School Reading Plan

Students in PreK-5th grade at Newington Elementary engage with a research-based curriculum that encompasses oral language development, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to support their ability to meet grade-level English/Language Arts (ELA) standards.

Oral Language Development is fostered through rich text-based discussions and collaborative activities, which allow students to build vocabulary and expressive skills necessary for comprehending complex text. Teachers utilize questioning techniques during read alouds, and peer interactions to enhance students’ spoken language. These opportunities are presented in the research-based HMH Into Reading curriculum and address the Communication strand of SC ELA Standards.

Phonological awareness is developed among our students utilizing the Heggerty curriculum with students in grades 4K-1^st grade and the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations curriculum for students in grades K-2. This curriculum aligns with the Science of Reading and focuses on foundational literacy skills, including phoneme blending, grapheme-phoneme correspondence, decoding automaticity, and encoding practice. The tasks become more complex as students’ understanding of how language can be broken into smaller parts or blended to form words increases. Students demonstrate their understanding of phonological awareness as they apply these skills into their daily reading and with the Heggerty and UFLI assessments Additionally, we use phonological and phonemic screeners likes AIMS Web and diagnostic assessments like the Foundational Skills survey to identify any gaps in students’ abilities and intervene early with targeted instruction. Both Heggerty and UFLI address the Foundational strand of SC ELA Standards.

In grades K-2, the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations curriculum is implemented for phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, and assessment. This curriculum aligns with the Science of Reading and focuses on foundational literacy skills, including phoneme blending, grapheme-phoneme correspondence, decoding automaticity, and encoding practice. The curriculum is research-based, grounded in the Science of Reading, systematic, and explicit. Students’ phonics skills are assessed utilizing the UFLI progress monitoring tool and demonstrated within their daily reading. Students in grades 3-5 study advanced phonics utilizing HMH’s Into Reading Foundations curriculum. This curriculum is also systematic in nature, includes explicit direct instruction and covers irregular words and phonic patterns, word analysis, the study of syllabication, affixes, and morphological awareness. Both UFLI and HMH Foundations address the Foundations Strand of SC ELA Standards.

In grades K-5, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction and assessment are delivered through the HMH Into Reading curriculum, which integrates essential literacy elements outlined by the Science of Reading. These include word analysis, fluency, language comprehension, background knowledge, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension. Fluency instruction and practice is addressed through repeated reading, modeling fluent reading and opportunities for students to read independently (both out loud and silently). Teachers have the opportunity to hear their students read every day and provide feedback to strengthen fluency. Vocabulary is addressed in the HMH curriculum via explicit instruction, context clues, and the study of morphology. Comprehension strategies are integrated throughout the HMH 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. These skills are assessed in Universal screens like NWEA’s reading MAP assessment and in weekly HMH comprehension assessments. Students in grades 2-5 are also assessed utilizing the district’s Common Assessments on the Formative platform. HMH Into Reading curriculum and assessments address the Applications of Reading Strand of SC ELA Standards.

Cumulatively, the curriculum previously described addresses the literacy skills needed to comprehend complex texts to meet grade-level ELA standards as outlined by the SC Department of Education.

Word recognition assessment and instruction for PreK-5^th grade students at Newington Elementary are thoroughly aligned with the Science of Reading research because the instruction is explicit and systematic as made evident by the curriculum used: Heggerty, UFLI Foundations, and HMH Into Reading. Science of Reading research indicates that word recognition includes a reader’s ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words, recognize words by-sight (phoneme-grapheme mapping), learn the letters sounds and patterns explicitly, develop the orthographic lexicon, and decode and encode words. These skills are explicitly and systematically taught in these curriculums. Additionally, the pacing of content is grounded in skill progressions outlined by the SC ELA Foundational Standards. : Heggerty, UFLI Foundations, and HMH Into Reading highlights the significance of explicit phonemic awareness and phonics instruction in constructing foundational reading skills; resulting in our students’ abilities to decode words and grow into competent, fluent readers.

Word recognition assessment and instruction for students in grades PreK-5^th reflects structured literacy practices because the instruction is explicit, systematic, and sequential. The instruction follows a clear progression from simple to increasingly complex tasks. Additional instructional practices include manipulative-based learning like building words with sound boxes and letter tiles or manipulating tiles to represent sounds. Students are regularly assessed on skills explicitly taught, and their progress is monitored. Teachers adjust instruction according to students’ response patterns and assessment results. Our students engage in cumulative review and practice as demonstrated by our Heggerty, UFLI, and HMH pacing and curriculum.

Word recognition assessment and instruction for PreK-5^th grade students are aligned with foundational literacy skills. Heggerty, UFLI, and HMH Into Reading Foundations follow skill progressions from phonemic awareness skills like segmenting, blending, and phoneme manipulation to phonics and decoding, like reading CVC words, and advancing to multi-syllabic words. In upper elementary, students are working on increasingly more complex decoding strategies, like word analysis of affixes and morphological awareness.

