Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Literacy Early Readers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Onslow County reports K–3 literacy gains; district outlines next steps for core instruction and interventions
Summary
Executive director of elementary education presented beginning-of-year DIBELS results showing multi-year gains in Onslow County Schools’ K–3 reading benchmarks, described state requirements tied to early literacy funding, and outlined planned actions including continued LETRS professional development and selection of model literacy teachers.
Doctor Boris, Onslow County Schools executive director of elementary education, told the Onslow County Board of Education that beginning-of-year DIBELS data show measurable gains in early-grade reading and that the district will continue targeted supports and curriculum alignment.
The presentation matters because state early-literacy requirements and linked funding require districts to align instruction with the science of reading and to provide individualized reading plans for students who are not reading at grade level.
Doctor Boris and K–12 literacy staff highlighted year-over-year progress in Onslow County’s beginning-of-year assessments for kindergarten through third grade. Onslow County’s kindergarten cohort showed a 5 percentage-point increase in students on or above grade level over the past three years. First graders scored 6 points higher than the national average and 3 points higher than the state this year; second graders scored 5 points above the nation and 2 points above the state; and third graders were 10 points above the nation and 6 points above the state. Cohort comparisons also showed growth: a group that began kindergarten with 22% on or above grade level was at 56% when those students returned this year.
Miss Stacy Horn, K–5 ELA content coordinator, explained that Onslow County uses DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) at the beginning, middle and end of year to identify students at risk and to measure foundational reading skills. She told the board that kindergarten risk rates have decreased by about 8 percent over two years and that second- and third-grade at-risk percentages likewise declined by roughly 8 percent compared with two years ago.
The presentation also described district efforts tied to state law. Doctor Boris referenced the Excellent Public Schools Act (commonly called Read to Achieve) and noted that state rules require reading instruction and interventions aligned with the science of reading and that districts submit a literacy intervention plan to receive early-literacy funds. As part of that work, the district has invested in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional development: 789 K–5 teachers have completed both years of LETRS, and about 289 teachers are currently in year 1 or year 2 of the training.
On curriculum, staff said Onslow County is in year four of a core adoption of Core Knowledge Language Arts and is preparing to evaluate core and intervention effectiveness, expand coaching and professional development, provide additional intervention resources, identify and highlight model literacy teachers for peer observation, and explore curriculum options to align with new ELA standards effective in 2026.
Miss Dee Owens, K–12 literacy director, emphasized that the district’s middle-of-year state and national comparison data were not yet available but are expected by the end of the month. She closed by saying the district will continue collecting teacher, administrator and stakeholder feedback to guide implementation.
Board members posed no formal action; the item was presented for information and staff said they would answer questions outside the presentation.
