Norene Peterson is a language arts instructor and technology consultant at the Adult Education Center in Billings, Montana. She continues to serve in a volunteer capacity as the LINCS (Literacy Information and Communications System) specialist and Steering Committee member for Montana. Recently, Peterson became a basic trainer for the National Institute for Literacy’s Bridges to Practice component. She holds a bachelor’s degree in languages (Spanish and Italian) from the University of Montana, a master’s degree in special education from Eastern Montana College, and a reading endorsement from the Office of Public Instruction in Helena, Montana. Additionally, she has multiple credits adult education from Montana State University. She was a Spanish teacher for two years and a preschool/Spanish teacher for three years with the Montana Children’s Migrant Program. She has served as secretary and president of the Southeastern Montana Adult Education Association, on the Board of Directors and as president of the Montana Association for Adult and Community Education (MAACE), and on the Board of Directors of the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association. Among the many honors and awards she has received are the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association Award of Merit, the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association Award of Commendation, the Montana Association for Adult and Community Education Educator of the Year Award, and most recently, a MAACE award designed for its namesake, the Norene Peterson Award. She has given numerous presentations on the topics of literacy and technology, is affiliated with many associations that promote education and literacy, and is on the board for Yellowstone County Family Drug Court.
Peterson has been using Reading Horizons for several years. The program has given her students a sensible system for decoding. She has been able to easily integrate the program with other curriculum she has used and has found that her ESL and learning-disabled students greatly enjoy Reading Horizons.
