Pottsville Area School District

22 Pa. Code § 49.14(4)(i) required the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to identify competencies and develop associated standards for educator training in structured literacy. Structured literacy supplements core instruction with an increased focus on the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension).

 

The Pottsville Area School District completed its required professional development program during In-service on October 9, 2023 to meet the Chapter 49 requirement for instruction in structured literacy for professional employees who hold instructional certificates in early childhood education, elementary-middle level, PK-12 Special Education, English as a Second Language, and/or Reading Specialist.

 

The Pottsville Area School District has implemented required Structured Literacy in core instruction as well as MTSS interventions with an increased focus on the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension).  Core instruction for K-5th grade students includes the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Into Reading program.  For more information about the Research Evidence Base, please click the link: https://www.hmhco.com/research/hmh-into-reading-research-evidence-base.  SPIRE is also utilized with students who need additional Structured Literacy resources.  Nonreaders, struggling readers, and students with dyslexia have been success with SPIRE through intensive, sequential multisensory instruction.  For more information, please visit: https://eps.schoolspecialty.com/spire.  If you have any questions about Structured Literacy in the Pottsville Area School District, please contact Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. Jared Gerace - jgerace@pottsville.k12.pa.us or 570-621-2900.