Read to Succeed Reading Plan

 

South Carolina Department of Education Read to Succeed Primary and Elementary Reading Plan 2025-2026

 

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

 

LETRS Questions: 

● How many teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS? 4 

● How many teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS? 13 

● How many teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year? 4 

● How many teachers in your school are beginning Volume 2 of LETRS this year? 2 

● How many CERDEP PreK teachers in your school have completed EC LETRS? 2 

● How many CERDEP PreK teachers in your school are beginning EC LETRS this year? 0 

 

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. 

 

Our teachers use Heggerty, a phonological awareness curriculum, from PreK through 2nd grade. Our iReady data in grades K-3 shows that 84% of our students ended the 2024-2025 school year on grade level in the area of phonological awareness, so we will continue with its use. Our new Amplify CKLA curriculum includes daily opportunities for students to practice oral language skills, specifically experiences that require students to collaborate with others and practice active listening skills as described in the 2024 SC CCR ELA Standards. As an Arts Integrated school, we also have an active theater program where our Pre-K through 5th graders have many opportunities to practice and meet grade-level oral communication standards. Phonics is assessed through FastBridge universally in grades K and 1. Kindergarten through 5th grade students are also assessed for phonics skills with iReady Diagnostic Assessments 3 times per year. Phonics is taught in grades K-2 using the Amplify CKLA phonics curriculum that also includes assessments to determine student strengths and weaknesses in phonics so that those weaknesses may be addressed in small group instruction. At the end of 2024-2025, 68% of our K-5 students met on-grade level expectations in phonics according to iReady. We are hopeful that our change in curriculum and LETRS training will help us provide stronger phonics instruction. Vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension are also assessed through iReady. In addition, fluency is assessed with FastBridge in 1st-5th grade. Instruction is provided for these domains using the Amplify CKLA Curriculum. Vocabulary and comprehension are addressed in all content areas, including math, science, and social studies, as well as in Academic Arts classes, including theater, music, and visual art. Students participate in the Accelerated Reader program that builds fluency and comprehension skills through daily reading practice. Teacher teams and coaches meet weekly to analyze formative assessments of grade-level English/Language arts standards and plan small group instruction for those students who need to be retaught. 

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 includes phonological awareness, phonics, and sight word recognition. Kindergarten and first grade students were assessed through FastBridge and Amplify CKLA Skills assessments for word recognition at the start of the school year. Teachers use Amplify CKLA Skills Units to teach grade-level phonics skills. Teachers and coaches address Word Recognition often in Data-Driven Instruction meetings where the team analyzes formative assessment data and plans small group reteaching of phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight word skills not mastered by specific students. K-2 teachers teach the sight words from the Dolch word list. Intervention teachers include sight word instruction in their small groups if assessment data shows that they have not mastered these words. Phonemic awareness is addressed in CKLA Skills Units, but not at the level that our at-risk students need, so we also provide phonemic awareness instruction through the use of Heggerty daily, a 10-minute lesson that delivers explicit instruction in critical phonemic awareness and early literacy skills. 

 

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.

 

 Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade are universally screened with the FastBridge earlyReading Assessment. Based on iReady Fall Diagnostic data, 2nd-5th grade students performing below the 10th percentile are assessed with FastBridge earlyReading and fluency probes. If space is available, students below the 25% are added to the interventionist schedule. The data is compiled and students who demonstrate they have not reached grade-level proficiency are placed into reading intervention. Interventionists use Jan Richardson for their kindergarten students, and they gradually move to Magnetic Reading Foundation. Students in 1st through 5th grade who show a weakness in word recognition skills are instructed by reading interventionists using Magnetic Reading Foundations, a program that addresses phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight word knowledge. Students with deficits in Language Comprehension are instructed by reading interventionists using Magnetic Reading, a program that addresses fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. 

 

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 are invited to Family Data Conferences in the first quarter of the school year and as needed. At that conference, the teacher shares fall data and explains the student’s strengths and weaknesses based on that data and observations of classwork so far. The teacher shares how he/she will address the weaknesses in class and what the parent can do at home to support the student as a reader and writer at home. Students are given nightly reading assignments and parents are asked to support students with these assignments along with a Homework Buddy that contains many resources families can use at home to practice literacy skills. Families are invited to Family Reading Night events where they participate in reading activities with their students and they are given resources they can use to support their children at home. Literacy Intervention students’ parents are invited to observe their child’s intervention lesson and interventionists provide resources for parents to support their scholars at home. All K-3 parents also receive a Read to Succeed Family Letter, translated into 10+ languages, that outlines in family-friendly language: What is the Science of Reading?, What does the South Carolina Read to Succeed Act mean for my student?, How will the school keep me informed about my student’s reading development?, How can I help my student become a good reader?, in addition to a direct link to the CCSD Read to Succeed webpage which includes even more ideas for supporting readers at home. 

 

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. 

 

iReady Reading Diagnostics are administered 3 times each school year to all students in grades K-5 to monitor reading achievement and growth. Teachers meet with Administration and Instructional Coaches to analyze data, identify school and class strengths and weaknesses, create small groups based on needs, and plan for targeted instruction. Plans are made for students who are not making enough progress toward typical growth goals, or stretch growth goals for students performing below grade level. Students scoring below the 10th percentile are provided with intervention services based on their deficits. If space is available students below the 25% are added to the interventionist schedule. Students are progress monitored using FastBridge earlyReading and fluency probes weekly. Our Literacy Team (consisting of the Principal, Instructional Specialist, Reading Coach, and all Reading Interventionists) meets monthly to review this data. Students not making expected progress toward grade-level proficiency are discussed and decisions are made about their group sizes and/or intervention programs. If a student still doesn’t make progress in the 6-8 weeks following this phase change, the MTSS Lead Team will discuss the student and an Individual Problem Solving meeting may be scheduled to decide if a learning disability is suspected.

 

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. 

 

All Pre-K through 3rd grade classroom teachers, K-5 reading interventionists, and K-5 Special Education teachers are required to complete 2 years of LETRS training based on the Science of Reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills to support all students in Pre-K through 5th grade. This year, two of our 4th grade teachers enrolled in Volume 1 of LETRS. All teachers participate in district provided literacy professional development and school-based Professional Development planned based on literacy assessment data. For instance, when vocabulary was determined to be a school-wide weakness, professional development was provided to all teachers to strengthen vocabulary instruction. When first grade teachers identified sight word reading as a weakness, they were provided with quarterly professional development and materials to strengthen their sight word instruction. Second grade identified fluency as a weakness in the spring, so professional development and materials were provided to strengthen fluency for that grade level. Schoolwide, writing conventions was identified as a weakness based on quarterly writing benchmark assessments. Teachers were provided with quarterly professional development, materials, and rubrics to improve this standards-based skill. In all of these cases, data was collected quarterly, it was analyzed, and adjustments were made to instruction based on the results. 

 

Section G: Analysis of Data

 

 

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).

 

 

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. Note the change in language for the 3rd grade goal to align with the 2030 vision of 75% of students at or above grade level. Schools that do not serve third grade students may choose a different goal. Goals should be academically measurable. All goals should align with academic growth or achievement. Schools must provide a minimum of two goals.

 

 ● Schools are strongly encouraged to incorporate goals from the school renewal plan. Utilize a triangulation of appropriate and available data (i.e. SC READY, screeners, MTSS progress monitoring, benchmark assessments, and observational data) to set reasonable goal(s) for the current school year.