Teachers showcase literacy lesson and hybrid inclusion pilot; board hears strong early results
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Summary
A first-grade UFLI literacy demonstration and a Sealson pilot hybrid inclusion model for special education were presented to the King George County School Board; presenters showed internal MAP and reading-growth data and board members discussed expansion across the division.
Two classroom presentations at the King George County School Board meeting highlighted classroom literacy strategies and an inclusion pilot that school staff say produced measurable student growth.
Mr. Niles, a first-grade teacher, led the board in a literacy demonstration of a UFLI phonics lesson used daily in his class. "It's evidence based, and I get that evidence from my classroom. It's the most effective thing that we do every day," he told the board while leading students through letter-sound and word-manipulation exercises that target phonemic awareness. The demonstration included examples of students changing the word "rag" to "brag," "bag," "tap" and "trap" to show how phonemic manipulation builds decoding skills.
Theresa Owen, a third-grade teacher at Sealson, and a specialized teacher, identified as Ms. Robinson, described a hybrid inclusion pilot combining short pull-out, specialized instruction and classroom push-in support. Owen said the model split intensive phonics instruction and grade-level classroom exposure so students would receive both targeted intervention and access to the general curriculum. Owen presented student MAP and PALS growth data, noting several students reached high-growth percentiles after the pilot; she said one student moved from below grade level to near or above expected growth. "The data speaks for itself," she said, describing examples where students reached the 90th percentile for growth on national norms.
Board members and Dr. Boyd, the superintendent, asked whether the hybrid model is in use division-wide. Dr. Boyd told the board that "at all elementary schools this year, we are doing a whole-group 60-minute push in where all students are exposed to grade-level content," a practice he said was driven by the Virginia Literacy Act; he added that fidelity varies with staffing. Board members responded positively to the pilot and asked staff to explore expansion to other elementary schools.
Presenters urged continued communication and coordination between general-education and special-education staff to maintain the model's scheduling and small-group support. Board members praised the teachers for sharing classroom data and recommended staff follow up on scaling the pilot.
