Literacy

Students and staff in the Flandreau School District have a renewed focus on literacy instruction heading into the 2024-2025 school year. Literacythe ability to read and write effectivelyis at the foundation of a childs education.
The South Dakota Department of Education recently published a literacy framework for school districts to use in developing instructional models for reading and writing. The framework is rooted in the Science of Readinga growing body of research that explains how people learn to read and write and the best models to teach these skills. During the 2023-2024 school year, FPS teachers participated in intensive Science of Reading training to enhance literacy instruction and infuse evidence-based practices into the teaching of all academic disciplines.
As a next step in utilizing the Department of Education framework, a team of Flandreau teachers worked to develop a literacy plan that is in its early implementation stage at the elementary and middle school levels. The mission of the Flandreau Public Schools Literacy Program is to produce confident and proficient readers and writers through research-based, explicit literacy instruction and intervention.
To kick-off the program, teachers in Kindergarten through sixth grade and the Title I program have participated in training opportunities called Literacy Labs. These trainings, led by retired educator Ann Kuper, middle school teacher Julie Relf, and instructional coach Megan Severtson, have increased teachers capacity to administer literacy screenings in their classrooms. At Literacy Lab, volunteer students complete reading screenings with Mrs. Kuper, while teachers observe how the assessments are given and discuss how to implement them in their own classrooms.
Literacy screenings began this week at both Flandreau Elementary and Flandreau Middle School and will wrap up in early September. By completing these screenings, teachers can determine how to best support their learners and provide quality instruction that moves our individual students, classes, and district forward.