoing, suitable and reliable screening, diagnostic and classroom-based assessment. "When we were notified of our qualification for the Texas Reading First grant we knew the first thing we wanted was more Waterford computers," says Scott. In an effort to receive the funding to purchase Waterford, staff at Tarkington needed help with writing the grant. Scott says, "Writing the grant was a challenge for those of us that worked on it, but the folks at Pearson Digital Learning came to the rescue. They sent us information and suggestions on the grant writing that guided and ultimately helped us to receive funding. As a result we were able to purchase four more computers, and that in turn has allowed 60 additional students the opportunity to have excellent skill reinforcement using technology. The wonderful thing is that many of these students have gone through the Waterford level one curriculum and now have level two and three for continuing reinforcement. We have approximately 180 students every day working on high-quality reading intervention utilizing Waterford," says Scott. In 2003 a Waterford Reading Intervention room was formed and equipped with a guided reading library and a Reading Intervention teacher. The staff works with small groups of students using instructional aides and the Intervention teacher. Two sets of four computers (eight total) of Waterford level one and level two curriculum are housed in this room. At the beginning of the school year, at-risk students are identified and each receives a 30 minute Waterford session. Approximately 120 students use the computers in the Reading Intervention room. Results Last year at Tarkington, many of the third grade students who took the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS™) test were the first students that had used Waterford when it was initially purchased through the Academics 2000 grant. This resulted in an 89 percent passing rate on the first administration. Some of the non-passing students were new to the district at the time and had not had the advantage of the Waterford intervention. |
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Tarkington Independent School District is located in rural Cleveland, Texas 50 miles northeast of Houston. 