UFLI (K-2) and HMH Into Reading provides students with repeated opportunities to apply their word recognition knowledge in encoding and decoding (reading) to demonstrate mastery of content.

At Newington Elementary School, we employ universal screening and diagnostic assessments to systematically identify students at risk of not achieving grade-level proficiency.

4K/PreK students are assessed with DIAL screener for placement to ensure students in the program are gaining skills for kindergarten readiness they would not receive outside of the program. 4K/PreK students take myIGDIs assessment in the Fall and Spring in the literacy areas of language, vocabulary, rhyming, and alliteration(in spring).

All students in grades Kindergarten-5^th grade take the NWEA Reading MAP assessment in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. This assessment functions as both a universal literacy screener and a dyslexia screener. Students scoring below the 30th percentile are flagged for further screening to determine their eligibility for literacy intervention.

Students in grades K-2, are administered the Foundational Skills Survey (FSS), a diagnostic assessment focused on phonemic awareness and phonics.

Students in grades K and 1 also take the AIMS Web screener to assess phonemic and phonics skills.

In grades 3-5, students who score below the 30th percentile on the NWEA Reading MAP assessment undergo additional diagnostic evaluations. The results of these assessments, combined with SC Ready scores, classroom performance data, and other relevant metrics, are analyzed form placement in Read180, our reading intervention program for students in grades 3-5. Read 180 addresses both word recognition and language comprehension skills for students. Student progress is monitored throughout units of instruction and content is adjusted based on student performance. 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.

Students in grades K-2 who score below the 30th percentile on the NWEA Reading MAP assessment and/or demonstrate below-grade-level performance on the FSS, are further assessed with additional diagnostic assessments until their specific literacy deficiencies are identified. Once pinpointed, explicit and systematic intervention is provided for students. This occurs for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, in small group settings. Every two weeks these students are progress monitored using AIMS Web probs that match the foundation skills being taught. Student data is reviewed every 4-6 weeks and instruction is adjusted according to student progress and response patterns. This targeted instruction and progress monitoring is designed to address each student's unique needs and effectively promote their literacy development.

At Newington Elementary School, we have established a comprehensive system designed to empower parents in supporting their children’s development as readers and writers. Our approach includes a variety of initiatives, such as parent workshops, literacy nights, take-home resources, and ongoing home-school communication.

Parent Workshops are facilitated by the Literacy Coach and District Content Experts. Offered at various points throughout the school year, these workshops are available in multiple formats—both in-person and virtual—ensuring accessibility for all families. The workshops focus on the best practices for fostering reading skills, as informed by the Science of Reading research.

Literacy Nights provide families with valuable opportunities to learn effective strategies for enhancing reading and writing at home while fostering a deeper connection with the school community. Outside community members like the Public Library and Boeing participate in these events as well. During these events, we provide literacy manipulatives such as sound boxes, letter cards, and books, enabling families to practice the strategies they’ve learned at home.

To keep parents informed and engaged, we distribute weekly newsletters featuring academic tips and tricks tailored to support literacy development at home. Additionally, reading progress reports and assessment results are sent home throughout the year, allowing parents to monitor their child’s growth.

Parent-teacher conferences serve as a platform for providing targeted strategies tailored to each student’s needs, ensuring that families are equipped with the tools to support their little learners effectively.

Parents can access their child’s work on Schoology by logging in with their parent account to view assignments, grades, and teacher feedback. From the dashboard, they can check upcoming due dates, monitor progress, and stay informed about classroom activities in real time.

Finally, our support system is enhanced by digital resources, including access to e-books and customized student digital learning programs, providing families with even more opportunities to grow their child’s literacy skills at home.

Together, these initiatives create a framework that empowers parents to play an active role in their children’s literacy journey.

Newington Elementary invests in ongoing literacy professional development for staff to ensure that all students receive effective and research-based instruction grounded in best practices. Currently all K-3 teachers, 4^th and 5^th grade volunteer teachers, 3 special education teachers, our literacy interventionists, ML teacher, and administrators are participating in LETRS training. This is a professional development class for teachers that provides knowledge and tools based in Science of Reading research to help students become proficient readers. The skills acquired in this PD can be applied to any reading curriculum. Teachers in grades 4-5 will participate in a book study on “Emotional Poverty.” This book is grounded in research of how to effectively deliver instruction to students within our building. In addition to these two formal Professional Development paths, Dorchester District Two offers comprehensive training opportunities for staff on the Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, and Foundational Literacy skills. These trainings are provided both virtually and in-person to meet the learning styles of our teachers. Additionally, ongoing coaching from the school’s Literacy Coach and District’s Literacy Specialists support teachers with the practical application of Science of Reading and Structured Literacy techniques in the classroom. The Professional Development is data-driven, utilizing both qualitative (from classroom observations) and quantitative (from student assessment results) to address instructional concerns, enhance strengths, and support instructional weaknesses. Newington strives to equip its staff with the knowledge and skills needed to delivery high-quality instruction, grounded in research and best practices for students.