How to resolve AdBlock issue? Linda Long, California director of Project READ sent a letter stating, “Your selection was based on a rigorous panel review process and approved by the California Department of Education.”
Mountain Vista Middle School Principal Nicki Thomas says, “Reading instruction is now at the heart of what we do at Mountain Vista Middle School.”
Project READ was introduced by the California Department of Education through a federal grant from the US Department of Education, as a way to improve literacy in middle-school students.
It is an intensive five year adolescent literacy intervention program dedicated to increasing the literacy skills of all students - including students with disabilities, English Learners, and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged students.
Mountain Vista Middle School applied to take part in Project READ in 2013, and through a competitive application process, was one of 44 middle schools selected to participate in the state of California.
The Site Leadership Team at Mountain Vista Middle School consists of Jen Conrad, MVMS Project READ Lead, ELD and Literacy Specialist; Christina Taylor, seventh grade ELA/History; Kerry Smith, resource teacher; and Nicki Thomas, principal.
The leadership team works closely with their Project READ coach, Chantell Caldwell, from Walnut Creek to provide ongoing professional development to the MVMS staff, and focuses on how to teach reading in all content areas.
Thomas added, “All MVMS teachers view themselves as reading teachers, and are using the same reading strategies school-wide. As a result of our hard work, students continue to improve their reading skills and teachers continue to improve their instructional practices."
Team members and the Project READ coach visit classrooms, observe teachers, and use that data to determine next steps in professional development.
Additionally, team members work closely with reading and special education teachers on providing high quality intervention classes to all “at-risk” students.
As an Exemplar Site, the Mountain Vista Middle School Site Leadership Team will be providing professional development to other California school sites through webinars and site visits, as well as presenting at the Project READ Statewide Institute in Spring 2018 in Anaheim, California.
Teams from several California schools have visited MVMS this year to learn best practices, and schools from the Bay Area have sent teams to visit in previous years.
“Project READ has brought our staff together and allowed us to focus on instructional practices that best meet the needs of our students,” Thomas said. “Through Project READ, our staff have become even better teachers and our students are reaping the rewards.”
Dave McQueen, superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District, added, "We are excited to see what is happening at MVMS. A big congratulations to Principal Thomas and the staff at MVMS. The bottom line in all this good news is that students are gaining skills and getting the help they need to succeed. We will continue to make strides in helping all students at Kelseyville achieve."
For more information on Project READ at Mountain Vista Middle School in Kelseyville, please contact Nicki Thomas or Jen Conrad at
