School Reading Plan

Students in PreK-5th grade at Joseph Pye 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.

For grades 4K-1, the school uses the Heggerty curriculum, a research-based phonemic awareness program, to provide explicit instruction and assessment in rhyming, phoneme manipulation, segmenting, and decoding. In grades K-2, the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations curriculum is implemented for both phonemic awareness and 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.

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. Students in grades 3-5 also use HMH Into Reading curriculum for advanced decoding, word analysis, instruction and assessment aligned with the South Carolina ELA Standards.

Word recognition assessment and instruction for PrK-5^th grade students at Joseph Pye 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. The pacing of content is grounded in skill progressions outlined by the SC ELA Foundational Standards and based in research.

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. Students are regularly assessed to skills explicitly taught, and their progress is monitored. Our students engage in cumulative review and practice as demonstrated by our Heggerty, UFLI, and HMH pacing and curriculum. 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. 

Word recognition assessment and instruction for PK-5^th grade students are aligned with foundational literacy skills. Heggerty, ULFI, 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. Word recognition is a critical, 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.

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. 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. 

Assessments are aligned to ensure that students are making progress in word recognition and literacy skills. These include early screening tools, AIMSweb and 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, Joseph Pye Elementary aims to ensure that all students develop the necessary word recognition skills for fluent reading and comprehension.

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

All students in grades 1-5 take the NWEA Reading MAP assessment in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, while Kindergarten students participate in this assessment during the 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.

For students in grades K-2, we administer 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 to inform placement in Read180, our reading intervention program for grades 3-5. 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.

For 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, we conduct additional diagnostic assessments until their specific literacy deficiencies are identified. Once pinpointed, we provide explicit and systematic interventions, which occur for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, in small group settings. This targeted instruction is designed to address each student's unique needs and promote their literacy development effectively.

At Joseph Pye 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 our dedicated 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 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 Dorchester County 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 have learned.

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.

Finally, our support system is enhanced by digital resources, including access to e-books and student digital learning programs, providing families with even more opportunities to foster a love of reading and writing at home.

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

Joseph Pye Elementary Schools employees a comprehensive monitoring system to ensure that instructional decisions are data driven.

Regular assessments are given throughout the school year to monitor reading achievement and growth. These assessments include NWEA’s Reading MAP assessment (K-5) AIMs Web (K-1), Foundational Skills Survey (K-2), District-level Common Assessments (2-5), UFLI Progress Monitoring tool (K-2), Heggerty Assessments (K-1), HMH comprehension assessments (K-5), and HMH Foundations assessments (3-5).

Assessment data is tracked and analyzed at the student-level, class-level, grade-level, and school-level to look for trends in both student achievement and student growth. Teachers collaborate during weekly PLC’s to discuss assessment results, share insights, and modify instruction. At monthly, MTSS meeting data-informed decisions are made regarding interventions for students who are not growing or who are not meeting grade-level proficiency.

READ 180 ReaL Book Assessments

Students complete daily instructional tasks in the ReaL Book that are used as embedded formative assessments. These assessments monitor student understanding and pace instruction. The ReaL Books also include summative assessments, which help gauge students’ mastery of new skills taught during whole-and small-group instruction. These results are used for intervention, instructional planning, progress monitoring, and grading.

Real Book: Comprehension- Skills monitored include comprehension, vocabulary/ word study, close reading, writing and conventions.

Real Book Code: Foundations- Skills monitored include phonemic awareness/ phonics, spelling and word automaticity, vocabulary, oral reading fluency, comprehension, writing.

Student Application

Screening Assessments identify the correct entry point for each student into the Student App. Formative assessments gauge student learning as they complete daily activities in each Segment. Embedded summative assessments assess student mastery within students' Zone of Proximal Development. This data is used for forming groups, diagnosing strengths and challenges, selecting lessons, monitoring progress, and grading.

Independent Reading Quizzes

Independent Reading Quizzes monitor students’ comprehension of what they read during Independent Reading. This summative assessment data evaluates students' understanding of what they have read, guides reading selection, and provide reading motivation.

Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Assessments

This summative assessment is administered two to three times a year to evaluate students’ current fluency levels and monitor decoding and oral fluency progress.

After implementing interventions, student progress is monitored via ongoing assessments to ensure intervention effectiveness and to adjust instructional focus and strategies. AIMs web and FSS is primarily used for intervention progress monitoring in K-2 and R180’s built-in workshop assessments are used to monitor student progress in that intervention.

This data-driven approach allows Joseph Pye Elementary to make efficient intervention decisions.

Joseph Pye Elementary invests in ongoing literacy professional development for staff to ensure the implementation of best practices. Currently all K-3 teachers, 1 special education teacher, 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 “Shifting the Balance.” This book is grounded in Science of Reading research and teachers 6 ways for teachers to bring these best practices into their classroom.