Montgomery, Ala. —Gov. KayIvey made an announcement Thursday, May 31, regarding the pilot of the Alabama Summer Achievement Program (ASAP) at four Montgomery Public Schools.
Ivey joins Montgomery Public Schools, the Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama Reading Initiative for the announcement of the program.
The program will give students entering kindergarten through fourth grade more than 72 hours of reading and literacy instruction for over six weeks at Dannely, Fitzpatrick, Highland Avenue and E.D. Nixon elementary schools.
Ivey strongly supported budget increasings for the Alabama Reading Initiative, the State Department of Education and the Department of Early Childhood Education in the 2019 Education Trust Fund— the largest investment in education in 10 years.
“Too many children lose ground academically over the summer months. Without access to the enriching activities available to more affluent peers, research shows that children from low-income families lose as much as three months of reading comprehension skills over the summer,” Ivey said. “Studies show that summer learning programs can produce statistically significant gains in reading performance.”
The initiative will be taught by qualified pre-K and elementary teachers, reading coaches and literacy specialists. These instructors will attend professional development and training while providing students with project-based learning to enhance their reading skills.
The program will run from June 11 through July 24, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday through Friday. Free lunch and bus transportation will be provided to children in their respective zones.
Each school participating has a principal, site coordinator, nurse, secretary and a security guard with limited availability for students.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey showed his support for the initiative by saying, “Summertime learning opportunities are a ‘win-win’ for all involved.”
