Jesus, Reading Intervention

Jesus has been a student at Bruce-Guadalupe Community School (BGCS) since kindergarten. Raised in a household where Spanish is the dominant language, Jesus struggled with basic reading comprehension, which affected many aspects of his education. After scoring in the 25th percentile on his Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test—a standardized test that measures students’ understanding of reading, math, and science—Jesus was selected to be a part of the Reading Intervention Program.

The Reading Intervention Program at BGCS is structured in three stages and focuses on assisting students who struggle with reading skills and strategies. During the first stage, the teacher and student partake in a question and answer discussion, where the teacher asks the student questions. Once the student reaches the second stage, they develop their own questions. Finally, in the third and more advanced stage, reciprocal teaching occurs and the student becomes the teacher.

Jesus began the Reading Intervention Program in the 5th grade, and his teacher noticed that he was often rereading stories word-for-word in order to answer the questions. Jesus would also often give incorrect answers because he either did not understand the story or did not understand the questions being asked.

As he continued in the program, however, Jesus began to show significant improvement. He began to better understand grade level material, and his answers became more focused and accurate. The most significant sign of improvement occurred when Jesus reached 7th grade and retook the MAP exam. He scored above average and placed in the 64th percentile.

With the improvement of his MAP score and the overall improvement of his reading comprehension skills, Jesus has become a more confident reader. Furthermore, his overall grades have significantly improved. With graduation in mind, Jesus has begun looking at potential high schools. To ensure he gets accepted into his top choice, Jesus works hard every day in all of his classes and in the Reading Intervention Program.