Intensive reading pilot program completed in state

The Nevada Department of Education announced the completion of the Nevada Lit Camps pilot program at the end of July.

The Camp, which offered intensive reading instruction to support early childhood development for students kindergarten through fifth grade, occurred in Lyon County and Las Vegas with the potential to spread to other parts of the state.

“The importance of reading and strong literacy skills cannot be understated in setting our students up for long-term success in both school and life,” said Jhone Ebert, superintendent of public instruction. “Nevada’s Elementary Summer Lit Camps are an exceptional example of putting our federal funding to work in the most important areas for our students, and I am thrilled with the outcomes of the first year. Thank you to our NDE team and to every educator who was involved in making these camps successful.”

The camps were created through a partnership between the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program and Nevada’s Read by Grade 3 Program, where the camps were made possible through the 21st CCLC Program funding.

The program could end up spreading to other parts of the state.

The state’s education department said in a release, “This pilot of Nevada Lit Camps was designed as a research project, and funding has been allocated to collect data to measure the impact of the camps on students’ literacy. In the long-term, NDE plans to expand the camps to additional sites based on the proven success of the pilot.”

Over this past summer, the Camp’s inaugural sessions were hosted in six-week periods at two Lyon County schools and two Las Vegas schools. The camps had 240 participating students; the youth engaged in activities that included reading, guided writing and other opportunities that worked to increase literacy skills.

“I saw tremendous growth in our students due to the Nevada Summer Lit Camps, and I am confident that participating students will demonstrate strengthened literacy skills as they head back to school this fall,” said Tim Logan, deputy superintendent of the Lyon County School District.

“I look forward to seeing this program expand, as it is a phenomenal opportunity to target early literacy learning and to support elementary students who are currently performing below grade-level in reading.”

Camps were intended to provide hands-on learning experiences in a smaller class setting, and educators who were involved in the program said they saw major improvements in student literacy outcomes.

“Nevada Summer Lit Camps provided both students and teachers the opportunity to take advantage of small groups, a literacy-rich framework that allowed for progress in reading, writing, and word study, as well as time to increase these literacy skills specifically where and how students needed assistance,” said Shannon Coombs, principal of Yerington Elementary School. “The literacy intervention offered to these students was invaluable, and we anticipate the students’ confidence carrying over into the upcoming school year.”