To begin the new school year this past August, Chris Garibay assessed the reading skills of his new class of fourth, fifth and sixth graders.
Garibay, 33, champions reading and literacy, and the doors those lifetime skills can open. He teaches students identified as having special needs and, last year, three of his students at Malabar Street Elementary School in East Los Angeles improved enough to move into general classes.
Now Garibay ’16 (Early Childhood Development), M.A. ’23 (Educational Curriculum and Instruction) has a new set of tools to take his students even further, thanks to an accelerated CSUN reading and literacy summer program for teachers. He’s completing the final course this fall.
“I really love where I got my kids last year,” Garibay said. “But after taking the summer courses, I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I can get them so much further.’”
As it became clear that COVID disruptions had dramatically impacted literacy skills for kids in kindergarten through second grade (K-2), CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education Department of Elementary Education partnered with Ballmer Group and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials to create an accelerated Reading and Literacy Credential program to expand the number of teachers trained to address those gaps. The alliance was forged by former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner, who after his tenure continued to work with innovative partners to advance one of his key priorities.
A $3.5 million gift from Ballmer Group helped CSUN launch the accelerated program in 2022. Connie and Steve Ballmer co-founded Ballmer Group in 2015 to improve economic mobility and opportunity for U.S. children and families who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty. As CSUN wraps up the third year of the three-year grant, its impact is resonating in schools across Los Angeles.
Igniting Interest
Reading skills are critical for everyone, including individuals who won’t go on to college, said Mira Pak, the secondary education professor who directs CSUN’s program. She recalled the story of a friend who, while studying to be an esthetician, watched talented classmates drop out because they couldn’t read the textbook.
“Not being able to read narrows down your choices for your life,” Pak said. “It kills some possible dreams.”
The Ballmer Group grant ignited interest across the state in CSUN’s program, which gives preference to primary grade teachers. It also covered tuition and provided a stipend for 150 LAUSD teachers over the past three years.
The grant revived CSUN’s L.A. Times Literacy Center, which reopened for the first time after COVID, providing low-cost tutoring to elementary-aged children.
“None of this would have happened without the Ballmer Group grant,” Pak said. “This grant was a gateway to a lot of things.”
‘You’re Going to Be Ready’
CSUN’s program — three courses in the summer with an optional course in fall — was designed to give teachers skills that normally take a full year to learn. Teachers who complete the three summer classes receive a CSUN certificate, which LAUSD honors as a micro credential.
A fourth class — the one Garibay’s taking this fall — enables teachers to earn an “authorization” in reading and literacy from the state, recognized by districts throughout California. The authorization qualifies teachers for other positions such as literacy coaching, working one-on-one with students who need extra support or with classroom teachers who need to improve their skills. Over the past three years, 138 teachers completed the fourth course or are enrolled now.
Teachers who completed CSUN’s literacy program have reported high levels of increased confidence in teaching reading, Pak said. She and assistant professor Dominic Grasso, who directs the L.A. Times Literacy Center, are researching the impact on students who’ve studied under the teachers who took the CSUN program.
The Department of Elementary Education is in talks to train teachers from four different school districts over the coming months. An online version of the course also makes the program scalable throughout California. The state Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Educator Training grant program also could help districts send teachers through CSUN’s program. A CSUN Foundation match for a portion of the Ballmer Group grant also supports literacy education at CSUN.
A few months into the 2024-25 school year, Garibay is using his new skills to help students learn to read — and learn to love it. He encourages students to attempt books above their reading level, with the belief they’ll get there someday.
“Remember,” he tells them, “you can’t read it now, not ‘you can’t read it.’ I never want you to say, ‘I can’t.’ It’s, ‘I’m not ready yet.’ You’re going to be ready. Let’s keep working.”
This article first appeared in the fall 2024 edition of CSUN Magazine.
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