Read to Achieve
Implementing House Bill 950/S.L. 2012-142 Section 7A
What is Read to Achieve?
Read to Achieve is a comprehensive reading reform law that takes effect this year, school year 2013-14.
“The goal of the State is to ensure that every student read at or above grade level by the end of third grade and continue to progress in reading proficiency so that he or she can read, comprehend, integrate, and apply complex text when needed for secondary education and career success.”
The law includes a plan for the reading achievement process that ends social promotion and offers intervention for struggling readers at the end of third grade. The goal is for all students to be proficient in reading by the end of third grade.
Impact on Third Grade
What is Hickory Public Schools Doing to Support Reading Success?
Hickory Public Schools has provided three years of intensive literacy training through the Literacy First Process. Highly-qualified teachers deliver two hours and twenty minutes of literacy instruction daily, exceeding the state requirement of 90 minutes.
In addition, Hickory Public Schools is:
- Utilizing a Professional Learning Community district-wide specifically for third grade teachers to analyze student data and create reading interventions to use during third grade reading instruction
- Assessing students using formative assessments to drive daily instructional goals
- Employing intervention strategies in small group instruction based on student need
- Emphasizing active manipulation of content in each lesson, promoting student active participation, based on HPS lesson planning format (Anatomy of a Lesson)
- Utilizing Reading 3D as a benchmarking tool three times a year
- Communicating student progress to parents via PowerSchool, parent conferences, progress reports, and report cards.
Questions?
It is the desire of Hickory Public Schools to join in partnership with parents, guardians, and the community to ensure every student is successful. If you want more information, please visit the Read to Achieve Guidebook, pages 38-45. Also, you may contact your child's school for additional details on the impact of this law.