Grand Prairie Independent School District (ISD) in Texas plans to expand its Fast ForWord® implementation and add theReading Assistant™ program to a total of 24 schools. In recognition of the district’s exemplary implementation, it has been selected as a National Leadership Center by Scientific Learning Corp. Grand Prairie ISD is the first National Leadership Center in Texas and one of only three across the United States.
“Scientific Learning brings an opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in the quality of student learning by actually re-training the brain to comprehend and process more quickly and with greater consistency,” said Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Hull. “We are excited to be a Leadership District because Scientific Learning is a difference maker.”
In Grand Prairie ISD, which enrolls approximately 28,000 students, 72 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, 27 percent are limited English proficient, and 9 percent receive special education services. The district began using the Fast ForWord program in 2011-12 in four schools to close reading gaps for struggling readers, English learners, and students with disabilities. During the 2013-14 school year, it is expanding the Fast ForWord program and adding the Reading Assistant online reading tool to 20 additional schools.
“The challenges we face in our district are not unique to Grand Prairie. Until the day comes when we have 100 percent of our students performing at the highest level as defined by our state’s standards, we will have a need for Scientific Learning,” said Deputy Superintendent of Academics Dr. Greg Firn. “If we can intervene early and aggressively in students’ learning experiences, we can fill in any deficits or delays and build the foundational cognitive skills they need to participate in the full curriculum.”
