Courtesy of the Hollister School District:
The Hollister School District is excited to announce that all TK-3rd grade students will be challenged to read 100,000 words in Footsteps 2 Brilliance in 2020-2021! This goal is part of the district’s plan to ensure that children are strong readers by the end of 3rd grade. Superintendent Diego Ochoa said, “Teaching a child to read at grade level is like giving them a key to open any door to their future. The Footsteps 2 Brilliance program is an essential strategy in our plan to have students reaching and exceeding grade level.” The district analyzed student data and found that over 80 million words were read during the 2019-2020 school year on the Footsteps 2 Brilliance platform.
In 2020-2021, the district will be giving certificates and gifts to teachers whose classes read 1 million words, 1.5 million words, and 2 million words. F2B includes three early literacy apps in English and Spanish: (1) Footsteps2Brilliance School Edition (2) Clever Kids University Pre-Reader, and (3) Clever Kids University I Can Read.
The countywide English and Spanish early literacy initiative, Footsteps 2 Brilliance, was brought forward by San Benito County Superintendent Krystal Lomanto three years ago. The San Benito County Office of Education chose to support the program because it enabled school districts to provide online libraries of Books, educational games, educational activities, and creative writing opportunities to every family. Superintendent Lomanto said, “The San Benito County Office of Education is excited about the partnership with Hollister School District and their commitment to supporting literacy across the district. The Footsteps 2 Brilliance app allows for unprecedented flexibility and multi-lingual configuration. We are excited to see the use of FS2B during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The district continues to work to close the vocabulary gap for low-income students and English learner students. The program gives every child the opportunity to read books in their home with the touch of a screen. Footsteps 2 Brilliance includes a curriculum filled with hundreds of English and Spanish books, games, and songs that can be used without any internet data. Families can download the app by using the school district’s free guest wifi. The student can then use the program on their parent’s phone, tablet, or computer and all their work is saved.
For more information, contact Superintendent Diego Ochoa at [email protected].
