School Reading Plan
School Name: Knightsville Elementary School
LETRS Questions:
- How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS?: 2
- How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS?: 0
- How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year (or have not yet started or completed Volume 1)?: 37
Please provide a narrative response for Sections A-I. LETRS Questions:
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.
At our school, reading assessment and instruction for PreK-5th grade students is grounded in a comprehensive approach that integrates key components of literacy: oral language, phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These elements are essential in supporting students' ability to comprehend texts and meet the grade-level English/Language Arts (ELA) standards outlined by the state.
Oral Language development is the base of communication. Teachers foster this essential component through rich discussions and collaborative activities, which allow students to build the vocabulary and the expressive skills necessary for understanding texts. Teachers also use questioning techniques, read-alouds, and peer interactions to enhance students' spoken language abilities, which in turn strengthens their reading comprehension.
A critical foundational skill needed to transform young learners into future proficient readers is phonological/phonemic awareness. To ensure all students have opportunities to develop these listening and speaking skills, our teachers use a curriculum called Heggerty to deliver cumulative, systematic, explicit instruction to all students in grades 4K-2. This involves teaching students to recognize and manipulate the sounds within words, such as rhyming, segmenting, and blending sounds. The tasks become more complex as students’ understanding of how language can be broken into smaller parts or blended to form words increases.
Additionally, we use phonological and phonemic screeners and diagnostic assessments to identify any gaps in students’ abilities and intervene early with targeted instruction.
Using UFLI phonics, our core instruction is systematic and explicit, with a strong emphasis on connecting letters and sounds to help students decode words. With the UFLI curriculum, students engage in phonics activities that align with their developmental needs, ensuring they can read words accurately. We use screeners and diagnostic assessments to determine if students are learning the skills needed to decode written language or if additional phonics support is needed in a small group.
Fluency is addressed through repeated reading, modeling fluent reading, and providing opportunities for students to read aloud. Fluency instruction ensures students are not only able to read words accurately but also with appropriate speed, expression, and understanding, which is vital for comprehension. Within our HMH curriculum, there are fluency passages for students to practice reading. Teachers can monitor student progress and provide timely feedback to ensure this important skill is being developed.
Vocabulary development is woven into all aspects of our reading instruction. HMH Into Reading emphasizes explicit vocabulary instruction, helping students acquire new words through direct teaching and context clues. Because knowledge of word parts aids in comprehension, we place emphasis on the study of morphology to understand the meaning and origin of words in the English language. As students build their word knowledge, they are better able to access and understand complex texts.
Comprehension strategies are integrated throughout the curriculum and spiral throughout the school year. Students learn to make predictions, ask questions, summarize, and infer meaning as they read. Teachers guide students in using these strategies both during and after reading to enhance their understanding of texts. This scaffolding is key to ensuring that students can access grade-level materials and meet the state’s ELA standards.
To ensure instructional practices are meeting each student's needs, we use a variety of assessments. AIMSWeb screening tools help us monitor foundational skills such as phonological awareness and decoding in the lower grades, while MAP assessments are used school-wide to gauge overall reading proficiency. Common assessments on the FORMATIVE platform provide teachers with actionable data on students' progress in literacy components, and the results are used to adjust instruction as necessary.
By integrating all these elements— phonological/phonemic awareness, oral language, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—our reading program is designed to address critical literacy skills with the goal of our students not only meeting but exceeding grade-level expectations in English/Language Arts.
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.
Word recognition is a critical skill for students, focusing on helping students decode and recognize words automatically. PreK-5-word recognition instruction includes activities that develop the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate phonemes (the smallest units of sound). This is Phonemic Awareness, and this skill is foundational to learning how to decode words.
Explicit, systematic phonics instruction using UFLI and Heggerty helps students map phonemes to graphemes (letters or letter patterns) so they can sound out unfamiliar words. Assessments in UFLI and the Foundational Skills Survey measure students’ ability to apply phonics knowledge to decode words accurately.
Structured Literacy
Structured literacy is a systematic and explicit instructional approach focusing on teaching the structure of language in a way that benefits all students, particularly those with learning differences. In alignment with structured literacy, instruction includes the use of decodable texts that match the phonics skills students are learning in their UFLI and Heggerty lessons. This helps reinforce word recognition skills and allows them to practice applying those skills in context.
Instruction often includes multi-sensory activities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to support word recognition. For example, tracing letters while saying the sound aloud integrates sensory modalities, enhancing memory and recall, or using mouth cards for visual reference of the position of the lips teeth and tongue when creating sounds. Structured literacy emphasizes regular cumulative review and practice to ensure mastery of word recognition skills before moving on to more complex tasks.
Foundational Literacy Skills
Word recognition falls under foundational literacy skills as outlined in our literacy framework, including key areas like phonics and word analysis. Phonological Awareness instruction in pre-k through first grade includes breaking down spoken words into syllables, onset-rime, and individual phonemes, building the necessary foundation for recognizing printed words. Instruction also focuses on teaching high-frequency words that are not easily decodable, helping students develop automatic word recognition for these common words. As students progress, instruction focuses on fluency—reading words quickly and accurately—so that cognitive resources can be allocated to comprehension rather than decoding. Repeated reading activities and fluency assessments are common in our HMH Into Reading curriculum.
Assessment Practices
Assessments are aligned to ensure that students are making progress in word recognition and literacy skills. These include early screening tools, AIMSWeb and Foundational Skills Survey (FSS) which help us to identify students who are at risk of reading difficulties and need additional support in word recognition.
