School Reading Plan

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. Students develop these skills through effective speaking and listening through various opportunities. Teachers foster this essential component through rich discussions and collaborative activities, which allow students to build the vocabulary, expressive skills necessary for understanding texts, and interact with students who may have different perspectives. Teachers also use questioning techniques, interactive read-alouds, group and partner work, 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 combination of UFLI and 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 screeners and phonics assessments during our MTSS process to identify any gaps in students’ abilities and intervene early with targeted instruction.

Using UFLI phonics, our code 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. We utilize decodable text libraries within Reading A to Z, HMH, and Guided Readers to support students’ ability to decode unfamiliar words and practice reading new phonics skills in texts.

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. AMIRA Benchmarks are used K–1 to identify strengths and weakness of individual students. We continue to use targeted AIMSweb probes to Progress Monitoring students in interventions K–3.

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 instruction is meeting each student’s needs, we use a variety of assessments. AMIRA screening tools and Foundational Skills Survey help us monitor foundational skills such as Functional Vocabulary, Phonological/Phonemic Awareness, Letter Knowledge, and decoding/encoding phonics skills 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.

Our school is using Foundational Skills Surveys (FSS) from Really Great Reading to assess foundational literacy skills taught through HMH, Heggerty, and UFLI. FSS in kindergarten assesses pre-decoding and early decoding skills, including: Functional Vocabulary, Phonological/Phonemic Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Decoding, and High-Frequency Word Reading. First Grade FSS focuses on foundational literacy skills, including: Simple and complex single-syllable words (with short vowels, digraphs, blends, closed syllables, and various long vowel spellings), Decodable two-syllable words, and Select sight words. Advanced Decoding FSS is used in second grade, but can also be used for any student struggling with word recognition. It targets complex single-syllable words (with short, long, r-controlled, variant vowels, complex consonant constructions like trigraphs, and 3-sound blends in real and nonsense words) and decodable two- and three-syllable words (real and nonsense). These word recognition assessments in conjunction with HMH, Heggerty, and UFLI align with the all components of the foundational literacy skills outlined by the science of reading.

Using universal screeners, such as AMIRA, FSS, and MAP Growth, is an essential component of our effective schoolwide MTSS process. Assessing all K–5 students at least three times a year on foundational literacy skills, as well as, comprehension, is essential to identifying students who are at risk before they develop reading problems, and identifying struggling readers early enough to successfully remediate their reading difficulties.

Universal screening is only the first step to a successful Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Students identified at at-risk on the universal screener are then given diagnostic assessments, such as Phonological Awareness Surveys, Core Phonics, and comprehension assessments. Our school uses a literacy decision tree to decide which diagnostic assessment needs to be administered. Analyzing the data from these assessments allows us to create targeted interventions to meet the specific needs of each student. Goal setting for students allow teachers to use progress monitoring assessment to monitor growth within the intervention to determine next steps.

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.

To support parents in understanding how to help their child as a reader and writer at home, our school has implemented a comprehensive approach including: regular communication channels like class and school newsletters, parent portal, parent workshops that specifically target literacy skills and strategies, such as Gators Raising Readers and TAILS Time, Parent Conferences, personalized feedback on student work, and additional resources on class Schoology course. This year we added an in-person Open House during the school day, so both parents and students received the same information about expectations for learning. Parents are also an integral part of the MTSS process for students who are performing below grade level. All provide actionable strategies and specific activities aligned with the classroom curriculum to foster a strong home-school connection for literacy development.

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.

Our school provides teacher training based on the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills for PreK–5th grade, we implement using several strategies:

1. Professional Development Workshops

• Workshops: Regular sessions focusing on the science of reading, emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Our school calendar allows our school to use Early Release Days, PD days, as well as Early Out Wednesdays.
• LETRS Training: K–3 teachers participate in state required LETRS training.

2. Curriculum Alignment

• Adopt Evidence-Based Programs: Implementation of HMH, Heggerty, and UFLI curricula that are grounded in research, ensuring that all teachers are familiar with the materials and pacing.

3. Ongoing Coaching and Support

• Instructional Coaches: Our school’s literacy coach, who specialize in literacy to work alongside teachers, provides real-time feedback, modeling effective teaching strategies, co-teaching, and data analysis.
• Observations: Admin and coaches observe classrooms to provide feedback and support.

4. Assessment Training

• Data-Driven Instruction: Trainings to assist teachers on how to use assessments to identify students’ literacy needs and adjust instruction accordingly.
• Progress Monitoring: Provide tools for teachers to track student progress and adjust instruction.

5. Ongoing Reflection and Feedback: Quarterly Data Debriefings

• Reflective Practices: During these debriefings, teachers are encouraged to reflect on their instruction and student outcomes.
• Professional Learning Communities: Focus on what we expect students to learn, how do we know if student know it, what do we do if students don’t know it, and what do we did of students already know it.

8. Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment

• Classroom Libraries: Support the development of diverse classroom libraries that cater to various reading levels and interests.

By focusing on these strategies, our school ensures that our teacher training effectively supports the literacy development of all students, fostering a strong foundation for lifelong learning.