Language Arts at San Miguel School
San Miguel students defy the odds.
Despite declining national reading scores [link] and despite the fact that English language learners [link], San Miguel students jump an average of 21 points in reading scores from the time they enter in sixth grade to the time they graduate in eighth grade.
This is not typical growth you would expect to see over the course of middle school. Students leapfrog over roughly 20% of their peer group.
A Culture of Reading
One look at the San Miguel schedule reveals that literacy is a top priority. In addition to the 80-minute daily block dedicated to English Language Arts (about double the time as other schools), all students are enrolled in a daily Independent Reading class, where they devote forty minutes to reading books at their specific reading levels and take comprehension quizzes. Students often visit San Miguel’s cozy campus library to check out classics, current hits, and brand-new releases.
But reading isn’t limited to these periods. “At San Miguel, we believe every class is a reading class. This is the fundamental standard to which all teachers instruct and inspire their students,” explains President Dr. David Palank. Reading is the foundation of learning in every subject, from math to science, history to the arts. Every class requires students to interpret, analyze, and apply information from texts.
