Generously funded by the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence and presented in partnership with Groves Learning Organization, Believe and Read is a best-in-class literacy program that transforms reading instruction starting with 3 years of outstanding professional development and teacher coaching program. Believe and Read helps launch ALL students to the next level, supporting both struggling readers and high fliers.
Here is how Believe and Read works:
- Coaches from Groves Literacy Partnerships work with our teachers (K-2 in year one and K-3 starting year two) over a three-year period using a “train the trainer” model.
- In addition to their regular reading lessons, teachers incorporate a daily, 30-minute, phonics-based lesson to ensure students are grasping the reading rules they need to achieve fluency.
- Many of the lesson plans are scripted, so teachers know exactly how and when to introduce each letter, along with its sounds, and how to build up to words from there.
- Lessons use a multi-sensory approach that explicitly teaches the connections between letters and sounds.
- Teachers will get weekly support and feedback from their literacy coach, along with assistance in tracking student progress through routine assessments.
By the end of the 2022-23 school year, 72% of Believe and Read students were reading at or above grade level (up from 61% in the fall). Additionally, 98.2% of students in Believe & Read schools improved their reading speed and accuracy during the same school year.
The Believe and Read program is currently in 65 preschool-eighth grade Catholic schools in Minnesota, serving approximately 7,800 students.