Read to Succeed
Narrative Responses
The narrative responses will guide the school in creating one to three goals and developing action steps based on the overall assessment of progress toward implementing Read to Succeed.
Section A: Five Pillars of Reading Instruction *
Describe how reading assessment and instruction for all 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.
- School Description of Instruction and Assessments Aligned to the Five Pillars of Reading Instruction
Grades K-1: Students take the STAR Early Literacy Assessment three times a year as a universal screener.
Grades 1-5: Students take the STAR Reading Assessment three times a year as a universal screener. This data helps identify students who may need further diagnostic assessments for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.
Additional assessments include:
Grades K-2: Students complete the LETRS Phonics and Word Reading Survey and the LETRS Spelling Screener three times a year.
Grades 3-5: Students take the same LETRS assessments at the beginning of the year, with follow-ups as needed throughout the year.
For comprehension and Oral Reading Fluency:
Grades K-1: Students are given an oral retell comprehension check twice a year.
Grades 2-5: Students are assessed three times a year using an oral reading fluency passage, followed by a retell or summary to check comprehension. In 2nd grade, all students are given the STAR CBM non expressive words to identify any gaps for intervention.
Grade 1: students also take the STAR CBM (Curriculum-Based Measurement) to monitor oral reading fluency three times a year.
Phonological Awareness: K-2 teachers currently give formative assessments.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary assessments are currently done.
Teachers will use the data from these assessments to guide instruction using the new HMH Into Reading curriculum.
During Professional Learning Team (PLT) meetings, teachers will analyze this data to make instructional decisions for Tier 1, and possibly Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions."
Section B: Foundational Literacy Skills
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.
School Description of Alignment for PK-5th Grade Students
OPES has approximately 90 to 120 minutes dedicated to English Language Arts (ELA), which includes reading, writing, and foundational skills. We are implementing HMH Into Reading curriculum, using its Reading, Vocabulary, and Writing components for grades K-5. For Foundational Literacy skills, we use Heggerty for phonological awareness and UFLI for additional foundational skills. The assessments from HMH and UFLI align with the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills. They support the components of Scarborough’s Rope for Language Comprehension and Word Recognition.
Section C: Intervention *
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.
- School Description of Intervention for PK-5th Grade students Not on grade level
Our school uses a systematic approach to determine student interventions based on Universal Screeners and additional diagnostics as needed. All students take either the STAR Early Literacy or STAR Reading assessments. Based on these results, we decide if further diagnostics are necessary for Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions. Some of the assessments we use to inform these instructional decisions include Heggerty, Core Reading Phonics, Dibles and STAR CBM. In addition to the Universal Screener, we administered Foundational Skills Assessments to all students, providing another tool to guide intervention decisions. Our school’s MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) team analyzes all this data to recommend appropriate Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.
Section D: Supporting Literacy at Home *
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.
- School Description of System to support literacy in the home
Our school keeps parents informed about ways to support literacy at home through our district and school website. As a school, we aim to improve in this area as we continue learning about our new standards, curriculum, and the Science of Reading through LETRS training.
Section E: Progress Monitoring *
Document how the school provides for progress monitoring of reading achievement and growth at the school level with decisions about intervention based on all available data to ensure grade-level proficiency in reading.
- School Description of MTSS Progress Monitoring for PK-5th Grade Students
As part of our process for identifying students in the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) framework, we also implement consistent progress monitoring for students in Tiers 1, 2, and 3. Tier 1 and Tier 2: Teachers will use a combination of tools such as STAR, HMH curriculum assessments, UFLI, and other standards-based assessments to monitor progress in grade-appropriate reading skills, supporting overall proficiency.
Tier 3: Literacy interventionists have additional tools for progress monitoring, including DIBELS, Bridge the Gap, and STAR.
Throughout the year, teams will meet regularly during Professional Learning Team (PLT) and MTSS team meetings to analyze data and make instructional decisions for all students.
Section F : Teacher Training *
Explain how the school will provide teacher training based in the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills to support reading achievement for all students.
- School Description of PLO Opportunities
Currently, our school is participating in LETRS training. This includes K-4 teachers, administrators, interventionists, literacy coaches, lead teachers, and SPED teachers. Grade 5 instruction is modeled through coaching cycles with Literacy Coach.
Section G: Analysis of Data - Strengths *
K-2
Our Beginning of Year data show strong literacy foundations across grade levels. About 75–80% of students are performing At/Or Above Benchmark in STAR Early Literacy and STAR Reading, with nearly a quarter scoring in the 90th–99th percentile. Fluency is also a strength: roughly 70% of students are On Track with WCPM, and about 20% are already reading over 100 words per minute. Accuracy rates are high as well, with two-thirds of students scoring 95–100%, showing strong decoding skills. Spelling results reveal that 60% of students scored in the mid-to-high range, and 15–20% demonstrated advanced mastery (20–25 correct). Overall, the data highlight that most students are beginning the year with solid literacy skills and a strong group already performing above grade level.
Grades 3-5
At the Beginning of Year, students demonstrated strong literacy skills across reading, fluency, accuracy, and spelling. In STAR Reading, about 75–80% of students are At/Or Above Benchmark, with nearly 20% in the 90th–99th percentile, showing solid comprehension and vocabulary readiness. On DIBELS ORF WCPM, over 70% of students were On Track, and many exceeded 130–170 words correct per minute, reflecting advanced fluency and automaticity. Accuracy was also a strength, with roughly two-thirds of students reading at 96– 100% accuracy, confirming reliable decoding and self-monitoring. In the Advanced Spelling Inventory, about 60% of students scored in the mid-to-high range (15–20 correct out of 25), while another 15–20% showed advanced mastery (21–25 correct). Overall, the majority of students are beginning the year with strong reading comprehension, fluency, and spelling foundations, and a significant subgroup is already performing well above grade-level expectations.
