Fairfax County Reading Teachers Association

MEETINGS

FCRTA meets at 4:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month of the school year in the FEA Building at 3917 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax, Virginia. 

Meeting dates for the 2011-2012 school year:

September 12

October 17

November 14

January 9

February 13

March 12

April 9

 Click here for a map to our meeting location.

FCRTA at the Fairfax County Public Schools School Board Meeting

On Monday, January 30^th, members of the Fairfax County Reading Teachers Board attended the School Board Meeting to talk to the board about the importance of summer reading programs. Below is a copy of what was shared with the board. FCRTA will continue to ask the school board to support summer reading throughout the budget process.  

Members of the Fairfax County School Board,

 My name is Marni Matyac and I am a reading teacher at Wolftrap Elementary and the president of the Fairfax County Reading Teachers Association. During my career with Fairfax County Public Schools, I have worked in a variety of school communities. The Wolftrap Elementary School community is blessed to have families that have the time and the monetary resources to fill their children’s homes with books. They are able to take time over the summer to read with their children. For many of our students, summer reading loss is not a concern.

 This is not the case in the rest of the schools that I have worked in. The research being done by Richard Allington states that low income students lose an average of three months progress between June and September. Middle class students maintain reading progress during the same time frame. What starts off as a three month achievement gap accumulates to a two-year achievement gap by the time these students reach middle school. Unless low income students and struggling readers read during the summer, there is little hope of closing the achievement gap in reading.

 In order to prevent summer reading loss, all struggling readers need to have access to books and read during the summer. FCPS has funded Project LIFT in past years. This program puts books in the hands of students and provides opportunities for them to reflect on their reading. Project LIFT research has shown that students maintain reading skills gained during the previous school year.

 “Jump Start” programs have allowed students to get a head start on the school year and minimize the effects of summer reading loss. At Wolftrap Elementary, we were able to combine a Jump Start program with an afterschool program thanks to extended contract positions that Fairfax County funded from 2008 to 2010.  The participants were first and second graders, many of whom qualified for special education by the end of their third grade year. One hundred percent of the students who participated in this program passed the SOLs at the end of third grade.

 We all agree reading is important. It is so important that our students can’t afford to lose three months of the progress during the summer. It is imperative that the school board fund summer reading opportunities. You can’t afford not to.

Marni Matyac

President

Fairfax County Reading Teachers Association

Want to attend a meeting?

Meetings are open to all members. For additional meeting information, please contact Marni Matyac at mlmatyac@fcps.edu.

Events

December 12- Holiday Celebration at Ozzie's in Fairfax Corner

January 30- FCRTA speaks at the Fairfax County School Board Meeting

January 31- FCRTA collects books at the FCPS Literacy Leaders Meeting 

February 13- Review of proposed English Language Arts textbooks at the Johnson Library at George Mason University, 4:30 p.m.

May 14- End of the Year Get Celebration