K-5 Literacy
35j Literacy Grant
In the Spring of 2024, the Michigan Department of Education awarded a grant to Dexter Community Schools totaling $466,934 to “improve literacy instructional practices by investing in high quality, research-based best practices, and professional learning.”
Curriculum
This generous and timely award helped fund the purchase of our new K-5 ELA Curricula: Bookworms (K-2), Being a Reader/Being a Writer (3-4) and EL Education (5 - Gradient). These programs are aligned to the Science of Reading.
Grades K-2 Resources:
- Bookworms
- SIPPS
- Lexia Core5
- Acadience
- NWEA MAP (1-2)
Grades 3-4 Resources
- Being a Reader/Being a Writer
- SIPPS
- Lexia Core5
- Acadience
- NWEA MAP
Grade 5 Resources:
- EL Education (Gradient)
- SIPPS
- Lucy Calkins Units of Study (Under ELA Review in 24-25)
- Lexia PowerUp
- NWEA MAP
35j Professional Development and Coaching
35j legislation states: “ALL (100%) Pre-K to 5 teachers (this includes classroom teachers, resource teachers, electives teachers, etc.), building administrators, and instructional coaches must complete the selected professional learning."
All Pre-K to 5 teachers in DCS have either completed, or working toward completion, in one of the following training options:
- Lexia LETRS
- Lexia LETRS for Early Childhood
- Lexia LETRS for Administrators
- GELN Essential Practices
- EAB Science Of Reading/DCS Literacy Work
Literacy coaching and professional development focuses on empowering teachers with evidence-based instructional strategies that improve reading outcomes for all students. Literacy coaching involves personalized, ongoing support from skilled literacy coaches who work side-by-side with teachers to enhance their understanding of reading science, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Professional development sessions provide teachers with the latest research and practical methods to apply best practices in instruction in diverse classroom settings. By aligning teaching practices with proven scientific principles, this approach aims to build a cohesive framework that ensures every student develops the foundational reading skills needed for success.
35j Benchmark Assessment
Dexter Community Schools continues to use NWEA MAP Growth as our current MDE-approved Benchmark assessment tool for students in Grades 1-5. Kindergarten students only receive the Acadience Reading Benchmark, which is also a MDE-approved Benchmark assessment tool.
Our staff and students are entering an exciting time! We are fully committed to our strategic plan goal of creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum while supporting the implementation of high-quality resources. We value learning and growing together, and we’re eager to see the positive impact this will have on student outcomes.
