Implementing the Science of Reading in 3-4

The Problem

The pandemic shone a light on the number of students that struggled with foundational literacy, and as we expanded our schools, it became increasingly clear that some students did not have the necessary reading skills to grapple with complex texts. In third and fourth grade, we struggled with returning to pre-pandemic levels and we realized that our students were plateauing by the time they reached upper elementary.

The Solution

We decided to reground our academic programming in the science of reading, including curriculum, instruction, and assessments. We overhauled our third and fourth grade programming by undergoing new curriculum selection, implementation, teacher training, and data analysis. We also redesigned the makeup of the literacy blocks and schedule to maximize research-based practices.

The Impact

In 3-4, we saw massive improvements in our number of students who were meeting or exceeding expectations on the Tennessee Comprehensive Academic Program assessments. While the state and district remained stagnate or grew slightly, our students grew by twenty percentage points in a single year - and hit our highest proficiency rates in these grades in Nashville Classical history.

The TCAP is one of the most rigorous state assessments in the nation, and in a year of new curriculum and new staff, our students were more prepared than ever to tackle complex texts.