IFAD - Literacy

Board Policy
Literacy
Descriptor Code: IFAD

The School Board believes that literacy skills are vital to a student’s education and preparation for adulthood. The School Board asserts that the foundational skills, the practice, and the application associated with reading and writing are the building blocks of all learning. As such, reading and writing proficiency at each grade must be a primary focus in the Cherokee County School District and is the shared responsibility of all classroom teachers, leaders, and staff throughout the entire organization.

This policy has been developed to ensure that the Superintendent establishes and maintains a clear and consistent approach to the teaching and learning of literacy skills.

Cohesive System for Literacy Instruction
The Superintendent will ensure the following components are in place for students to ensure that literacy is core to all we do.

Foundational, Reading, Writing, and Communication Skills at Each Grade Level
The CCSD approach to literacy will define the grade level appropriate (as defined by the teaching and learning standards) reading and writing skills for each grade level and prioritize appropriate use of foundational skills including the following:

• Reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension
• Writing: spelling, vocabulary, manuscript handwriting, cursive handwriting, keyboarding, conventions, grammar, and the writing process
• Communicating: active listening, using grade level vocabulary, and engaging in discussion

Reading, Writing, and Communicating Experiences at Each Grade Level
The CCSD approach to literacy will define grade level appropriate (as defined by the teaching and learning standards) reading, writing and communicating experiences for each grade level and will prioritize print and digital learning experiences. Students will grow their ability to endure through extended texts and written assignments by incorporating a balance of mentor texts, excerpts, and full pieces of literature and writing tasks. The CCSD approach to literacy will provide students with grade level appropriate (as defined by the teaching and learning standards) opportunities to build their communication skills through collaboration, presentation, discussion, and debate.

The CCSD approach to literacy will develop application skills across all content areas and gather, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources.

• Teacher Resources – Teachers in CCSD will have access to professional development and standards-based, scientifically researched print and digital resources.
• Student Resources – Students in CCSD will experience a combination of print and digital, standards-based, resources.
• Monitoring Student Reading Proficiency – Student reading proficiency will be monitored through a common screener tool over the course of each school year in grades K-10.
• Intervention Plan – Research-based interventions will be available to teachers and support professionals to support students who demonstrate gaps in reading proficiency.
• Enrichment Plan – Research-based enrichment will be available to teachers and support professionals to support students who demonstrate on- and above-grade level reading proficiency.

Accountability & Support
Accountability in CCSD is defined as: having clear goals and when we achieve those goals we celebrate; and when we fall short of achieving those goals, we adjust our processes and practices to yield better outcomes for students.

The School Board will hold the Superintendent accountable to student performance in Reading as aligned with the School Board student achievement goals.

The superintendent will ensure that effective systems to support school leaders, support staff, and classroom teachers are designed through coordination across district divisions, in alignment with policy BAB.

The Superintendent will provide an annual report to the School Board on the performance of student reading as determined by the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. Additionally, the Superintendent will provide the School Board internal diagnostic data three times a year that will demonstrate reading proficiency data from August to April each year. The Superintendent will ensure regular communication to parents regarding their student(s) reading level in grades K-10.

ADOPTED: April 17, 2025

Cherokee County Board of Education