Help SAVE PRIMARY PROMISE
Student Centered Funding (SCF) and why is it different from current funding?
What is Primary Promise?
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Primary Promise is an intervention model which provides targeted schools with designated and trained interventionists to accelerate the development of early literacy and numeracy skills for students in grades kindergarten through second grade.
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Primary Promise, unanimously supported by every board member in 2020 when it started, is the most promising early literacy program in the nation. This is not only backed up by data, but with abundant anecdotal evidence from teachers, parents and students. It is the first proactive program we have seen; it addresses students struggling to read at the very beginning of their education, and allows them to get on track with their peers. This program is targeted, and it works, as evidenced by the data shown in the image below, "Finding the Holy Grail."
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What are people saying?
“I’m a primary promise teacher. Between my room partner, a retired teacher, 2 IA’s and myself we see close to 100 students daily for 30 minutes of intense foundational skills reading instruction. Our groups have no more than 3 kids at a time so we can truly meet the needs of each student. If this program goes away it would be devastating to these children. So many came to our program not knowing a single letter or letter sound. They have made a tremendous amount of progress but the job is far from finished. A classroom teacher cannot provide the same kind of intense intervention Primary Promise can. They have too many students and not nearly enough time to truly address student needs. The students LOVE coming to Primary Promise. For many of them it is the only place where they feel successful as a student because they instruction is at their level. They’re proud of themselves and their hard work. All of us in the Primary Promise Community are devastated for our students. Why is the district not prioritizing a program that is shown to be successful? What will happen to our students now? ”- Teacher
“I am a Primary Promise Literacy Teacher and have been in the position since it started in 2020. To say that I am devastated to see the program come to an end at most schools is an understatement. It has been a dream job. How many teachers in LAUSD could report such high job satisfaction? I have learned so much about the science of reading, made the most wonderful friends with fellow educators, and most importantly, I have seen my students make well above average growth on the DIBELS test. My students are readers now! They LOVE coming to primary promise. They feel safe, seen, and supported both emotionally and academically. It’s a shame that we invested all this time, energy, and resources, just to have it ripped out from under us….literally overnight. We got an email Friday saying they were calling an emergency meeting on Monday. This is a true loss for all stakeholders (except the higher ups at Beaudry, of course).”- Teacher
“It works!! The data is undeniable. It is the one program in my 23 years that I have seen the best results at closing the achievement gap. The reality is that most teachers do not have adequate training, resources or time to provide intensive intervention in the classroom. We just cut huge parts of our budget at the 11th hour to retain this position because it is working so well at our school. It is a travesty and the district is a complete farce saying they want to help kids and then takes this major support away!”- Teacher
“Primary promise has helped (and continues to do so) my child an incredible amount. He still has his struggles like so many others. What can we do to convince them to keep the program? Email the superintendent? Is there anything else people are doing? A petition to sign? This is just so horrible.”- Parent
“J used these services and it was amazing, I can't imagine where he would be without them. Children shouldn't have to suffer because somethings don't click immediately for them.”- Parent
“I am a Kindergarten teacher of 29 years. Primary Promise is the first program that has made a difference in our students growth. We can see it in the classroom and the data shows it also. I have a class mostly comprised of ELL students that enter my classroom with no foundational skills. About 13 of my students have been in the program at some point during this school year. This is the strongest group of students I have ever had at this point in the year. They are blending, decoding, and reading. They know all the letters and sounds. They are confident and love school. The fact that the program is not returning is heartbreaking.”- Teacher
"My daughter has benefited from Primary Promise. She has been in it since last year. She was struggling to understand what she was reading. Since she has been in it she has improved her reading, comprehension and is doing so much better."- Parent
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