News : Principal passes the test; new reading program to begin at VS District

Vinton-Shellsburg students may not realize it, but their teachers, and even their principals, often have to take tests.

Principal Shelly Petersen is preparing to make the change from Shellsburg Elementary to VS Middle School next school year. There she will replace Mike Timmermans, who is retiring this year.

But the biggest change for Mrs. Petersen is not the new building, or the new grade level, or the slightly larger staff and student body she will lead at Middle School.

The biggest change for Mrs. Petersen, and the district, is the new reading program that will begin next year.

Along with continuing the Second Chance Reading Program for students who are a little behind their grade level in reading, Mrs. Petersen and several other teachers will implement a new pilot program to help those struggling students who are two or more grade levels behind in reading comprehension tests.

The pilot program is so new that it does not even have a name yet. And the Vinton-Shellsburg district is the only district in Iowa that will use the program.

For now, the program is simply called "DE," referring to the Iowa and North Carolina Departments of Education. Iowa education leaders got the idea from North Carolina, where schools there have been using the program.

Part of the program includes using two teachers in some classes. More than a dozen VS teachers have been attending class and also took the test. Petersen passed her test with an 86; she said it was one of the toughest, most comprehensive tests she has ever taken. She did not know how the other teachers did on their tests.

While much of the program centers on Middle School, the reading improvement program will cover all grades and buildings.