McDowell County Schools in North Carolina has spent the past several years strengthening literacy instruction with the goal of giving every student a strong foundation for reading success. Through an intentional investment in Structured Literacy curriculum and educator training, the district has built an approach that reaches across grade levels and classrooms. Today, that work is translating into measurable student growth and a community of educators equipped to strengthen literacy outcomes across the district.

Across every skill measured, from letter naming and phoneme segmentation in the earliest grades to oral reading fluency and vocabulary as students get older, the share of students meeting benchmarks kept climbing.

 

2022–2026 Kindergarten Cohort Literacy Growth 

The same students, from kindergarten through 3rd grade

 

 

That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a deliberate, district-wide investment in Structured Literacy that started small and grew school by school across one North Carolina community.

 

Creating a Stronger Foundation for Literacy

 

Several years ago, McDowell County Schools set out to create a more systematic approach to foundational literacy instruction across its elementary schools. Schools were using different programs and resources that became especially apparent when students moved from one school to another. The district recognized the need for greater continuity and a shared, research-based approach to instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness.

The work began with a small group of teachers trained in IMSE’s OG+ curriculum and quickly gained momentum. As educators put what they learned into practice, others noticed the impact and wanted to participate to drive the same results. That enthusiasm helped the district expand training across roles and grade levels, creating a broader community of educators who share an understanding of effective phonemic awareness instruction, phonics, and other foundational literacy skills.

Today, that training reaches every level of the district:

  • All elementary teachers and instructional assistants have completed IMSE OG+ training
  • Special education teachers, PreK educators, and middle school ELA teachers have participated in IMSE’s OG+ and Morphology+ training
  • K–5 principals have also been trained, allowing them to provide meaningful coaching during classroom walkthroughs

 

 

Early Literacy Data Shows Measurable Growth

 

That same commitment shows up earliest in the district’s PreK classrooms. Across all eight school sites with PreK programs, teachers track letter-naming fluency at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. The district uses the LETRS goal of identifying 15 lowercase and 18 uppercase letters, with a target of more than 70% of students meeting the benchmark.

 

McDowell County Schools is on track to increase the percentage of PreK students meeting the benchmark by 11 to 14 percentage points in just two years.

 

That progress is supported by a connection between PreK and kindergarten. Before a dedicated PreK component was available, the district trained PreK educators in kindergarten literacy instruction so they understood the skills students would need next. Today, PreK teachers assess progress throughout the year and participate in PLCs that help educators understand how students are developing as they approach kindergarten.

 

Growing Literacy Knowledge Across the District

 

The impact of IMSE’s OG+ curriculum is starting to reach the secondary level as well. District leaders shared that a high school principal recently asked about additional training after educators noticed the skills students were bringing with them and wanted to continue that progress.

For McDowell County Schools, that may be one of the most encouraging signs of success. Measurable growth is appearing in the data, but the work is also creating something that can carry forward as students advance through school. By building educator knowledge of phonemic awareness, phonics, morphology, and evidence-based literacy instruction across communities, the district is creating more opportunities for North Carolina students to experience the confidence and joy that come with becoming stronger readers.

To learn more about McDowell County Schools literacy journey, read the case study.

 


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