DISTRICT FOCUSES ON READING; NEW TEXTS APPROVED FOR ALL GRADE LEVELS.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

School trustees have purchased new language arts textbooks with a back-to-basics emphasis they hope will help boost kindergartners' through 12th-graders' reading and writing skills.

The new materials adopted Tuesday night at a cost of $500,000 will be used for the next seven years and will affect all 19,500 students in the school district.

``Some teachers use phonics, and some don't. This new program will allow us to be more consistent in our approach,'' said Becky Wetzel, director of curriculum and instruction. ``And it's a balanced program. There is good literature, but there's also good vocabulary development and spelling, and good opportunities for speaking and writing.'' Wetzel predicted about 80 percent of Simi Valley students would one day read at or above grade level, compared with the current 64 percent.

The materials, provided by three publishers, are designed to teach students great literature and creative writing along with basic instruction in phonics for the early years, and spelling and grammar in the upper grades.

Lana Fricke, a Justin Elementary School teacher who helped in the 18-month review of the texts, said the new materials meet local expectations as well as newly mandated, back-to-basics criteria set by the state Board of Education.

``The trend in the state is to have more emphasis on the skills. The skills weren't missing in the old text, they just weren't explicit enough,'' she said. ``People now see we need a well-balanced program.

``These books take the best of both worlds, mix them up in a beautiful presentation, hoping to keep the love of literature and the skill of writing at a high level,'' she said.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will use ``Spotlight on Literacy'' published by MacMillan McGraw. Students in grades sixth through eighth will use a McDougal Littell publication titled ``The Language of Literature.'' ``Elements of Literature,'' published by Holt, Reinhard and Winston, will be used for high schoolers.

Terri Johnson, a first-grade teacher at Madera Elementary School, conducted a pilot program this year for ``Spotlight on Literacy.'' She said the hallmark of the text is the way it integrates spelling, phonics and vocabulary skills with children's literature.

``Last year we had a different phonics book. It wasn't tied in with the stories,'' she said. ``What's exciting now is that whatever spelling words or phonics are being taught are all together in the stories they're reading. The children get excited when they see that.''

Children aren't the only ones who will be affected by the new language arts materials. Teachers must also learn the new approach offered by the publications, which will be introduced in the classroom in September.

``It's going to be very friendly for teachers,'' said Rita Bennett, a teacher at Santa Susana Elementary School. ``Everything is mapped out as to what's available. You can't use it all, but you have plenty of alternatives. And (it) gives you a chance to try new things over the years.''

Wetzel said the publishers will send education consultants to walk teachers through the new material before the end of this school year. And when the new school year begins, mentor teachers at each school will help staff adjust.

``The materials we've selected are very good. The challenge will be to decide what to use and when,'' Wetzel said.