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Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 1:50 PM

Chanute USD 413 board gets reading program update

The Chanute USD 413 Board of Education this month heard good things from teachers about the new language arts program in the district.

Last March, the school board approved Amplify: Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The reading program focuses on building foundational reading skills through phonics instruction and content- based texts that leads to decoding words effectively. The program teaches students to read to learn through acquired knowledge that includes science, social studies and the arts.

Julie Thompson, third grade teacher at Chanute Elementary School, told board members last week that kids and teachers love the program.

“I think it’s kind of ignited something in all of us who are teaching,” Thompson told board members.

Her students started the day excited for reading and are disappointed when a unit is finished, she said. They are learning about the Vikings now. Students have also learned about the human body, systems and senses. They’ve studied other civilizations and had hands on activities that bring the lessons to life.

Student testing has seen improvements. “We’re already starting to see the impact of the series program on our scores. It’s been fun to kind of see that,” Thompson said.

Fifth grade teacher Jill Daugharthy agreed. Her students are able to connect their work to broader eras in time. One such moment happened when students answered a question about how Da Vinci’s work captured the essence of the Renaissance.

“So we had many, many moments like that,” Daugharthy said.

Teachers also shared some of the test questions that students have been taking through the curriculum.

Superintendent Matt Koester also discussed legislative work going on in Topeka that could impact education. One bill, HB2137, would allow bus cameras on bus stop arms and this image could be used to prosecute offenders. Another bill would allow teachers to transfer from KPERS 3 to KPERS 2, which is a better retirement system and would help with retention.

Vouchers are also a hot topic in Topeka. These allow the use of public funds to allow parents to send their children to private schools. The measures could divert $125 million from public to private schools, he said.

Board members also agreed to purchase $39,985 in band instruments from Ernie Williamson Music in Joplin.


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