Skip To Main Content

Read to Succeed Reading Plan

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?: 0

• How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS?: 14

• How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year (or have not yet started or completed Volume 1)?: 4

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 North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School, reading assessment and instruction for PreK-5th grade students is comprehensive and  integrates various components essential for developing proficient readers. The five pillars of Reading Instruction (oral language, phonological  awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension) are incorporated in grades PreK-5. Students are instructed curriculum that is rich in oral language  development through the modeling and promotion of rich discussions around texts and topics to build students’ knowledge. In PreK-3rd grade,  students are instructed through explicit, systematic instruction covering all eight phonological awareness skills, plus early literacy skills, including  phoneme-grapheme connections.

NCCAE uses explicit, systematic instruction to implement phonics instruction. The progression of skills begins with simple and builds to more  complex skill development, starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Fluency is addressed through instructional routines, repeated  readings of texts, and the use of the CKLA assessments and remediation guide (ARG) to build speed, accuracy, and expression. Rich vocabulary  instruction is included in the daily curriculum for all grade levels and across subject matter. Students are given direct instruction in vocabulary and  are explicitly taught word meanings through context, vocabulary cards, journaling, and word maps. 

A variety of strategies are used to improve student comprehension in each grade level as students work through grade-level texts using methods such  as read-alouds, class discussions, written responses, close reading, and graphic organizers to deepen understanding and engage with the text in a  meaningful manner.

Students are assessed using both formative and summative assessments in all these areas of reading instruction routinely. These assessments monitor  how students are progressing towards the goal and identify what students’ strengths and weaknesses are. This information drives any necessary  adjustment in instruction as we strive to student achievement on grade level standards.

Updated August 2024 Page 1

South Carolina Department of Education

Read to Succeed Elementary Exemplary Literacy Reflection Tool

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.

The Science of Reading expresses word recognition as the combination of decoding, phonological awareness, and sight word recognition. These  three skills blended provide students with the knowledge they need to recognize words in print. Through structured literacy instruction, students will  build on skills, moving from simple to complex. This explicit instruction of phonics will enable students to map phonemes to graphemes and then  blend these together to read words. Once students’ abilities in this strengthen, they will start to build fluency, which is enforced through practice with  decodable texts. Ongoing assessments measure the students’ ability in these skills and provides information on instructional moves to promote  student success. Once these foundational skills of decoding, phonological awareness and sight word recognition are built, the students will be ready  to combine this with knowledge of language comprehension, which is the foundation for reading 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. 

Both universal screener data and diagnostic assessment data are used to make instructional decisions for students at NCCAE. At our school, we use  KRA (kindergarten), MyIGDIS (PreK), FastBridge earlyReading (K-1) and iReady (K-5). These assessments are given to students at the beginning,  middle and end of the school year. These assessments identify which students are not reading on grade level and which areas of literacy they may be 

struggling in. This information aids in the creation of intervention plans for students. Students with weakness in foundational skills are provided  intervention that targets phonological awareness and/or phonics. Students with weaknesses beyond foundational skills are provided intervention that  targets fluency and comprehension. Sound Sensible and Magnetic Reading are two programs we use to addresses these needs. We also use the  intervention supports within both iReady and the CKLA reading curriculum. Students are regularly progress monitored and adjustments to their  intervention are made when needed.

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.

Supporting our families in being a partner in their student’s education is a top priority at NCCAE. We understand that parent support is crucial to  ensuring that students are proficient readers and writers. We aim to ensure that our families are not only informed about their student’s achievement  but are educated on ways they can support their student’s success at home. We host parent/teacher data conferences in the first quarter to review  students’ baseline data, go over the instructional plan and discuss ways the parent can support at home. A weekly parent newsletter is also sent out to  parents which not only provides pertinent information from the school but outlines ways parents can support learning at home. The school hosts  many education nights for the families to come and participate in learning with their students. Literacy Night provides an opportunity for families to

Updated August 2024 Page 2

South Carolina Department of Education

Read to Succeed Elementary Exemplary Literacy Reflection Tool

participate in literacy-based activities that they can take home and continue to work on with their students to reinforce learning. As the year  progresses, parents receive updated diagnostic information for their students. Additional parent conferences are held to review progress towards goals  and next steps. 

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. 

