HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A report given to the Hutchinson USD 308 School Board shows that nearly one in every five students in the 8th grade reads below that level or — in some cases — as many as four or five grades below the 8th grade level.

Principal Bruce Hurford reported to the board steps the school is taking to ensure students reading below the required level get the special help they need:

 

Of the 18 percent of students reading below the grade level, nearly half are reading several grades under the requirements. A majority of those require special education programs.

Students can make their way through the program, and eventually get out of the support classes and back into a normal school schedule. Hurford says, once a student gets back to an acceptable level of reading, there are steps taken to ensure they can maintain that level:

 

Student assessments are taken twice a year in both reading and math to help track learning trends.