March 31, 2021
LEHE offers virtual Foundations of Reading Test preparation workshops
Students who completed the post-survey for the Foundations of Reading prep sessions received a small gift of encouragement from Dr. Overstreet.
This spring, the Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education offered 8 virtual Foundations of Reading Test preparation workshops for ECU students, thanks to the generosity of the late Felix and Margaret Blount Harvey and daughters Sunny Burrows and Leigh McNairy.
Elementary Education (K-6) and Exceptional Children: General Curriculum (K-12) initial teaching licensure applicants are required to pass the Foundations of Reading Test according to the NC Department of Public Instruction testing policy. ECU teacher education candidates take reading/literacy coursework that provides the opportunity to learn the knowledge required to pass the exam, however, as LEHE interim chair, Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty notes, “Licensure exams can be intimidating. LEHE is happy to help students with content knowledge review, test-taking tips, and confidence-building in order to boost success.”
The 1.5 hour test preparation sessions were offered every Thursday in February and repeated Thursdays in March. Session 1 covered subarea 1, session 2 covered subarea 2 &3, session 3 covered the open response portion, and session 4 provided a brief overview of all four subareas.
Nearly 100 students signed up for at least one workshop, with many registering for multiple sessions. Participants who completed the post survey indicated that they had no suggestions for improvement and found the workshops to be very helpful. Overall, participants expressed gratitude for the sessions and reported feeling more confident after our workshops. One student said, “I enjoyed the session, was very informative and paced out nicely. Wasn’t too long or too short.”
Dr. Mikkaka Overstreet, the facilitator of the sessions, said, “This was such a rewarding experience. The participants are so grateful for the help that they really come ready to learn. They’re always so much less anxious by the end. It’s nice to feel like I’m really helping our students.”
Dr. Overstreet also said that the only “negative” feedback received was a request for more opportunities. One respondent wrote, “Make it longer since she is not boring,” and several others wished the sessions could be repeated in April and May. Still, they enjoyed that each session was offered two times in consecutive months. As one respondent explained, “I like knowing that I can attend this very same session next month. I do well with repetition, and knowing I will repeat this helps me not to feel so anxious!”
Those who completed the post-survey also received a small gift of encouragement, including flash cards, ECU swag, and an encouraging handwritten note.