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Cabarrus County Schools says ‘science of reading’ rollout shows early gains, urges continued training
Summary
District literacy leaders told the school board the multi‑year shift to evidence‑based reading instruction — including statewide LETTERS training and curriculum purchases — is producing gains in early literacy (district DIBELS composites outpacing state averages), though leaders urged caution when interpreting year‑to‑year scores.
Cabarrus County Schools literacy leaders told the Board of Education on March 2 that the district’s multi‑year adoption of the Science of Reading and related professional training is producing measurable early‑grade gains but will require continued investment and time to fully show up in accountability measures.
“Most of our work is driven by national‑level research,” said Sarah Reeves, a district literacy lead, describing a program of training, curriculum alignment and small‑group instruction that began in earnest in 2019. Reeves said the district has bought phonics and phonological‑awareness resources (Heggerty, Letterland), created curricular guides and funded an early literacy specialist to support schools.
Tracy Hayes, who presented alongside Reeves, described the district’s rollout of LETTERS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), the 80‑hour training required by state policy for many K–5 teachers. Hayes said 113 teachers completed the two‑year course in the fall cohort and an additional 80 teachers started a new cohort in January. The district also offers a parallel “literacy for leaders” course for principals and assistant principals.
When board members asked how the district knows the approach is working, Reeves pointed to nationally normed DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) results the district monitors. Reeves said kindergarten through third‑grade composites show gains and that, for a sample third‑grade bar cited in the presentation, Cabarrus scored 64 percent on the composite indicator compared with a 60 percent state figure for the comparable reporting window. “We are outperforming the nation in a nationally normed DIBELS assessment,” Reeves said.
Board members pressed district staff to explain the DIBELS composite and subtest structure. Staff cautioned that DIBELS is a diagnostic, one‑on‑one assessment used primarily to identify foundational skill gaps and to guide instruction, not to replace state end‑of‑grade determinations. Hayes and Reeves explained subtests and cohort differences — for example, the kindergarten to first‑grade subtests differ from third‑grade maze and comprehension measures — and said the district uses disaggregated school‑level data in “amplify” data digs to plan small‑group instruction.
Superintendent Dr. John Capiki said the district is taking a multi‑pronged approach: training teachers (LETTERS), aligning curricular materials, building leader capacity and using formative assessment data to target interventions. He urged interpreting one‑year comparisons cautiously while continuing training and curriculum supports.
What’s next: district staff said they will continue to expand training cohorts, monitor DIBELS subtest performance at the school level, and report longitudinal progress as cohorts complete LETTERS training and the new state standards are implemented through the 2026–27 installation window.
(Reporting note: direct quotes and data points are attributed to presenters Sarah Reeves and Tracy Hayes during the March 2, 2026 board work session.)
