Read to Succeed - TCES

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

Tega Cay Elementary has updated its Assessment Plan to align with 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 CORE Phonics and Word Reading Survey and the LETRS Spelling Screener three times a year.
Grades 3-5: Students take the Advanced LETRS Spelling Screen three times a year.

For comprehension and Oral Reading Fluency:
First Grade: Students are given a STAR CBM assessment three times a year.
Grades 2-5: Students are assessed three times a year using an oral reading fluency passage. The passages for oral reading fluency come from DIBELS.

Phonological Awareness: K-2 teachers currently give formative assessments.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary assessments are currently done formatively by teachers at TCES, data from these assessments are used to guide instruction using the HMH Into Reading curriculum.

During Professional Learning Team (PLT) meetings, teachers analyze this data to make instructional decisions for Tier 1, and possibly Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.

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

Word Recognition Assessment and Instruction for K through 5th grade students come from a curriculum that supports the science of reading. Assessments used are LETRS, UFLI passages, DIBELS passages, and HMH curriculum assessments. We currently use UFLI and HMH for our word recognition instruction.

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 Bridge the Gap, DIBELS, Core Reading Phonics, and STAR CBM.

In addition to the Universal Screener, certain grade levels administer Foundational Skills Assessments to all students, providing another tool to guide intervention decisions. Our MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) team analyzes all this data to recommend appropriate Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. Then a targeted path of instruction for word recognition or comprehension is decided.

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

Parent/Teacher conferences are the main communication with parents as to how their students are progressing in the areas of literacy. Assessment reports are sent home with parents to show student progress several times a year, along with classroom assessments weekly. Teacher newsletters also give insight as to how to support their students as readers and writers at home. We aim to continue to improve in this area as we learn more through our LETRS volume 2 training.

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 for Kindergarten through
5th grade.
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, Heggerty’s
Bridge the Gap, CORE Phonics Literacy Library 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.

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

This year at TCES teachers in PK-3rd grade are participating in LETRS training. In our PLT we utilize what we are learning in LETRS training to plan instruction that supports the science of reading. For 4th and 5th grade teachers who are not enrolled in LETRS, we are offering further professional development on advanced decoding and vocabulary instruction to help them continue building their knowledge of the science of reading. Other Professional Learning Opportunities are provided by the literacy coach/district as needed.

At TCES, our strengths include:

Grade level collaboration in Professional Learning Teams

Literacy Coach, Lead Teacher, Early Childhood Interventionists, and Reading Interventionist are available to support literacy instruction and student growth.

Providing a large block of instructional time for ELA

Providing a Phonemic Awareness curriculum for K-2

Providing LETRS training for K-2 teachers, including all Special Education teachers.

A designated time in each grade level schedule for interventions and enrichment.

88.5% of our students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded on the ELA SC READY assessment

70.2% of our 2nd grade students are on track for success in ELA for 3rd grade

84% of our 1st grade students are on track for success in ELA for 2nd grade

66.3% of our kindergarten students showed readiness on KRA screener

87.2% of our third grade students scored at or above grade level on SC READY Spring ‘25

89.6% of our fourth grade students scored at or above grade level on SC READY Spring ‘25

91.9% of our fifth grade students scored at or above grade level on SC READY Spring ‘25

At TCES our possibilities for growth:

Strengthening Tier 2 and Tier 3 Instruction

Strengthening Tier 1 reading and writing Instruction through the lens of science of reading

Being agile in our response to student needs and interventions

Growing our students as readers and writers while continuing to build foundational literacy skills.

Data analysis of students not meeting AVT and MAT growth to help guide classroom instruction

Continuation of professional learning opportunities in the area of literacy

How many eligible teachers in your school have completed Volume 1 ONLY of LETRS? 
38

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?
4

How many eligible teachers in your school are beginning Volume 2 of LETRS this year?
38

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?
1

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
Third Grade Goal - By 2025, 86.5% of students in 3rd Grade will demonstrate proficiency on the SC Ready Assessment for ELA.

Progress of Goal #1
We met our goal. 87.2% of students in 3rd grade demonstrated proficiency on the SC READY Assessment for ELA

Progress Goal #2
By 2025, 85% of grade K-1 students will meet district proficiency benchmarks on STAR Early Literacy testing.

Progress of Goal #2
We met our goal. 86.63% of students in K-1 met district proficiency benchmarks on STAR Early Literacy testing.
 

• 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 Previous Goal #1 * Progress of Goal #1 * Previous Goal #2 * Progress of Goal #2 * 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 87.2% to 88% in the spring of 2026.

Actions Steps for Goal #1

1. Continuation of targeted small group reading instruction to support growth in reading.
2.  Implementation of professional learning in literacy (LETRS training) to help strengthen tier 1 and tier 2 instruction.
3. Ongoing analysis of STAR data, running records, and anecdotal records to improve tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 instruction.

Current Goal #2

• By 2026, 87% of grade K-1 students will meet district proficiency benchmarks on STAR Early Literacy testing.

Action Steps for Goal #2

1. Implementation of explicit instruction in foundations of literacy.
2. LETRS training for K-3 teachers.
3. Ongoing analysis of data centered around foundations of literacy both at the school level and the district level.