Campbell Complex students in grades K-6 with military dependent populations will continue innovative learning opportunities thanks to a grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) received its second DoDEA Partnership grant for improving reading achievement for the schools in the complex that have military students of 15 percent or greater.
The $749,744.70 grant will target Ewa Beach (27%), Iroquois Point (23%) and Keone'ula (17%) elementary schools.
"We are grateful for the continued generosity of our partners at DoDEA. Their funding has played a crucial role in helping our students at military-impacted schools by providing new learning opportunities with STEM subjects and now reading," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "The Department works very closely with local and national partners like DoDEA to ensure a smooth transition and enriching educational experience for children of military families at more than 40 HIDOE military-impacted schools."
Last year, the Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area received a $1.5 million DoDEA grant that is helping to provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities. The participating schools will use Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to enhance STEM academic achievement and has already begun training teachers to become PLTW-certified.
The goal of the additional grant funding is to increase the percentage of reading proficiency of non-high needs and high needs military dependent students by a minimum of 2 percent each year over the baseline on the Smarter Balanced Assessment for grades 3-6. For grades K-2, proficiency within the Response to Intervention prevention model in years two and three, and a minimum increase of 3 percent each year in years four and five.
"This grant benefits our Campbell Complex schools with additional support for military dependent students, which help them continue to meet Hawaii's rigorous proficiency levels in reading," said Heidi Armstrong, Complex Area Superintendent. "Our goal is to implement Visible Learning strategies so we are able to help all students master reading skills that will yield the highest demonstrable impact on academic achievement."
The grant will also go towards professional development. Teachers from these schools will serve as coaches to eight other elementary schools that serve an additional 408 military dependent students whose schools did not meet the 15 percent threshold requirement. The five-year grant starts in school year (SY) 2016-17 and will end in SY 2020-2021.