Section G: Analysis of Data - Possibilities of Growth *
Areas of growth for students include accuracy, fluency, spelling, and targeted support for those flagged as On Watch or Intervention. About one-third of students scored below 95% accuracy, meaning they need strategies to strengthen decoding, self-monitoring, and consistency when reading connected text. In fluency, roughly 20–25% of students are reading below benchmark rates, often under 90 words per minute, which indicates a need for repeated reading practice, phrase-cued reading, and regular progress monitoring to build stamina and expression. Spelling and word study is another key area, as about 40% of students scored below 15/25 on the Advanced Spelling Inventory, showing gaps in vowel teams, complex phonics patterns, and multisyllabic word spelling that can be addressed through explicit orthographic instruction and practice. Finally, about 15–20% of students are in the On Watch or Intervention range overall, reflecting inconsistent performance across assessments; this group will benefit most from small-group targeted instruction and close monitoring to ensure growth across reading and spelling skills.
School-Level LETRS Implementation
How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS? * 40
How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS? * 0
How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year? * 6
How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 2 of LETRS this year? * 34
How many CERDEP PreK teachers in your school have completed EC LETRS? * 0
How many CERDEP PreK teachers in your school are beginning EC LETRS this year? *0
Section H:
2024-25 Previous School SMART Goals and Progress Toward those Goals
Please provide your previous school 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)
Previous Goal #1 *
Goal 1: Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring DNM level in the spring of 2024 as determined by SCREADY from 11% to 9% in the spring of 2025.
Progress of Goal #1 *
Goal Met
Previous Goal #2 *
All students will meet or approach on the SC Ready assessment.
Progress of Goal #2 *
not met
Section I:
2025-26 School 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.
Current Goal #1 (3rd Grade Reading Proficiency Goal Required)
Third Grade Goal: Increase the percentage of third graders scoring Meets and Exceeds in the spring of 2025 as determined by SC READY ELA from __% to __% in the spring of 2026.
Increase the percentage of third graders scoring Meets and Exceeds in the spring of 2025 as determined by SC READY ELA from 82% to 85% in the spring of 2026.
Actions Steps for Goal #1
1. Instructional Focus:** Align to SC ELA Standards by ensuring all instruction is tightly aligned to the SC College- and Career-Ready ELA standards. Implement Science of Reading practices through explicit phonics/word study, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension strategy instruction. Use small group instruction such as guided reading/strategy groups to meet students at their instructional level and accelerate growth. Embed daily writing tied to reading, including constructed response and evidence-based writing.
2. Data-Driven Practices:** Use ongoing formative assessments such as STAR, DIBELS, classroom assessments, and running records to monitor progress. Hold regular PLC data meetings to analyze results, identify gaps, and plan targeted instruction. Track students below grade level bi-weekly and adjust interventions quickly through progress monitoring.
3. Interventions & Support:** Provide tiered support through targeted Tier II and Tier III interventions in phonics, fluency, and comprehension to accelerate growth for struggling students.
4. Professional Learning:** Provide teacher training through PD in areas such as LETRS, vocabulary instruction, comprehension strategy instruction, and effective data use. Offer instructional coaching support through modeling, co-teaching, and observation/feedback cycles. Strengthen collaborative planning during grade-level PLCs to ensure consistency and rigor across classrooms.
5. Monitoring & Accountability:** Conduct quarterly benchmarks to track progress toward “Meets and Exceeds” percentages. Engage students in goal setting to have them monitor their own growth and take ownership of progress.
Current Goal #2
By the Spring 2026 benchmark, 90% of kindergarten and first-grade students will score at or above proficiency on the STAR Early Literacy assessment. This reflects an increase from 82.4% of students who scored at or above proficiency on the Fall 2025 benchmark.
Action Steps for Goal #2
Strengthen Core Instruction:** Implement daily, systematic phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and oral language instruction. Timeline: Ongoing (Fall 2025–Spring 2026). Persons Responsible: Classroom teachers, Literacy Coach, Admin Team. Measure of Success: Lesson plans reflect Science of Reading alignment; walkthroughs show fidelity of implementation; growth in STAR subdomains.
Provide Differentiated Small Group & Intervention Support:** Use STAR and classroom data to provide small-group instruction and Tier II/III interventions for students below benchmark. Timeline: Grouping updated every 6–8 weeks based on progress monitoring. Persons Responsible: Teachers, Interventionists, Reading Specialists. Measure of Success: Progress monitoring shows ≥80% of at-risk students meeting intervention goals within 6–8 weeks.
Use Data to Drive Instruction:** Hold monthly PLCs to analyze STAR data and plan targeted instruction. Timeline: Monthly, Sept. 2025–May 2026. Persons Responsible: Grade-level teachers, Literacy Coach, Admin. Measure of Success: PLC minutes show data-informed planning; STAR benchmark growth of +7.6% by Spring 2026.
Strengthen Professional Development:** Provide ongoing PD in Science of Reading, phonics, phonemic awareness, and linking assessment to instruction. Timeline: Quarterly PD sessions + ongoing coaching cycles. Persons Responsible: District/School Literacy Coaches, Admin Team. Measure of Success: PD attendance logs; walkthroughs show strategy use; improved STAR outcomes in target domains.
Monitor & Celebrate Progress:** Conduct quarterly STAR checkpoints, track student growth, and celebrate progress at the classroom and schoolwide level. Timeline: Fall 2025 (baseline), Winter 2026 (mid-year), Spring 2026 (summative). Persons Responsible: Teachers, Literacy Coach, Admin Team. Measure of Success: 90% proficiency reached by Spring 2026; recognition events for student and teacher growth.