Safety Net
Welcome to the Safety Net Reading Acceleration Program in the Lake Washington School District. This page will introduce you to the Safety Net program and provide information about the program benefits.
Questions? Contact our SafetyNet Teacher: Cheryl Perrella at cperrella@lwsd.org
The Purpose of Safety Net
Each school in the Lake Washington School District has a Safety Net Program to serve students who are not yet meeting district and state academic standards in the area of reading. The purpose of Safety Net is to support students in partnership with general education teachers in literacy so they can meet or exceed the grade level standards to successfully access the core curriculum.
How are Safety Net Services Delivered?
In the Lake Washington School District, each student’s core reading instruction takes place in the general education classroom. Safety Net teachers offer supplemental small group instruction based on data from multiple informal assessments. Small group instruction generally occurs during the school day, but service can also take place before and/or after school.
When Safety Net services are delivered in a small group, group sizes can range from 1-3 students up to 4-5 students. Considerations for group size include grade level of the students and level of instruction needed to support growth towards grade level standards.
What Instructional Methods Are Used in the Safety Net Program?
The Safety Net Program in the Lake Washington School District uses research-based, systematic curricular tools. Foundational reading skills are taught explicitly by certificated teachers. The curricular tools and instructional strategies are aligned to the Structured Literacy Approach- as defined by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
How Can Caregivers Be Involved?
Each month a copy of The Building Readers newsletter will be sent home with your student. The newsletter provides ideas for ways to support reading at home. The Safety Net teacher may also provide additional resources throughout the year.
Why Is My Child Receiving Safety Net?
At the beginning of each school year, the school reviews the assessment data for each student. Students who are not yet meeting the standard or benchmark can often benefit from additional support. Safety Net services provide supplemental instruction.
How Often Will My Child Receive Safety Net?
Students receiving Safety Net will generally be seen 5 days a week for 15-45 minutes. Some students may be seen for specific skill-based support in the general education classroom with a more flexible schedule.
How Will I Know How My Child Is Doing in Safety Net?
Safety Net teachers will monitor student progress after every ten days of instruction. Safety Net teachers will provide progress reports for students receiving Safety Net Services twice a year: January and June. Often Safety Net teachers will attend parent/teacher conferences to share progress. Caregivers can request a conference with the Safety Net teacher outside of the elementary conference week.
How Does My Child Exit the Safety Net Program?
Students will exit from the Safety Net program when they demonstrate they have met grade level standard(s) by achieving proficiency on multiple data sets and in partnership with caregivers, classroom teacher and the Safety Net teacher.