The school MTSS and Literacy Teams monitor the reading achievement and growth both at the classroom level and school level and makes decisions  about PreK-5th grade students that may need some form of intervention. In the fall students are given the universal screeners and diagnostic  assessments. These identify any gaps in students’ literacy skills. If a student is flagged by the screener, they are given additional assessment to  determine the specific learning gaps. The Literacy Team then decides whether students will receive classroom-based interventions or require a pull out intervention. The identified deficiency also determines the intervention program needed. Regular progress monitoring is set up and individual  student progress is monitored over time. The Literacy Team holds monthly wellness checks to ensure that students are making progress and make  changes to student intervention if needed. The MTSS Team also looks at student progress towards goal regularly and makes recommendations for  shift changes and additional supports. Parents are provided with student progress twice each quarter. This data-driven monitoring of student  achievement and growth allows for continued adjustment of the interventions to meet student needs.

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.

In order to support our school goals for improving students’ literacy skills, all PreK-5th teachers receive support in literacy based on the science of  reading. K-3rd grade teachers, interventionists and resource teachers are trained in LETRS, a specialized professional development course focused on  the science of reading. Remaining teachers are on a wait list for the next LETRS cohort. Teachers are also trained on our new ELA curriculum,  CKLA, which is also aligned to the science of reading. The Literacy Coach works with teachers to offer personalized support, provide feedback on  instruction, and provides professional development in the area of literacy.

Section G: Analysis of Data

Strengths

• Majority of teachers in kindergarten-3rd grade, resource and  reading intervention have been trained in LETRS. This includes kindergarten teaching assistants.

• Teachers in PreK-3rd grade are implementing Heggerty with  fidelity to improve phonemic awareness skills for early literacy  skills.

• Strong process in place for ongoing monitoring of students  progress towards goal with supports in place to adjust 

intervention as needed.

Possibilities for Growth • Train remaining teachers in the Science of Reading, including  4th and 5th grade teachers since students in those grade levels  may have deficiencies in reading.

• Support Tier 2 intervention at the classroom level.

• Focus on vocabulary strategies in all grade levels to increase the  ability to understand unknown words.• Train remaining teachers in the Science of Reading, including  4th and 5th grade teachers since students in those grade levels  may have deficiencies in reading.

• Support Tier 2 intervention at the classroom level.

• Focus on vocabulary strategies in all grade levels to increase the  ability to understand unknown words.

 

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

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 46.4% (2022) to 32%.

Progress

This goal was not met. 47.6% of 3rd grade students scored NOT met on  SC Ready in Spring of 2024.

Goal #2:

By Spring 2024, the percentage of kindergarten-5th grade students scoring on or  above grade level on the iReady reading diagnostic will increase from 21% to  31%.

Progress

This goal was met. 51% of students in K-5th grade scored on or above  grade level on the iReady reading diagnostic in Spring 2024.

Goal #3:

By Spring 2024, North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary will decrease the  number of students performing High Risk in reading, in kindergarten, by 10%  (as measured by FastBridge).

Progress

This goal was met. We reduced the number of students in High Risk by  13%.

In Spring of 2024, 33% of kindergarten students were High Risk as  compared to 46% in Spring of 2023.

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

Goal #1 (Third Grade Goal):

Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of  2025 as determined by SC READY from 46.4% (2022) to 32%.

Progress

In order to meet this goal, we will continue to utilize student data to target student weaknesses through interventions. We will implement  CKLA curriculum with fidelity. We will implement the use of interim  assessments to track our progress.

Goal #2:

By Spring 2025, the percentage of kindergarten-5th grade students scoring on or  above grade level on the iReady reading diagnostic will increase from 50% to  55%.

Progress

In order to meet this goal, we will continue to monitor student growth.  We will monitor students progress on their individual iReady pathway  and intervene when needed. We will use the iReady toolkit to address  weaknesses and communicate student progress with parents regularly.

Goal #3:

By Spring 2024, North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary will decrease the  number of students performing High Risk in reading, in kindergarten from  33% to 25% (as measured by FastBridge)

Progress

In order to meet this goal, we will continue to implement the strategies  learned in LETRS training and other strategies that align to the science  of reading. We will continue to use Heggerty and explicit phonics  instruction daily in the classroom as Tier 1. Kindergarten teachers and  teaching assistants will target Tier 2 needs in small group instruction.