Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Education chief visits Readfield school

BY MICHAEL SHEPHERD, Staff Writer

READFIELD -- Maine Commissioner of Education Stephen Bowen left "the bubble" in Augusta to visit Readfield Elementary School as part of a statewide listening tour Tuesday.

Part of Bowen's visit was to gauge the Readfield school's "response to intervention" program.

"Having the commissioner come out and see what we're proud of, and what we're doing, is a very good thing," Maranacook Superintendent Rich Abramson said. "You get to have personal contact. I can write a letter or send an email to someone in Augusta, but I don't know whether its actually being seen."

The response to intervention method of instruction is part of Maine state law, stressing "processes (that) focus on how well students respond to changes in instruction," according to the Maine Department of Education's website.

"I haven't managed to delve into every program at every school, and that's why I'm out here," Bowen said. "I'm in a bubble over in Augusta and I love to get out."

While standing in a busy lunchroom just before the tour, Bowen was approached by a student sporting an orange T-shirt and a blond mohawk.

The student said "hi," very tersely and, upon pressing from the commissioner, explained he was headed to science class after lunch, where he would be learning about volcanos.

"Volcanos?" Bowen said. "That's awesome stuff."

Bowen was escorted around the school for a time by a group of fifth-graders, who took him into classrooms of all grades, peeking in on some classes engaged in lessons.

The remainder of the tour was led by Principal Cheryl Hasenfus, who said schoolchildren were prepared for "the guys in suits" -- Bowen, his aides and the media. The visit lasted approximately an hour.

In Michelle Bell's second-grade classroom, Bowen walked in just before the class began its literacy block.

Maria Rungi, the school's literacy specialist, said her role is implenting a "push-in" model of special education.

The model involves specialists addressing students' educational needs within classrooms, supplementing the more traditional Title 1 program, which moves students out of the traditional classroom and into more specialized environments.

According to Rungi, the push-in model is a piece of the larger "response to intervention" model. Her job is to circulate within the classroom setting, offering help to students who need it as they may sit, reading among friends.

She said since the push-in model started at the beginning of this year, students needing reading assistance have seen their one-on-one time triple, from 20 minutes per day to an hour -- with "great results," Rungi said.

"The teachers have been so supportive," Rungi said. "I'm pretty much coming in and ripping up their ideas of what a literacy bloc is."

After the tour, Bowen said Gov. Paul LePage is looking for cost efficiencies in K-12 education and would like to offer an "incentive approach" for districts, regional school units and localities looking to consolidate their efforts.

After the 2010 adoption of Common Core educational standards in langauge arts and math, Bowen said schools are being held to higher standards than ever.

"They've got a lot of things they need to do here. We're asking them to do something they've never had to do before -- make sure every child meets standards," he said. "We need to be ready to go with any support they need."

Bowen's visit was the second stop of his daylong tour of Kennebec County schools. He began the day with a visit to Williams Elementary School in Oakland and was to hold a public forum at Messalonskee Middle School, also in Oakland, in the evening.

Michael Shepherd -- 621-5662

mshepherd@mainetoday.com