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Literacy

Learning Experience

At KIPP Baltimore, we believe that every child can read at or above grade level, and we’re committed to supporting our students’ literacy development. Students who have mastered foundational literacy skills by the end of second grade are positioned to make the critical shift from “learning to read” in early elementary school to “reading to learn”. Confident readers are better able to access complex texts across content areas – including math, science, and the arts – and tackle complex problem-solving.

 

Our aim is for 90% of KIPP Baltimore kindergarteners, first, and second graders to read on grade level by the end of 2027:

90%

90% of general education students in kindergarten through second grade will end the school year reading on grade level, as measured by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment.

90%

90% of Students with identified learning needs in kindergarten through second grade will end the school year reading on grade level, as measured by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment.

1 Year

Gifted and advanced students kindergarten through second grade will maintain a minimum of 1 year’s rate of growth; as measured by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment.

Our Approach

Universal Screening and Assessment of Reading

At KIPP Baltimore, we utilize the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8th Edition to screen students and determine if they are at risk for reading difficulties 3 times a year (September, December, and May/June). DIBELS measures skills that are necessary for learning to read, including:

  • Phonemic Awareness: Hearing and using sounds in spoken words
  • Phonics: understanding the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent to sound out and write words
  • Word recognition: Reading words and stories easily, accurately, and at an appropriate pace

DIBELS is composed of short individual sub-tests which each take approximately 1 minute. The scores tell us whether a child is likely to be “on track” for learning to read or whether a child may need some additional support. DIBELS is not used to determine grades on students’ report cards. Instead, this information helps us make sure every child is on target for reading success. Parents will receive the results 3 times a year, following each administration.

Core and Supplemental Instruction: 
Meeting the Needs of All Learners

During the 2020-21 school year, Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers and leaders at KIPP Harmony Academy partnered with KIPP teachers from Philadelphia and New Jersey in a multi-year literacy needs assessment and program development effort in order to be sure that KIPPsters are experiencing consistent, high-quality reading instruction in every classroom. Now in our fourth year of literacy program development and implementation, we are proud of the changes we have made to ensure that every KIPPster is on the path to reading at or above grade level. These program updates include:

  • Extended literacy instruction block for our youngest learners (K-2) using Core Knowledge Language Arts: Skills Strand (CKLA). CKLA is a research-based, comprehensive, foundational skills reading program that uses systematic and explicit instruction to help students master the skills needed for reading and writing fluency. Additional “word work” instruction ( hands-on time to explore spelling and meaning) and extended vocabulary development also occur in third and fourth grade using CKLA.
  • Extensive small-group and individualized instruction for all students targets and fosters the mastery of specific foundational literacy skills. We know that by prioritizing reading and literacy skills we are preparing students for success in all content and areas of study that will follow.
  • Students identified as “at risk” for reading difficulties receive additional diagnostic assessments and get targeted intervention. This intervention instruction utilizes materials from the CKLA Remediation Guide and SPIRE (Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence).
  • Investment in the addition of dedicated staff to support reading excellence, including instructional assistants for every kindergarten and first grade classroom; reading interventionists; and special educators to allow for additional small group learning opportunities.
  • Extensive training for all teachers, paraprofessionals, instructional assistants, and school leaders in the “science of reading” to ensure that every KIPP staff member has a robust toolkit of appropriate instructional practices to meet each student’s learning needs.
  • Weekly collaborative planning between teachers and instructional leaders; observation and debrief cycles; and real-time coaching in classrooms against an Foundational Skills Rubric for Early Literacy.

Lighting the Path

Aligned to KIPP Baltimore’s 2027 Strategic Plan – Lighting the Path – full implementation of our Foundational Literacy Imperative included the launch of KIPP Baltimore’s pre-kindergarten in the fall of 2023. As more KIPPsters enter kindergarten “reading-ready”, high-quality instruction in all content areas – like math, science, technology, and the arts – will position all students to pursue challenging coursework and be prepared for any postsecondary career-preparatory pathway – including college.

Compliance with Maryland’s Ready to Read Act and Code of Maryland Regulation 13A.03.08

The Ready to Read Act ensures that each school system in Maryland screens students to identify those at risk for reading difficulties, including students in Kindergarten and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students who were not previously screened; and students entering or transferring to a public school who do not demonstrate difficulty mastering grade-level reading.

The Maryland law also states that if results show a risk of reading difficulties, students should receive supplemental reading instruction in areas of need. KIPP Baltimore’s curriculum and approach to reading instruction exceeds the requirements of the Ready to Read Act.

Learn more about the Ready to Read Act and your child’s instruction here.

“We believe that if we address our needs in K-2 literacy around the strong development of foundational skills in phonics and phonemic awareness, we will change our students’ trajectory into middle school and beyond. We need to develop our teachers’ content knowledge around the brain science of reading and culturally relevant teaching practices to ensure that KIPP Baltimore students have full access to literacy for liberation.”

– Natalia Walter-Adamson, Chief Academic Officer, KIPP Baltimore

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Literacy
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