Crestview Schools awarded big grant

VW independent staff/submitted information

CONVOY — Crestview Local Schools was recently awarded the “Reaching All Students Through Language and Literacy” grant for $200,000. This grant will provide teachers with the professional development needed to ensure they are utilizing the most effective instructional practices in literacy as they learn from nationally recognized experts in the field. These experts will assist teachers and administrators in analyzing data to identify areas of growth related to literacy instruction and help teachers implement a project to improve outcomes for students.

“Opportunities such as this do not come around often, and I am grateful that we were chosen for this grant,” Crestview Elementary Principal Jessica Schuette said. “Our staff is committed to meeting the needs of every student, and this grant will provide us with the resources we need to continue our tradition of excellence.”

The two-year project will create a network of buildings and districts that will work together with the assistance of the Ohio Department of Education and a managing vendor to engage in the following tasks:

• Attend monthly network meetings to participate in professional learning and consultation around literacy instruction. There will also be an annual in-person, all-day convening each of the two years of the project.
• Receive professional learning from nationally recognized experts in literacy, English learners, student culture and dialect, and family and community engagement.
• Review student and adult data to identify an opportunity for growth related to literacy instruction.
• Plan and implement a project in year two that seeks to address the opportunity for growth. These projects may focus on building educator capacity, improving teaming structures, implementing a multi-tiered system of supports and/or family and community engagement.

The grant team included a variety of K-5 teachers and administrators who were a sub-group of the district’s dyslexia team. Team members were: Ally Lichtensteiger, Sara Pugh, Lindsay Breese, Jessica Schuette, Colby Kuhn and Brenda Dye.