Spanish Fort Elementary reading specialist credits 3-mill funds with improved ACAP scores

Sheila Lambert, a local reading specialist at Spanish Fort Elementary School, addressed the council to thank them for the city's 3-mill funding. She said the school employs six PTIs (retired teachers) who collaborate with classroom teachers to plan instruction targeted to students' assessed deficits.

Lambert said the school used instructional materials aligned with the science of reading and reviewed student instructional reports to tailor interventions. "We did, with the help of our great UTIs, we went up 4% in our reading and math ACAP," she told the council, adding that the 3-mill funds are being used to lift students to grade level and to increase performance for students already at or above grade level.

Lambert and council members framed the improvements as the result of targeted staffing and materials funded through the 3-mill; no independent data source or district-wide comparison was provided during the remarks. The council received the presentation and acknowledged the work of school staff and volunteers.