As the sole literacy director and reading specialist for our entire district, I work with students—including those with low-level reader challenges–in elementary, middle, and high school, and I also help out at other district schools—one of which is five hours away.
Our district encompasses seven schools and 1,350 students spread across a rural area in Kanab, Utah, where I’m in charge of reading intervention programs and early literacy assessments right now. Thanks to changes in our state’s grant programs, that role continues to evolve and incorporate new responsibilities.
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In 2018, I received some relief in the form of a personalized learning platform that’s now being used by 10 districts in Utah. We’re using it in all of our schools now, and these platforms help us provide differentiated instruction in a way that meets the needs of all of our students.