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Read to Succeed Reading Plan

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?: Three teachers
  • How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS?: Nine teachers
  • How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year (or have not yet started or completed Volume 1)?: Four teachers 

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. 

Murray-LaSaine Montessori is committed to building a bridge to practice between our LETRs training and our classroom instruction. Our Primary  teachers (PK-K) use Heggerty and Lower Elementary Teachers (Grades 1-3) are using UFLI for direct explicit instruction in oral language, phonological  awareness, and phonics. For reading comprehension, we utilize a variety of tools including Junior Great Books, CKLA, Magnetic Reading, Flyleaf, the Etc.  Emergent Reading program. Students are being assessed on these skills in a variety of ways including but not limited to the LETRs Spelling Screener,  Fastbridge (Grades K & 1), iReady (Grades K-5), UFLI progress monitoring, and SCReady ELA Grades 3-8. 

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. 

Our school has implemented the LETRs Spelling Screener, the Core Phonics Survey and PAST are used with students we are considering for reading  intervention for word recognition. Word recognition is also assessed in iReady and Fastbridge. UFLI lessons are aligned to the science of reading in its  scope and sequence. Montessori reading materials include Waseca drawers, etc. card work (including the emergent reading series), and the  pink/blue/green series in Primary. 

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. 

As an MTSS team, we review the diagnostic data from Fastbridge and iReady for students falling three bands for consideration for  intervention services. Tier 1.5: 26th-50th% ile, Tier 2: 11th-25th% ile, and Tier 3: 1st-11th/15th%ile. We are able to provide intervention to  students in Tier 3 and Tier 2 and are very strategic with any Tier 1.5 student, knowing that time in the classroom and in Tier 1 instruction is  key. We triangulate all data before making decisions, including consultation with the teacher. Data and progress monitoring is reviewed  monthly following district guidelines for making changes to interventions. 

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. 

Student data is shared with parents/guardians as soon as the testing window closes, along with parent resources for interpreting scores and for  supporting their child at home. Student data conferences are held in the fall after diagnostic testing to be proactive and to answer any questions parents/guardians have regarding their child’s performance. For students not showing expected progress, our school team holds individual problem  solving meetings with appropriate stakeholders, including parents. The instructional coach provides a weekly topic for parents/guardians, such as  “Building Readers at Home” and “Bedtime Math Stories.” 

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.  

We hold weekly MTSS meetings where progress monitoring data is reviewed. Literacy wellness checks focus on students receiving reading intervention  and their Fastbridge progress monitoring data is reviewed. After Fall, Winter, and Spring assessments, the MTSS team reviews all student data to ensure  students are making growth. This allows the team to adjust if students need additional support or if students no longer require intervention support. 

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. 

Using schoolwide historical data, MLMS has identified instructional gaps in our Tier 1 reading program. Our literacy team works closely with classroom teachers to support scheduling and instructional implementation to close those gaps. For example, in Primary, our teachers have realigned the Waseca  towers to better align with the Science of Reading and the LETRS scope and sequence. In Lower Elementary, teachers have been trained in UFLI  implementation. The school team has ensured that teachers have adequate instructional time to deliver rigorous reading lessons at all levels, using what  they have learned in their training and PLCs. All teachers are LETRS trained or currently enrolled in LETRS.

Section G: Analysis of Data 

Strengths

Teachers and administrators participate in professional learning opportunities  (e.g. Heggerty, Read to Succeed, LTRS, ELA Standards training/professional  development). Texts are accessible and teachers provide choice in reading  materials in their classrooms. Our library is well-stocked with texts that invite  students and encourage them to want to read. Time is devoted each day to  reading/ELA. Teachers use data from a variety of sources to assess reading  skills, including MAP, iReady, Fastbridge, text levels, word lists, sight words, and running records. Word roots and word elements are utilized for instruction  in Upper Elementary.  

Fastbridge Early  

GR 1 68% Low Risk, 0% High Risk 

iReady Reading  (% scoring mid-above grade level)

2nd 68% 

4th 69% 

MAP Reading 

6th 73% High and High Average 

7th 75% High and High Average 

Possibilities for Growth 

Reading and Writing are both areas that have real possibility for growth;  time spent on reading and writing across the curriculum would be time well  spent. Teams integrating reading and writing instruction across content  areas. Students in grades 4K-Grade 3 receive daily Heggerty instruction.  Continue to refine practice with reading skills such as phonemic awareness  and decoding. Students not reading on grade level receive daily reading  intervention. Use of adaptive digital content is also important for continued  growth in reading. 

Fastbridge 

Kinder increase from 0% high risk to 7% high risk 

iReady % scoring mid-above grade level 

1st 66% 

3rd 57% 

5th 53% 

MAP 

8th 44% High and High Average 

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 2023 as determined by SC  READY from 13.9% to 11.9% in the spring of 2024.

Progress

MLMS exceeded our goal. In Spring of 2024, 8.3% students scored Does Not Met.

Goal #2: 

Increase percentage of students in grades 7 & 8 meeting MAP reading  growth projections from 73% (GR 7) and 73% (GR 8) to 75% meeting  growth targets.

Progress

In spring of 2024, 40% of Grade 7 students and 42% of Grade 8  students met their growth targets. We will focus on delivering high quality, engaging ELA lessons to this grade to ensure students are  achieving on- or above-grade level status.

Goal #3

Increase percentage of students in first grade Low Risk from 68% to  90% on Fastbridge.

Progress

In 2024 Spring, first graders began the year with 71% in Low Risk and  ended the year with 78% in Low Risk. While it’s not, we are proud of  the low number of students in High Risk (4%).

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 2023 as determined by SC  READY from 13.9% to 8.3 % in the spring of 2024. Our goal for 2025  is to reduce the percentage scoring Does Not Meet from 8.3% to 5%.

Progress

Goal #2

From Strategic Renewal Plan 

From June 2022 to June 2028, increase the percent of students scoring Meets  or Exceeds on SC Ready ELA from 70.2% to 76.2% (grades 3-5) and from 60.8 % to 68.6% (grades 6-8) for all students and from 39.1% to 51.3% for  African American students.

Progress

Goal #3

Increase percentage of students meeting their growth projections in  grades 7 & 8 from 40% of Grade 7 students and 42% of Grade 8 to 80%  of students meeting their growth targets for both Grade 7 & 8 students.

Progress