Reading & Math Corps

We are fortunate to have Minnesota Reading Corps and Minnesota Math Corps programs at Lester Prairie School.  Ms. Alyssa Silvers is our Minnesota Reading Corps Member, and Mr. Carter Berkelman is our Minnesota Math Corps Member.  Both members are full-time, and complete about 40 service hours each week.  Their service year began in August 2015 and ends in June 2016, for a total of 1720 hours.   Ms. Silvers and Mr. Berkelman both received training in Minneapolis to learn specific interventions to help students improve their reading and math skills. 

Ms. Silvers provides tutoring in reading for Kindergarten through third grade students.  Ms. Silvers works with a caseload of 15-19 students, tutoring the students individually for 20 minutes every school day.  She uses specific reading interventions to help our students become more fluent readers.  Ms. Silvers has an on-going support system from her Master Coach, Jeana Wibstad from Minnesota Reading Corps, and Krystina Peterson, Title I Instructor at Lester Prairie School.  Together as a team they decide which reading strategies Ms. Silvers will use, and progress monitor the students’ growth each week.  Minnesota Reading Corps has been an asset at Lester Prairie School to help our elementary students become proficient readers. 

Mr. Berkelman uses the Minnesota Math Corps curriculum, interventions, and manipulatives when tutoring math students at Lester Prairie School.  The Minnesota Math Corps curriculum focuses its lessons on the Minnesota Math Standards, emphasizing the areas of number sense and algebra.  Mr. Berkelman has a caseload of 24 students in fourth through eighth grades.  He tutors math in small groups of 1-2 students, 2-3 times per week, for a total of 75-90 minutes each week.  Mr. Berkelman works with Paul Schullo, Minnesota Math Corps Master Coach, and Krystina Peterson, Internal Coach and Title I Instructor at Lester Prairie School, to ensure the Minnesota Math Corps curriculum is taught with fidelity and monitor students’ progress.  Minnesota Math Corps has been beneficial at Lester Prairie School, and has helped increase proficiency in our students’ math skills. 

Lester Prairie School is in the process of recruiting one full-time Minnesota Reading Corps Member and one full-time Minnesota Math Corps Member to complete 1720 service hours during the 2016-2017 school year.  Interested candidates may inquire more information by contacting the Lester Prairie School Principal, Nathaniel Boyer, at 320-395-2521 or boyer@lp.k12.mn.us.  Additional information and applications are found online at www.MinnesotaReadingCorps.org and www.MinnesotaMathCorps.org.