Pitt County Schools to celebrate second-grade literacy gains

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Pitt County Schools and Reading Horizons, a leading provider of foundational literacy programs, will celebrate student success at East Carolina University on Thursday at 5 pm.

Since 2019, Pitt County elementary schools have used Reading Horizons Discovery, a tech-enabled foundational literacy program that teaches explicit phonics for grades K–3. This school year, second-grade students in Pitt County Schools saw an average Lexile gain of 204L. Typically, students will see growth of 135L in a single year.

“Integrating Reading Horizons has been transformative for our district, deepening our teachers’ understanding of the science of reading,” said Lisa Tate, Director of Elementary Education for Pitt County Schools. “This has empowered educators with the tools to enhance literacy instruction for students, putting us on the path to growing stronger readers.”

By partnering with Reading Horizons, Pitt County Schools has aligned with the requirements of North Carolina’s Excellent Public Schools Act—Read to Achieve SB387. The bill requires schools to align literacy instruction to the science of reading, defined as “evidence-based reading instruction practices that address the acquisition of language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension that can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students.”

During the reception and award ceremony, teachers, families, and Reading Horizons staff will celebrate the success of nearly 250 students.

“Pitt County is a perfect example of teamwork,” said Trisha Thomas, President of Reading Horizons. “Across this school district, everyone works toward a collective goal and makes it happen. The district and its leaders have been tremendous partners and continually push themselves—and Reading Horizons—to improve, all in the name of eradicating illiteracy.”

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