Read to Succeed

ReadtoSucceed.pdf

Read to Succeed
 

South Carolina Department of Education

Read to Succeed Elementary Exemplary Literacy Reflection Tool

 

Directions:  Please provide a narrative response for Sections A-I. 

 

LETRS Questions: 

• How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS?: 5

• How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS?: 10

• How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year (or have not yet started or completed Volume 1)?: 14

 

Section A: Describe how reading assessment and instruction for all PreK-5th grade students in the school includes oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to aid in the comprehension of texts to meet grade‑level English/Language Arts standards.

 

Students in Preschool use Frog Street as their ELA curriculum, it is aligned to the science of teaching reading. Frog Street is a dual language program. Student learning includes oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension using a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction text, trade titles, songs, stories, poems, and rhymes. Frog Street also has literacy small groups that focus on vocabulary, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Students in Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade are assessed through teacher observation and anecdotal notes as well as formally assessed using Open Court assessments, district common assessments which are directly correlated to 2023 South Carolina State Standards, and LETRS phonics assessments. Oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency are practiced daily using the green band of our Open Court curriculum for Grade Kindergarten, First, and Second. Vocabulary and comprehension are also practiced daily using the red band of our Open Court Curriculum for Grades Kindergarten, First, and Second. Additionally, students have opportunities to practice these skills during independent practice time and small group instruction. Students in First and Second grade also complete the MAP assessment at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to determine summative progress as well as national percentile comparisons. In grades Third, Fourth, and Fifth Oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension are practiced daily using the Foundational Skills and Shared Reading portions of the HMH Into Reading Curriculum. Students are also given opportunities to practice these skills during independent practice and small group instruction. Students are assessed on these skills through HMH assessments, district benchmark assessments, and MasteryConnect assessments. Students are assessed yearly by taking SC Ready. Third through Fifth grade take MAP Reading and MAP Math in the fall. Third Grade will take MAP Reading in the spring as well. 

 

Section B: Document how Word Recognition assessment and instruction for PreK-5th grade students are further aligned to the science of reading, structured literacy and foundational literacy skills.

 

To identify which sound correspondences and patterns the student has learned and to plan appropriate instruction that meets the student’s needs teachers complete the LETRS Phonics and Word Recognition Screener. Teachers instruct using decodables for students who need help in foundational literacy skills. Teachers complete the foundational literacy lessons found in Open Court and HMH curriculums and focus on phonics and letter/sound correspondences being the primary focus of word recognition instruction. Teachers use a balance of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition in both instruction and assessment to identify specific areas for growth and plan ways to strengthen those areas. In PreK teachers use Frog Street’s observational assessment in which students are tested on speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Teachers used a structured literacy approach to deliver information from the adopted curriculums to ensure information is delivered to students in way that enhances how research demonstrates children learn to read such as: diagnostic, explicit, systematic, cumulative instruction.

 

Section C:  Document how the school uses universal screener data and diagnostic assessment data to determine targeted pathways of intervention (word recognition or language comprehension) for students in PreK-5th grade who have failed to demonstrate grade‑level reading proficiency.  

Teachers analyze student data and discuss students who failed to demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency during MTSS meetings which occur every four weeks.  Students are assessed using MAP, Reading A to Z, KRA, SC Ready, MasteryConnect, teacher anecdotal notes, and classroom assessments to determine students who are not demonstrating grade-level proficiency. Students who score below the 30th percentile will be given the diagnostic assessment (LETRS, PAST, BASS) to identify their designated pathways for intervention. Students are grouped homogenously in groups of 6 or below for Tier 2 instruction, and groups are 3 and below for Tier 3 instruction.  Students receive Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction from the Response to Intervention team led by the Lead Interventionist. Students who need help with word recognition receive Tier 2 or 3 intervention support using Orton Gillingham lessons. These lessons target phonological awareness, decoding, encoding, high frequency words, and building a strong sight word bank through orthographically mapping words. Phonological awareness lessons are taught using Heggerty. Students who need support with language comprehension engage in LLI lessons that practice fluency, using background knowledge, understanding language structure, and applying verbal reasoning and literacy knowledge to comprehend texts. Lessons also help students put their thoughts to paper through responding to the text using structured writing lessons. 

 

Section D: Describe the system in place to help parents in your school understand how they can support the student as a reader and writer at home.

 

Parents participate in Parent Teacher Conferences once a semester and LAP Conferences each quarter for students who are at risk. Parents are sent a letter in their home language which articulates the South Carolina Law requiring the Read to Succeed Act. Teachers send weekly newsletters to help parents support their students at home. Parents can participate in Literacy Night and Parent University, parents are given literacy strategies and information about how to work with their child at home using best practices. Parents are given a letter from the MTSS team when their child will be served through RTI intervention or moved within tier 2 or 3. Teachers provide parents with quarterly report cards and opportunities to regularly view students’ grades online through PowerSchool. AVID binders are sent home as a home to school connection where students can demonstrate their academic growth to their parents. 

 

Section E: Document how the school provides for the monitoring of reading achievement and growth at the classroom and school level with decisions about PreK-5th grade intervention based on all available data to ensure grade-level proficiency in reading. 

 

Teachers, Administration, Specialist, and Coaches collaborate during MTSS meetings every four weeks to monitor student data. Teachers progress monitor students for a minimum of six weeks to identify the student’s level of risk and determine if the interventions currently in use are working. EasyCBM is used as the universal screener, RTI team provides assessment and instruction to Tier 2 and Tier 3 students. Classroom teachers assess students who are above the 30th percentile by administering the universal screener. Teachers also use MAP, Reading A to Z, KRA, SC Ready, Mastery Connect, teacher anecdotal notes, and classroom assessments. 

 

Section F: Describe how the school provides teacher training based in the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills to support all students in PreK-5th grade.

