In a recent school wide scan of student literacy competencies, we discovered that our students are generally performing well in some areas of reading. Of the six components assessed: letter naming fluency, phonemic segmentation fluency, nonsense word fluency, word reading fluency, oral reading fluency and maze, our students showed the most proficiency in the areas of phonics and letter reading fluency.  

Some of the key themes that emerged from this school-wide scan is that reading comprehension needs to be a focus for direct literacy instruction in comprehension, build multi-disciplinary teams to bring different perspectives to enhance program planning and as a staff, bring light to actions with evidence on showcasing student progress. 

In the Spring, students will participate in different ways to engage deeply with their learning. Here are some examples of some actions for literacy instruction that our staff is committed to undertake: 

- explore a home and buddy reading program to ensure consistency in developing a life-long love for reading and provide opportunities for families to spend time with the school community and what it has to offer in terms of reading programs 

- expand literacy strategies through small group and/or one-on-one instruction to target students and meet them at their literacy levels. This could include daily reading practice, book clubs and explicit instruction, specifically to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all our learners. Reading comprehension is a focus that will be on-going and students continue to require support in this skillset. The identification of where students are at in our school-wide scan are important markers for our classroom teachers and it will help guide their next steps for reading instruction.  

- foster a growth mindset through literacy and that skills develop over time and require patience and persistence 

- develop growth mindset language and positive self-talk  

- continue to create a safe environment for all learners to practice and persevere 

Moving forward and aligning with the Richmond School District’s “Pillars of Literacy”, our focus will be geared toward the areas of reading comprehension. Our particular areas of interest will be on how students are making meaningful connections to their reading, links background knowledge to text, and proficiency in making meaning by using pictures and context clues.