Rapides Parish is the ninth-largest school district in Louisiana, with 32 elementary schools. A few years ago, administrators noticed many of their elementary teachers had not been equipped with the skills to effectively teach early foundational reading. Poor literacy scores illustrated the depth of the problem.
In a districtwide push to boost teachers’ foundational reading instructional skills, administrators at Rapides Parish launched a concerted effort to find a solution. A district committee overwhelmingly selected Lexia® LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional learning.
One of the district’s primary goals was to improve the reading level and skills for K–3 students.
Nearly all district educators have had or are scheduled to soon receive LETRS training, which offers more than a decade of demonstrated success in improving teacher effectiveness and focuses on raising pre-K–12 literacy achievement for all learners. LETRS gives teachers the background and depth of knowledge to teach language and literacy skills to every student and helps teachers recognize why some students struggle, ensuring all students can become proficient readers.
The results have been impressive: Rapides Parish has witnessed gains of 33% from K–3 students on the STAR Early Literacy tests.
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