‘ELE‘ELE — “I like money, but I couldn’t read or write so I couldn’t get a job,” Saki Dodelson said Tuesday morning. The Tel Aviv immigrant to America said that motivated her and two other ladies to form Achieve 3000,
‘ELE‘ELE — “I like money, but I couldn’t read or write so I couldn’t get a job,” Saki Dodelson said Tuesday morning.
The Tel Aviv immigrant to America said that motivated her and two other ladies to form Achieve 3000, a program to improve a child’s reading and writing level.
She was joined by ‘Ele‘ele School Principal Dr. Liela Nitta; Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent William Arakaki; Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.; Laurie Yoshida, the governor’s liaison; state Rep. Roland Sagum; Clyde Kodani, representing U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka; and other dignitaries to honor the achievements of the top 20 students at ‘Ele‘ele School.
In order to be considered for the award, Victoria Paul, the Achieve 3000 associate regional director from Kapa‘au, said the students needed to score 73 or higher.
But before the students, Nitta, Arakaki and a teacher from each of the grade levels from grades 2-5 were recognized for their efforts at enabling the students to improve by working with Achieve 3000.
Students in the fifth grade, enjoying their annual health and fitness day, were diverted to the school’s cafeteria for the special assembly, Nitta said.
“Through the efforts of Arakaki, Kaua‘i was one of the first schools to take on the program, and Dr. Nitta really took the program to heart,” said Reuven Lewis, a senior vice president with Achieve 3000.
Lewis said simply put, Achieve 3000 helps students in the second to fifth grades by taking a news story, usually from Associated Press, and rewrites it to the reader’s level established through the Lexile assessment tool.
He said the awards presentation coincided with a week-long convention by Achieve 3000 at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club, and the awards presentation, Tuesday, was a highlight of the convention where the Top 20 Achieve 3000 sales associates and their spouses were able to see the program in action.
Arakaki said there are 200 schools in the state that work with Achieve 3000, and ‘Ele‘ele School was selected for its dedication and commitment to the program which sets a minimum of two activities a week.
Julienne Kate Gawaran and Kai Ikaika Rich were honored at the Grade 2 level. Xavier Lasconia, Micah Pascua, Makoa Rich and Kiarah Salazar were the Grade 3 honorees, each being presented a medal, certificate and Achieve 3000 packet by the panel of dignitaries.
Grade 4 honorees included Corey Agena, Shylee Dotimas Sueoka, Kilian Sheldon-McGihon, Ian Penner, Skylar Pike, Makana Shamblin and Kelsey Tomimoto.
Kayley Aquino, Chyson Acoba, Kicah Acoba, BreeAnn Cayaban, Justin Fune, Sharay Glasgow-Reyes and Shania Miner made up the Grade 5 honorees for the Success in Reading and Writing Awards.
Achieve 3000 is based in New Jersey and is the leader in online differentiated instruction that uses a proprietary software engine to provide, via the Internet, tailored assignments to each student in the class based on his or her reading level, serving students around the country, Dodelson said.
The company’s literacy solutions are delivered in a non-fiction, current event format and are based on decades of scientific research, states an Achieve 3000 release.
Visit www.achieve3000.com for more information on the program.
