Award-winning school sets sights on Reading Model School achievement

At one time, Dixon Intermediate School's waning Accelerated Reader program was simply a means to take quizzes and acquire points—that is, until self-proclaimed AR cheerleader, April Ballard, joined the Dixon Intermediate School team in Pace, Florida.

"I am passionate about this program and the good that it does my students. Practice is necessary in learning skills and having those skills become automatic," Ballard said. "AR lets my students practice and improve their reading fluency. They also improve summarizing and reading for details, among other skills."

Ballard was already well-versed in AR from her prior teaching position. "Dixon Intermediate had the AR program, but they were not using it to the fullest potential," she said. "I was shocked! I thought everyone did it the way my previous school did."

Ballard took on the role of becoming the AR Coordinator and transformed the way her school utilized the program. With much encouragement, Ballard also convinced the staff to follow AR Best Classroom Practices and strive toward Certification.

Currently, Dixon Intermediate has 14 Model Classrooms, and eight teachers are one step away from achieving Master Classroom status. Ballard herself has certified every year as a Model or Master Classroom educator since her career began. Ballard said she and her co-teacher Kateri Holcomb are now working to help the teachers work toward achieving Model School, and if teachers meet this goal, Dixon Intermediate will be the first school in the county to receive this honor.

"Setting a goal of Model School Certification gives us something to work toward together," she said. "It takes more than just one class, so it unites teachers. It also shows other schools what is possible with the program, when used correctly."

Along with Certification, Dixon Intermediate is honored to be the recipient of the A+ award from the state of Florida, the Golden School Award for Volunteers, and the Five-Star School Award. “Through the use of AR, I think that our students have become better readers," Ballard said. "The schools in our county—including our school—are the top in the state of Florida and score high on the state assessments."

For the past three years, Ballard has also been co-teaching the lowest performing students in the school. "My co-teacher wanted to prepare me for NOT becoming a Model Classroom because this type of class would not be able to meet their goals,” she said. "I proved her wrong, and three years later we are still working strong!"

In the process of transforming Dixon’s reading program, Ballard's enthusiasm has also converted students and staff into strong AR supporters. "I want to share my success with others to give them hope that no matter the classroom you are given, there is always room to grow," Ballard said. "You can have the worst of the worst, the slowest of the slow, but if you motivate and monitor, you can become a Model Classroom."

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