Read Northwest expands in Battle Ground schools as board hears K–4 literacy gains

Brooke Trang, executive director of Read Northwest, told the Battle Ground School District board that her nonprofit will expand its reading-mentor program into six district elementary schools next year and run a districtwide volunteer training to implement a "Take 5" sight‑word activity during weekly sessions.

Trang described Read Northwest’s model as brief, consistent mentor sessions—a 30‑minute reading block in which the first 5–10 minutes follow a short sight‑word routine and then the student engages in reading activities with a consistent volunteer. Read Northwest provides program coordinators and volunteer training, she said, and the organization buys books and partners with community groups, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Battleground Education Foundation, to bring literacy experiences into classrooms.

"We provide reading mentors for early childhood literacy, helping create a brighter future for our community," Trang said. She added that Read Northwest plans in‑kind supports such as reading boxes, family meal vouchers and donated books; the organization also provided bookmarks with a QR code linking to district literacy resources for families.

District staff and volunteers said the program aims to supplement, not replace, classroom instruction and state‑funded intervention programs. Heidi Lamers, the district’s Title I/LAP coordinator, described how targeted interventions (the state’s LAP learning-assistance pullouts) work alongside volunteer mentors. Lamers said a Daybreak Primary example showed substantial winter gains for students who received LAP supports and mentoring: "In just half a year of instruction, our Daybreak second‑grade LAP students gained one year of learning," she said.

Board members asked about volunteer time and cost. Read Northwest representatives described typical volunteer commitments as one 30‑minute session per week (two sessions ideal) and said the nonprofit covers coordinator and training costs; the board was told the expansion would have little to no direct cost to the district for the mentoring component. The presenters also emphasized volunteer consistency: regular mentors returning weekly provide relationship continuity that the presenters said improves outcomes.

Next steps include coordinating district volunteer training, clarifying how Read Northwest and district LAP services will complement each other, and continuing to report assessment results back to the board. The superintendent thanked Read Northwest and district staff for the presentation and noted the board would discuss more reading data later in the meeting.