Oak Park schools to expand FastForWord program

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 10:00 PM

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By Terry Dean

Staff reporter

The district will expand its FastForWord program to all 10 schools beginning this fall. The computer-based intervention program for academically struggling students was piloted at six D97 schools this spring. Roughly 300 students used the program and showed improvement in their reading and math levels, according to data taken from an assessment done by students after using the program.

A full roll-out was the initial plan of Supt. Albert Roberts when he recommended the program last fall. D97 school board members, however, wanted a more gradual introduction.

That resulted in the program being implemented at six schools — Whittier, Holmes, Mann, Hatch, Brooks and Julian. Teachers at Beye, Lincoln, Irving and Longfellow will be trained this summer on how to use the program.

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Jeanine Pedersen from Oak Park, Illinois Facebook Verified

Posted: June 28th, 2012 11:47 AM

That's great. Let's use a program that doesn't work. I refer readers to this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3061204/?tool=pmcentrez from the Journal of child Psychology. Too bad no one on the board except for Mr. O'Connor did any research but instead just trusted to Supt. Roberts to make a decision for them. I am awaiting information the Board's opt out program that was promised for parents.

Great timing

Posted: June 21st, 2012 1:14 PM

d97 has great timing, announce this when school is out, teachers are off contract and pto is not in session. Well, my kid will not be using this program in the fall and d97 will have to find another way to engage my child while all the other drones do busy work and dr. roberts counts his kudos from scientific learning. I bet when he retires for a second time he starts working for them selling this bag o-crap for a living instead of ripping off taxpayers, for a living.

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