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Below the overview of the district are links to KBIA's coverage of Columbia 93 district schools, updated as more stories are published. Columbia 93 at a glanceThe Columbia 93 school district currently includes 32 different schools. In 2014, the district had a k-12 enrollment of 17,204 students, which is 2% of the total k-12 enrollment for the state. Enrollment has been slightly increasing in recent years, 2% since 2011. While a small percent, that amounts to almost 400 more students. There have also been major re-drawing of attendance areas with the addition of Battle High School. Middle school attendance areas shape high school boundaries 00000178-cc7d-da8b-a77d-ec7d2f9e0000The changes have affected all schools in the district, including causing high school attendance to increase and overcrowding at one middle school at least.

Columbia Public Schools unveils electronic reading program

students in classroom
Brad Flickinger
/
Flickr
An increasing number of schools across the country are introducing tablet technology into the classroom.

Columbia Public Schools announced Wednesday an expansion of an electronic reading program throughout the district.  With the myON reader program, students can log on to a website and have access to thousands of free electronic books.

Superintendent Chris Belcher calls it “amazon.com” for kids. He says the district has purchased a password to access the site for every 4-year old in the district.

The program, which can also read books out loud to beginning students, suggests books for kids based on their interests and reading level. After finishing a book, they take a short quiz that will further recommend future reads. Parents and teachers can then monitor students’ progress and reading level.

The district started experimenting with myON reader in two elementary schools about two years ago.

Chief Academic Advisor for the district, Sally Beth Lyon, says providing access to four year olds could give them a leg up when school starts.

"The ultimate goal is that all of our students are entering kindergarten with rich vocabulary, rich experience in text, a love of books, a kind of understanding of what reading is. They don’t know how to read yet, we’re good at teaching that," Lyon said.

Lyon says that further down the road the district’s goal is to have all students reading at grade level or above by 3rd grade.

Kristofor left KBIA in fall of 2021