Teaching reading, a task that has more than ever become the job
of every instructor, is one the Mexico High School teachers have
embraced. For Paula Isgrig, who teaches basic math classes,
teaching reading involves the use of defined strategies. Isgrig
also co-teaches with other members of her department for some
classes. "For secondary-level students in grades 9-12, the
social and economic consequence of not reading well can be
cumulative and profound: the failure to attain a high school
diploma, a barrier to higher education, underemployment or
unemployment, and difficulty in managing personal and family
life," Gina Gilman, Curriculum Facilitator for the district,
said. "These effects within and beyond the classroom walls show
that by the secondary grades educators can no longer defer
solutions to future development or instruction." Isgrig hopes
the vision of increasing reading comprehension levels of
students also will increase the number of students who score
well on the end-of-course tests and the ACT. F