Literacy Lab Models District Mission

Students were seated in small groups around kidney-shaped tables with their eyes fixed on the red and blue magnetic letters stuck to the whiteboard, as the teacher led them in a call and response of beginning letter sounds and their accompanying chunks to make words. This describes a scene in the literacy lab at Manning Early Childhood Center where all first grade students receive 30-minutes of direct instruction in phonological awareness – an area that the school’s Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) team determined was an area of significant need by looking at their school-wide academic data.

“While looking at our school-wide academic data as an MTSS leadership team, we noticed that a significant number of students needed support in reading,” said Felisha Moore, MECC’s reading coach. “We also noticed that although myself and the reading interventionist had worked with small groups in the past, the students weren’t making the transfer of strategies into the classroom. This was the strategy we came up with during problem solving so that we could have the same impact of small group support on a larger scale. By working with whole classes, we could build common language, common use of strategies, support each student, and provide meaningful authentic practice with reading and writing,” Moore said. 

The literacy lab is considered a Tier 1 universal support under a three-tiered framework called the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). According to the South Carolina Multi-Tiered System of Supports Framework and Guidance Document (2019), MTSS enables educators to make data-based decisions to drive evidence-based instructional interventions that match students’ needs and are assessed through progress monitoring, which promotes greater student outcomes. Tier 1 is instruction that all students, and in this case, that all first grade students receive. Here is how the lab aligns with that framework. 

In the lab, students receive small group instruction on their reading level, as determined by the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment given by their teachers. The levels are used to determine their small groups. There are eight first grade classes at MECC. Half of those classes visit the lab each semester four days a week for 30 minutes each day. The groups are led by the Reading Recovery Teacher, Reading Coach, classroom teacher, and one instructional assistant. Each day begins with a mini lesson focused on reading skills and strategies to give all students on grade level instruction. They begin the week by introducing a new book and working on comprehension. Students practice using strategies to build meaning. The following day students reread their new book, while the teacher administers a running record. The running record is used to progress monitor and determine future instructional needs. Students also build phrasing, fluency, and self-confidence by reading familiar books in their individual bag of books. Wednesdays are dedicated to writing. During small group time students write about their books while incorporating a comprehension skill. At the end of the week, students have hands-on practice using manipulatives such as magnetic letters, picture cards, etc. to build word knowledge, word relationships, and decoding skills. 

Student growth is the goal of the lab, and student growth is what has occurred. According to Moore, every student who participated made gains.

“All students were able to show growth in reading levels and to identify as readers and writers,” Moore said. “Most students were also applying strategies independently and became increasingly confident as readers and writers. More importantly, they became risk takers.”

In addition to growing in reading achievement, students have also expressed greater interest in reading and a desire to help others learn to read. 

“We are pleased with the growth students have made, however our greatest pleasure is having students stop us to tell us how much they enjoy coming to the lab,” said Patricia Moyd, reading recovery teacher. “There was one student who expressed that she wanted to be just like me and teach reading when she grows up!”  

Students are not the only ones who enjoy the lab and reap its benefits. Teachers also see its value. 

“I love the literacy lab,” said Tracy English, first grade teacher. “It was a great way for my students to get more small group time to work on skills at their level, and it gave me a chance to reinforce the strategies taught in the lab back in my classroom.”

The transfer of instructional strategies back into the classroom is a factor of importance to administrators like Rosa Stokes, principal of MECC, who are responsible for ensuring that selected instructional practices are carried out as they are intended for the benefit of students.  Implementation fidelity is also characteristic of a quality MTSS. 

“Teachers are expected to continue implementing the skills they have learned during their ELA blocks, and their schedules will show when they are incorporating it in their instructional time,” Stokes said. “The administrators also conduct observations to measure this.”

Leadership is also a big component of MTSS. School principal support is essential for the success of innovations in large part due to the resources that are often limited but required. 

“I am proud to see that the children’s reading levels are growing and achievement levels are increasing,” Stokes said. “In these very challenging times, we have found a way to utilize the resources we have to support student achievement in reading.”

According to Moore, the literacy lab provides a unique opportunity for all students to learn collectively and individually as early readers.

“Our goal is to give them a solid foundation by instilling in each child a love for reading and writing, as well as the confidence to become readers and writers by fulfilling our mission statement of “Educating Children.”