Diagnostic assessments are used to provide more detailed information on specific skill gaps, such as weaknesses in phonemic awareness or phonics, and inform targeted instruction. Progress Monitoring occurs with ongoing assessments used to track student progress and adjust instruction. They include timed assessments of high-frequency word recognition, decoding skills, and fluency rates. By aligning instruction and assessment with the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills, we aim to ensure that all students develop the necessary word recognition skills for fluent reading and comprehension.
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.
Knightsville Elementary uses multiple data points to identify students who have failed to demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency. All students in grades K-1 are assessed using AIMSWeb early literacy measures three times a year. Additionally, K-2 are assessed using Foundational Skills Survey (FSS) four times during the school year. Once students are identified in grades k-2, teachers use skill focused assessments to determine specific literacy needs and target instruction to meet those needs. Read 180 uses the MAP Growth assessment as a universal placement and a progress monitoring assessment to ensure that students are appropriately placed within the Read 180 program. MAP Growth is administered three times during the year to identify current student reading levels and track reading growth. Students with RIT/Lexile results that indicate they are candidates for foundational literacy skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency) will complete a screener called the Code Placement Assessment. The assessment measures both the accuracy and speed of students’ responses of letter recognition, high-frequency word recognition, decoding, and morphology.
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.
Knightsville Elementary uses Parent Square to communicate with families. A weekly schoolwide message is sent out to families and teachers also send out classroom specific information to families weekly. The schoolwide message has important information for parents concerning upcoming curriculum events and opportunities to be involved as well as strategies for working with students. In the weekly classroom messages, teachers share the curriculum focuses for the week so parents know what the students will be learning. KES and DD2 have a dedicated parent teacher conference day in the fall and teachers schedule conferences with parents as needed throughout the year. The state Read 2 Succeed requirements are communicated to families 3 times in the school year. KES hosts curriculum nights where families come back to school to engage in math, STEM, and literacy activities. The learning activities are shared with parents so they can continue the work at home. The school library hosts a book fair twice a year and invites parents into the school to shop with their students and helps select just-right books for the students. Another opportunity for parents to understand how they can support their students at home is through a visiting author to share reading and writing with students and families. Twice a year students receive engaging books to add to their home library with suggestions for reading at home to students two times a year. In efforts to reach future Jaguars and help parents support early literacy with their pre-school age children, The KES Family Engagement Center hosts weekly story times and family engagement materials available for checkout.
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.
Our school has a solid system in place for monitoring reading achievement and growth for students in PreK-5th grade. By using universal screeners and diagnostic data to inform decisions about targeted interventions, to tailor support to meet each student's needs and help ensure growth to reach grade-level proficiency in reading. Key strategies used to help us monitor reading achievement and growth include:
1. Regular Assessments: Implementing regular reading assessments can help track students' progress over time. This might include universal screeners, diagnostic assessments, common assessments, and classroom assessments.
2. Data Analysis: Analyzing the collected data help identify trends and patterns in student performance, enabling teachers to pinpoint specific areas where students may be struggling. Teacher and student data notebooks are used to set goals and track growth.
3. Individualized Interventions: Based on the data analysis and the use of our literacy decision tree, we develop targeted intervention programs for students who need additional support, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively.
4. Professional Development: Providing teachers with training on effective reading instruction strategies and interventions can enhance their ability to support student growth.
5. Family Engagement: Involving families in the reading process foster a supportive environment at home, encouraging reading practice and engagement. Building home-school connections help to reinforce skills and strategies needed for success.
6. Progress Monitoring: Continuously monitoring student progress during interventions allows for timely adjustments to strategies as needed.
By prioritizing these strategies, our school creates a responsive and effective reading program that helps all students thrive.
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.
Supporting teachers in their development and knowledge of the Science of Reading, structured literacy and foundational skills is prioritized at Knightsville Elementary. Teachers in grades k-3 participate in LETRS training. Administration and curriculum leaders check in with teacher progress and implementation of strategies learned in LETRS training. All teachers participate in HMH Into Reading training and workshops.
Section G
Analysis of Data
| Strengths | Possibilities for Growth |
|---|---|
| • Successful Title I, family engagement and library initiatives to increase student and family access to books, literacy resources, and academic supports for students. • Fidelity of MTSS process to expediate the identification of student academic needs for reading intervention supports. • Immerse students in a print-rich environments through both the school library, school literacy library, classroom libraries, and new HMH student resources for each classroom.
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• Utilize Beanstack in grades 4K-5 to increase student independent reading opportunities and minutes engaged with text. • Utilize new classroom data trackers weekly in team PLC discussions to increase efficiency in reading DI planning. • Strengthen reading DI instructional practices based on data analysis implementing strategies and knowledge gained from LETRS professional development.
|
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 | Strengths |
|---|---|
|
Goal #1 (Third Grade Goal): Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of 2023 as determined by SC READY from 27.5 % to 22 % in the spring of 2024 Increase of SC Ready score to 28.3%. |
Unfortunately, the goal of reducing the percentage of 3rd grade students who scored Does Not Meet on SCReady from 27.5% to 22% on SCReady was not met. Instead, we saw an increase to 28.3%. Our literacy curriculum team is analyzing this data and creating an action plan to address this concern. |
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 | Strengths |
|---|---|
| Goal #1 (Third Grade Goal): Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of 2024 as determined by SC READY from 28.3_ % to 23.3 % in the spring of 2025 | |