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 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. 

School Description of Instruction and Assessments Aligned to the Five Pillars of Reading Instruction

With the implementation of the new South Carolina College and Career Readiness English Language Arts Standards, HMH Into Reading curriculum, University of Florida Literacy Institute Foundations (UFLI) and Heggerty, teachers at Gold Hill Elementary work diligently to design instruction and administer assessments that align with the Five Pillars of Reading. 

Students in Grades K-1 take the STAR Early Literacy Assessment three times a year as a universal screener. Students in Grades 1-5 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. 

Additionally, students in Grades K-2 complete the LETRS Phonics and Word Reading Survey and the LETRS Spelling Screener three times a year. Students in Grades 3-5 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, students in Grades K-1 are given an oral retell comprehension check twice a year. Students in Grades 3-5 are assessed three times a year using an oral reading fluency passage, followed by a retell or summary to check comprehension. The passages for oral reading fluency come from our new HMH Into Reading curriculum. Students in First Grade also take the STAR CBM (Curriculum-Based Measurement) to monitor oral reading fluency three times a year. Phonemic Awareness is taught in Grades K-2 through Heggerty and/or UFLI daily lessons. Formative assessments are administered by teachers throughout the year to assess this area and either whole group or small group lessons are created to address any gaps in student learning. Interventionists also assess and intervene in this area during T3 instruction as needed. 

Vocabulary instruction is evident throughout HMH Into Reading lessons and assessments are currently done formatively by teachers through weekly and module assessments. 

Teachers at Gold Hill Elementary School use the data from these assessments in addition to daily classroom observations to guide their daily instruction. During Professional Learning Team (PLT) meetings, teachers analyze this data in order to make instructional decisions for Tier 1, and possibly Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. 

Section B: Foundational Literacy Skills, Continued * 

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 

Gold Hill Elementary School has designed and implemented a master schedule that designates 90 to 120 minutes dedicated to English Language Arts (ELA), which includes reading, writing, and foundational skills. Teachers at GHES follow the district adopted the HMH Into Reading curriculum, using its Reading, Vocabulary, and Writing components for grades K-5. 

For Foundational Literacy Skills, teachers in Grades K-2 follow the daily lessons in Heggerty for phonological awareness and UFLI for additional foundational skills. In Grades 3-5 Foundational Literacy skills are taught through the HMH Into Reading curriculum. 

The assessments from HMH, UFLI, and those listed in Section A 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

Following the guidance of our district, 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 Bridge the Gap, DIBELS, LETRS Phonics and Word Survey, Core Reading Phonics, and STAR CBM. 

In addition to the Universal Screener, certain grade levels administer Foundational Skills Assessments to all students. These assessments are another tool used to guide intervention and instructional decisions. Our 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 

Teachers at Gold Hill Elementary School work diligently to keep parents informed about ways to support literacy at home through class newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, and our school website and other social media outlets. Each grade level also has an established system for ensuring students have books available to read at home on a nightly basis. With the change in standards and assessment this year , we aim to improve in this area as we continue learning about the Science of Reading through LETRS training. 

Section E: Progress Monitoring * 

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. 

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. 
In Tier 1 and 2, teachers 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 and the district’s identified essential standards. 

In Tier 3, Literacy interventionists progress monitor on their designated goals using tools such as DIBELS, Heggerty’s 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 * 

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 

School Description of PLO Opportunities 

At Gold Hill Elementary School, we currently have 40 staff members participating in LETRS training. This group includes K-3 teachers, administrators, interventionists, literacy coaches, lead teachers, SPED teachers, a 5th grade teacher, and 4 ESOL teachers. Additionally, school-based professional development is designed and implemented by the Literacy Coach to various teams and/or grade levels. 

Section G: Analysis of Data - Strengths *

Gold Hill Elementary MET our Third Grade Goal as identified in our school’s 23-24 Read to Succeed Plan. Based on SC Ready given in the spring of 2024, GHES had 5.5% of our third grade students score Does Not Meet which exceeded our goal by 2%. The results of this assessment can be attributed to the focus on data and team collaboration in ELA PLTs. Through this designated time each week, teachers work diligently to align instruction and assessments to match state standards. Additionally, the MTSS team at Gold Hill Elementary works collaboratively to identify students in need of extra support, and members of the MTSS team work with teachers to design and implement effective Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction and progress monitoring based on assessments and essential standards. Targeted professional learning opportunities are provided to teachers based on data and classroom observations in order to support teacher growth and student learning. 

Gold Hill Elementary also MET the District Goal for the 23-24 school in which 87% of our kindergarten and first grade students showed proficiency on STAR Early Literacy as measured by the end of the school year benchmark. We exceeded this goal by 2%. The results of this assessment can be attributed to the beginning stages of our implementation of explicit instruction in foundations of literacy over the course of the 23-24 school year. Professional development was provided throughout the year in order to deliver the explicit instruction centered around foundations of literacy, and to prepare our teachers for the roll-out of the new SC CCR ELA Standards. PLT time was used to analyze data, especially data collected around the foundations of literacy standards and skills. 

Section G: Analysis of Data - Possibilities of Growth * 

Gold Hill Elementary School faculty and staff will continue to GROW through teaching and learning in order to better serve our students. With the change in standards, implementation of new assessments and curriculum, and participation in LETRS training, we will work to continue to improve our instruction and assessment practices. Additionally, we would like to work to develop literacy-based partnerships within our community that would ideally encourage a deeper love of reading and writing. 

School-Level LETRS Implementation 

• How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS?* * 1 
• How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volumes 1 and 2 of LETRS?* * 1 
• How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 1 of LETRS this year (or have not yet started or completed Volume 1)?* 43 

Section H: 

2023-24 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) 

Goal #1 * 
Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring Does Not Meet in the spring of 2023 as determined by SC READY from 7.7% to 7.0% in the spring of 2024. 
Progress of Goal #1 * Met 

Goal #2 * 
85% of kindergarten and first grade students will show proficiency on STAR Early Literacy as measured by the end of the school year benchmark. This will be an increase from 64% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 85% proficiency in 2023-2024. 
Progress of Goal #2 *Met 

Section I: 

2024-25 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. 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. Utilize a triangulation of appropriate and available data (i.e. SC READY, screeners, MTSS processes, benchmark assessments, and observational data) to set reasonable goal(s) for the current school year. 

Goal #1 (3rd Grade Reading Proficiency Goal Required) 

(Third Grade Goal): Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring DNM level in the spring of 2024 as determined by SCREADY from ______ % to ______ % in the spring of 2025. 

Reduce the percentage of third graders scoring DNM level in the spring of 2024 as determined by SCREADY from 5.5% to 4.9% in the spring of 2025. 

Actions Steps for Goal #1 

-Provide training and support on interpreting data and ensure student data is available to Professional Learning Communities. 

-Provide a comprehensive intervention program and support system for academically struggling and at-risk students based on MTSS (Multi-tiered Systems of support) principles. 

-Targeted intervention to focus on 3rd grade students below grade level in reading. 

-Literacy Coach to provide support for all 3rd grade teachers in effective reading and writing instruction to promote individual student growth.