WHAT: Indiana State University students in Karen Hamilton's curriculum, instruction and media technology course have been working with Sarah Scott Middle School students to improve their reading comprehension ISTEP scores. Their final experience at Sarah Scott for this semester will take place tomorrow, as author David Patneaude (Framed in Fire) makes a special visit to the school. The whole school received a free copy of his book and all have read it in preparation for ISU's project and his visit.
WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 2006.
Patneaude will begin visiting students from each grade beginning about 8:30 a.m.
He will have a book signing about 11 a.m.
WHERE: Sarah Scott Middle School (1000 Grant St., Terre Haute)
WHY: As a means of improving students ISTEP scores in the area of reading comprehension and to pave the way for changes in ISU's teacher education program under the auspices of ProjectPRE. ISU is moving its teacher education program toward a more clinical-based design, requiring students to be out in the schools even more frequently and earlier in their college careers than ever before.
WHO: More than 25 ISU students in the course CIMT 301/302 have been tutoring a number of Sarah Scott students in reading comprehension this semester. This has included the reading of Patneaude's book, among other activities, and his visit to the school is the students' culminating experience. The Sarah Scott students chose a name for themselves, the "Sycamore Scholars" and each student will be wearing this special "badge," recognizing their involvement in this pilot initiave for Project PRE.
BACKGROUND: Project PRE is a U.S. Department of Education Title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement grant that has been provided to the ISU / Professional Development Schools partnership and is designed to impact teacher quality at the pre-service and professional development levels. For more information about ISU's Project PRE (Partnering to Reform Education), contact Karen Hamilton, professor, curriculum, instruction and media technology, at (812) 237-2949 or eskaren@isugw.indstate.edu; or Irene Brock, assistant professor of elementary, early childhood, special education, (812) 237-7892 or eebrock@isugw.indstate.edu.
CONTACTS:
Karen Hamilton, assistant professor, curriculum, instruction and media technology,
Indiana State University, (812) 237-2949 or eskaren@isugw.indstate.edu,
or Mark Miller, Sarah Scott principal, at (812) 462-4381.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Maria Greninger, associate director, Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, (812) 237-4357 or m-greninger@indstate.edu