 

Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers, MLL teachers, and Special Education Teachers Kindergarten through 3rd grade are enrolled in LETRS training. LETRS is a professional learning program designed to assist teachers in gaining expertise in the science of reading by understanding the fundamentals of reading and writing instruction including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language. Teachers engage in school-based professional learning during district Inservice days, after school, during planning time, and through virtual platforms such as Mobile Minds. Kindergarten through 5th grade teachers participate in weekly meetings with the instructional coach to receive professional development opportunities to enhance Tier 1 instruction, participate in collaborative planning, and review data. Instructional coaches meet the needs of teachers through personalized coaching cycles, coaching conversations, coaching observations and feedback, model lessons by coaches, and co-teaching. 

 

Section G: Analysis of Data

Strengths

Possibilities for Growth

Fall 2024 MAP data for 1st Grade follows a true bell curve indicating that more students scored near average which supports our Tier 1 work in Kindergarten.    Teachers have access to and use materials and curricula that support comprehension, concepts about print, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fluency, and vocabulary development.   Teachers use the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards when planning instruction.    We utilize our instructional coaches to engage teachers in coaching cycles to enhance teacher and student learning.    Teachers provide opportunities for parent involvement with literacy development including parent workshops, parent conferences, literacy night and weekly newsletters.

Enhanced instruction in Meaning, Context, and Craft in Writing due to 60% of 3rd Grade students scoring 1% on assessment of SC Ready.    A schoolwide focus on enhancing Tier 1 instruction to support student achievement.    Professional development to help teachers create routines for small group instruction for teachers to differentiate instruction to meet student need.

 

Section H:  Previous School Year SMART Goals and Progress Toward Those Goals

• Please provide your school’s goals from last school year and the progress your school has made towards these goals. Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to determine progress toward the goal (s). As a reminder, all schools serving third grade were required to use Goal #1 (below).

 

Goals	Progress
Goal #1 (Third Grade Goal): Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of 2022-2023 as determined by SC READY from 34.4% to 29.4% in the spring of 2023-2024.	The following action steps were implemented:  Coaching Cycles with school and district level coaches PD provided by school and district level coaches Teachers enrolled in LETRS training MTSS referral process based on students’ response to instruction, not just scores (See 3 Before MTSS) Weekly PLTs based on data Lesson plan template provided for teachers Teachers implementing HMH curriculum AVID strategies embedded into core instruction, and core instruction embedded into AVID class Goal was not met.
Goal #2: By the Spring of 2024, the percentage of teachers using with reasonable fidelity curricula that support comprehension, concepts about print, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fluency, and vocabulary development will increase from 32% to 50%.   (We define reasonable fidelity as teachers following the scope, sequence, strategies, and resources suggested, AND teachers are monitoring students’ progress and making adjustments to any of the above as students demonstrate a need.)	The following action steps were implemented: Coaching Cycles with school and district level coaches PD provided by school and district level coaches Lesson plan template provided for teachers Teachers implementing Open Court & HMH curriculum MTSS referral process based on students’ response to instruction, not just scores (See 3 Before MTSS) Weekly PLTs based on data   There was insufficient data to show if this goal was met.
Goal #3: By the Spring of 2024, the percentage of teachers implementing a Writing Workshop model, in which students have at least 20 minutes of Independent Writing daily during which conferring and/or small group instruction will increase from 32% to 75%.	The following action steps were implemented: Coaching Cycles with school and district level coaches PD provided by school and district level coaches Lesson plan template provided for teachers Teachers implementing Writing Units of Study only Literacy Look-For Document provided by school-based coach for admin and teacher use   Data provided was observational not quantitative.

 

Section I: Current SMART Goals and Action Steps Based on Analysis of Data

• All schools serving students in third grade MUST respond to the third-grade reading proficiency goal. Schools that do not serve third grade students may choose a different goal. Schools may continue to use the same SMART goals from previous years or choose new goals. Goals should be academically measurable. The Reflection Tool may be helpful in determining action steps to reach an academic goal. Schools are strongly encouraged to incorporate goals from the strategic plan. 

 

Goals	Progress
Goal #1 (Third Grade Goal): Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of 2023-2024 as determined by SC READY from 47.6 % to 43 % in the spring of 2024-2025.	The following action steps were implemented: With PD teachers will explicitly and systematically address oral language, phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension to teach to the intent of grade level English/Language Arts Standards. Conduct quarterly data review meetings with 3rd grade ELA teachers to determine next steps in their instruction. Teachers are enrolled in LETRS training.  Teachers engage in Coaching Cycles and Learning Walks with instructional coaches to enhance instruction.
Goal #2: By the end of March 2025, all certified staff kindergarten through 3rd Grade will complete LETRS training Units 1-3. The goal is for each participant to score at least 80% on all assessments, demonstrating a strong understanding of the Science of Reading. This will collectively enhance our instructional practices, support evidence-based reading strategies, and ultimately improve student reading outcomes school-wide.	The following action steps were implemented: Teachers will be supported with check-ins to stay on pace to complete their LETRS training.  Literacy coach will submit teacher surveys to identify best ways to support teachers. Literacy coach will meet with teachers during their desired time to assist with LETRS reading, correct misunderstanding, or implement new learning.
Goal #3: 100% of teachers Kindergarten through 5th grade will put an emphasis on enhancing tier 1 instruction by engaging in one or more Learning Walks in which teachers utilize peer observations, self-selected goals, and meaningful reflection with the facilitation of instructional coaches.	The following action steps were implemented: Instructional coaches will train participating teachers on peer observations, questioning, and collegial dialogue.  Instructional coaches will ensure teachers observe quality instructional practices.  Instructional coaches will emphasize goal setting for personal learning and help teachers identify their next steps to put new learning into practice.