Photo by Maggie Lufkin. Marysville Elementary School, where the SMART program takes place. SMART Reading is a nonprofit organization located in NE Portland created to support below grade level reading.
Did you know that in Oregon the reading proficiency statistics are concerningly low? According to an article from the Oregonian, 61% of students in the fourth grade are not reading at a proficient level, as well as 54% of students in the seventh grade. While there are many factors causing this, the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely been a major factor. The pandemic caused a lack of exposure to a variety of books, causing children who don’t have books at home to be deprived of basic level reading, due to closure of in person school. In addition to the challenges that amass from attempting to learn on a screen. This has caused many students to fall behind, however, the SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) Reading nonprofit aims to combat this problem.
SMART Reading is a literacy nonprofit organization for children, serving in Oregon’s marginalized communities and highest-need schools. This program targets two pieces that are critical for supporting children’s advancement in literacy and learning success. The first is shared reading time while the second is access to free books for students to keep. SMART hosts volunteers who provide reading support and also access to free books from birth through the eighth grade.
The program’s primary goals are to help children build confidence, a love for reading, and to improve their reading skills. The ultimate vision is an Oregon where all children can realize their full potential through reading. They do this through the mission to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book. Their mission is stated on their website that “by the end of the year, 9 in 10 SMART reading students grow in their enjoyment of reading.”
SMART offers two shared reading programs, one-to-one SMART and Classroom SMART. One-to-one SMART works just how it sounds, with one trained volunteer being paired with one student. They have weekly, in-person, child-guided reading sessions, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes. Each week for seven months, the volunteer will support the child’s efforts to independently read as well as model the joy of reading. This includes two free books that the child can choose to keep and read with their families every month. Students who participate in one-to-one reading are selected by teachers who believe the student will get the most benefit from the program as well as those who are not being served by other programs like classroom SMART.
Classroom SMART is also pretty straightforward; developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it pairs a volunteer with a whole classroom of students. This involves regular interactive group read-alouds, which can be either virtual or in-person. These reading sessions featuring a “special guest” (also known as the volunteer) are designed to create excitement, enthusiasm, and engagement for reading. Students in classroom SMART may also choose two books to keep and read with their families, just as one-to-one SMART does.
How do these schools partner with SMART Reading? The program is in high demand, as its results are astonishing and the shared reading sessions seem to work wonders. The schools that want to be involved in this program must have a strong commitment to SMART Reading’s mission from the leadership and teachers, as well as support from the community of people who might have an interest in volunteering.
Beyond support from the school and community, the schools that meet the following criteria have priority in SMART Reading’s choice to begin the program there. Firstly, schools that are rated as Level 1 or Level 2 by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) school rating system. ODE rates schools overall based on student growth, performance, and outcomes. A low range is when a school has many students who are reading below grade level, and a high range is when the students are reading at or above grade level. A low level receives priority so the school can receive the help they need, the range number is 1-5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest range. The program also prioritizes working with schools that have a high percentage of students identified as economically disadvantaged, as well as having a superintendent recommendation. The schools must also have compatibility between SMART Reading and their school to effectively help the children, including factors such as reading space, school culture, and scheduling/time.
Marysville Elementary School here in Portland, OR has had the SMART reading program for many years, introduced by Principal Kathy Murray, the school’s principal, who started working with the nonprofit as an academic coach. Eventually, Murray began to oversee the program as a building administrator, having annual meetings with the SMART supervisor to make plans and support their students in the best way possible.
Marysville’s SMART program is something that the elementary school relies on to help their students grow, learn, and achieve academically. Murray states, “It has been a wonderful experience, the students and staff have always looked forward to the weekly reading.” This weekly tradition has become a sacred part of these students’ schedules. For example, there is whole class story time for kindergarten and first-grade classrooms that has been implemented because of how much the students love the experience of being read to.
This program not only positively impacts the average student, but those who are learning English as a second language. As some families might be unable to read in English with their children at home, SMART gives these children an opportunity to grow their reading abilities outside of the household. Murray describes, “this program provides opportunities for students to have more exposure to books in English and improve their English language skills more quickly.”
Along with the SMART classroom and SMART one-to-one programs, an essential part of the program is the free books the students are able to choose and keep. These books are usually received via donations, which can be both new and used children’s books, dropped off Mondays-Thursdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Donations can be given at their location in NE Portland, 1915 NE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97212. These books benefit all students who are a part of the program, but especially those who are living in houseless situations with less access to many books. All students really enjoy picking out special books that are just for themselves throughout the school year.
“We have long-term volunteers that bring props and puppets along to support the story reading,” states Murray. “They really bring the books to life for the students.” While students are learning and beginning to grow in their reading ability, the volunteers are what makes this program so special. “When the older students see the volunteers that read to them when they were younger they are happy to see them again. They even share with them in the hallways about the reading that they are doing now.” This connection is absolutely heartwarming and proves how much of a positive impact SMART reading has on its students.
SMART is currently in need of new volunteers, some of whom can be high school students. They have a partnership with Hands On Greater Portland, where you can view shifts on the project calendar, under the tagline: Get Books to Kids. In July of 2022, the Children’s Book Bank merged with SMART Reading; the Children’s Book Bank is now located at SMART Reading in NE Portland. All students under 18 attending and volunteering for Hands-On sessions must bring along youth waivers for both Hands-On and the Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading. If you are 15 or older, you can sign up for these shifts and attend sessions alone. If you are under 15, you need to bring an adult to accompany you.
SMART is in current need of high school student volunteers, and at Franklin we are starting our own program to recruit volunteers to help students at Marysville. There are no requirements, only that you are a student here at Franklin High School and that you are willing to commit to reading after school. This would take place on Thursdays from 3:45 to 4:30 from January to May 2024. Instead of signing up on the website for this specific program, we would like you to please contact one of us via email; [email protected] or [email protected] to be put on the list of possible volunteers. A general information meeting will be held In early December, with the date sent out to our interested students that email us.
This is just one of the ways you can volunteer to help SMART Reading and young kids all around Portland. It’s a great opportunity for some service hours that you could even put on your college applications. So if you are passionate about reading, educating, or even just getting in your service hours, volunteer for SMART Reading! Murray summarizes the roles of the volunteers, stating, “all of the volunteers share a love of books while they are also giving the students some individual attention that can be hard to receive during the busy school day.” The best of both worlds coming together to help students grow in their skill and love for reading!
