Our mission is to develop independent, strategic readers, writers, thinkers, and communicators.
Our HCPS Literacy Vision
In Hanover County Public Schools, all students will become effective communicators across all disciplines by engaging in a volume of authentic reading, writing, speaking, and listening experiences rooted in evidence-based literacy instruction.
Our Division Literacy Plan
Instructional Approach
Hanover County Public Schools offers a literacy program and coursework aligned with the 2024 English Standards. These standards include:
- Foundational skills at each grade level in (K-8) to align with the Virginia Literacy Act and ensure explicit, systematic and evidence-based literacy instruction for our youngest learners. The sub strands included to address these areas are Print Concepts, Phonological and Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Analysis, and Developing Skilled Readers & Building Reading Stamina.
- Connections across “The Foundations for Reading Skills” and “The Foundations for Writing standards” in K-5 so that teachers explicitly focus on foundational skills that students must control to be successful as writing becomes more complex.
- A new structure that presents a “skills first” approach in each grade level to emphasize the grade level skills readers need to tackle to engage in more difficult material.
- Foundational transcription skills such as handwriting and spelling are essential for students to be able to express their ideas through writing. The Foundations for Writing standards work in tandem with the writing standards as students move from foundational writing skills to engaging in the writing process through grade twelve.
- Required applications of skill mastery.
- Emphasis on “Developing Skilled Readers and Building Reading Stamina standards in K-12" are designed to address the essential areas of reading fluency, text complexity, textual evidence, stamina, and deep reading on topics to build knowledge and vocabulary and reading strategies. These "how to read standards" highlight the most critical research and evidence-based elements of literacy, which will allow for a focus on more rigorous grade-level expectations throughout the strands.
- Increased rigor in the secondary level. Through actions that require evaluation, analysis, and critique of texts and topics through discussion, reading, writing, and when conducting research, the standards expect writing for a variety of audiences and purposes, including expository, persuasive, argumentative, analytical, reflective, and technical. The purpose of this structure is to ensure that students are prepared and understand how to write for different purposes in their postsecondary experiences.
- Integration of the processes of critical reading, writing, research, and communication, to deepen students’ learning, critical thinking, and achievement across all content areas.
Guiding Standards
Related Links
Contact
Jan Collins, English/Language Arts Specialist
Elizabeth Clark, English/Language Arts Coordinator
If you have any questions about Hanover County Public Schools and literacy, or to request literacy resources to bolster your efforts to support your student, please complete this Google Form.