Early Literacy

By the end of third grade, all students will read at grade level. Resources will align with an “all in” approach to addressing early literacy. Students who enter the fourth grade at or above level are best prepared for future success. All students reading competently by fourth grade will change the trajectory of many students.


Key Strategies - Early Literacy

  • Promote and develop high quality evidence-based early literacy strategies.

  • Train staff in and utilize the Orton-Gillingham (OG) methodology for phonics instruction in all K-3 classrooms.

  • Conduct cycles of improvement with teachers to focus on improving reading performance of struggling readers, with emphasis on HUR students.

  • Provide ongoing professional learning opportunities.

  • Train all teachers (TK-5), reading specialists, and administrators on administration, calibration, scoring, and analysis of the Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) assessment.

  • Provide monthly grade level support for teachers across the district.

  • Establish a collaborative learning community to determine high-leverage instructional practices.

  • Adopt standards aligned instructional materials for elementary English-Language Arts (ELA) for the 2022-23 school year.


How will we measure Progress (Key Performance Indicators)

  • Beginning with the 2021-22 Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) administration, K-5 grade Hispanic, African American, and Pacific Islander groups, and students with disabilities will show a 5% increase in students meeting or exceeding end-of-year benchmarks in reading each year for the next three years.

  • Adoption and purchase of standards aligned instructional materials for elementary ELA.

  • Beginning with the 2021-22 SBAC administration, PAUSD’s third-grade socio-economically disadvantaged SED, historically underrepresented (HUR), English Learners (EL), and students with disabilities will show a 3% increase in the percentage of students scoring “Near or Above Standard” in reading at the end of 2021-22, a 4% increase at the end of 2022-23, and a 5% increase at the end of 2023-24.

  • Beginning with the 2021-22 SBAC administration, PAUSD’s third-grade SED, HUR, EL, and students with disabilities will show a 3% increase in the percentage of students scoring “At or Exceeded Standard” in English Language Arts (ELA) at the end of 2021-22, a 4% increase at the end of 2022-23, and a 5% increase at the end of 2023-24.