A literacy intervention for kids in Alameda County's juvenile justice system

"Alameda County is one of three California counties that is rolling out a literacy intervention program a year after it was piloted in San Diego County. The other two are Riverside and San Mateo. The program is the state's first coordinated effort to tackle the lowest reading levels among high school students in the juvenile justice system. The range of literacy levels for students across California's court schools is disparate, with some lacking foundational literacy skills and others taking college courses while detained."

"One student could not write his name. Over three sessions, which turned out to be all the time they had together before he left the facility, they practiced reading and writing his first name, last name, date of birth and address. I don't know what's to come for him, but at least I know he walked out with those skills, said Leyva."

Alameda County implemented a literacy intervention program in its juvenile hall to address widely varying reading skills among detained high school students. The program follows a San Diego pilot and is being rolled out in Riverside and San Mateo counties. It is the state's first coordinated effort targeting high school students reading at zero-to-third-grade levels, addressing a gap where most interventions assume fourth-grade capacity. County-controlled juvenile facilities previously selected curricula independently, leaving varied literacy needs unmet. Rosie Leyva, a literacy specialist at Butler Academic Center, taught foundational skills such as reading and writing students' names, dates of birth and addresses.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org