Reading Program Brings Summer Literacy to Ockley Green

NFL’s Alex Green visits ‘Leap into 6th Grade’ camp

Alex Green and Student (Photo Courtesy of Blosser Center)

Even though it is summer vacation, the halls of Ockley Green Middle School in Northeast Portland were buzzing on Friday, July 18 as students waited for the arrival of former NFL Green Bay Packers player Alex Green. These incoming 6^th grade students have been spending their summer break at Ockley Green participating in a new “Leap into 6^th Grade” summer reading program.

When Green, who is a dyslexia advocate, walked into the cafeteria at Ockley Green Middle School, the students erupted into cheers. Green then led the students through an exercise with a one-dollar bill to show students that even if they feel discouraged, they must keep working hard. "No matter what happens in life, you still have value," Green told the students.

The summer camp is a first-time partnership with the Blosser Center for Dyslexia and Portland Public Schools and represents more than just summer learning, it's a targeted response to incoming 6^th grade students who may need extra reading help. About 35 rising sixth graders are participating in the month-long program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays at no cost to families.

This partnership fills a critical gap in Oregon's literacy intervention efforts. While state funding has primarily focused on early elementary literacy programs for kindergarten through third grade, many students who struggled during remote learning during the Covid pandemic have been left without adequate support as they advance through middle school.

"What's so exciting about reaching these incoming 6^th grade students is that we're not just teaching them to read, we're igniting a passion for learning that will carry them through life,” says Suzanne LaGrande, Executive Director of the Blosser Center for Dyslexia Education. “When a sixth grader discovers they can master a book and falls in love with reading, that transforms their entire educational trajectory. We're giving them back their confidence and showing them that learning can be joyful again.”

The students participating in the program were identified through the four elementary schools that feed into Ockley Green Middle School. The camp's structure reflects research-backed approaches to reading intervention that focuses on intensive one-on-one tutoring. Students rotate through different learning blocks, including small group writing sessions, robotics activities, and an hour of individualized instruction with trained tutors who address each student's needs.

This pilot program represents the kind of targeted intervention that literacy experts believe is necessary to address Oregon's reading crisis. With only 42.5% of students meeting English and language arts proficiency standards statewide, the need for programs that serve struggling readers has never been more urgent.

LaGrande hopes this partnership with Portland Public Schools will expand beyond this summer. "When kids get behind, they also get discouraged. They start to believe that they're not smart," she explains. "So the faster we can get them to grade-level reading proficiency, the more we can get them caught up, and launch them into the future."