Literacy and Hanover County Public Schools

Hanover County Public Schools is proud to offer a literacy program that works to ensure 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.

This impactful work is done in line with the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA), which the General Assembly passed in 2022 as part of the Commonwealth’s efforts to take the lead nationwide to improve early literacy outcomes for Virginia’s young learners.

Our comprehensive implementation of this state-wide literacy act is driven by our mission to serve our students and provide them with access to a top-tier education. We are committed not only to its implementation, but in working with you (our families) to improve our students’ literacy skills. This impactful work expands our successful efforts during the 2023-24 school year, strengthening the alignment of our literacy instruction with the science of reading.

What is Literacy?

Literacy means that someone can read and write. Language development is the ability to understand and use spoken language. The goal of reading is to be able to understand (comprehend) what you read.

In order to read, students need to be able to:

1) decode – blend sounds together to read words
2) encode – spell words
3) understand and use language

As their skills improve in these three areas, students develop fluency (reading words quickly and correctly) and reading comprehension (understanding what is read).



The goal of the Virginia Literacy Act is to improve literacy outcomes for all students in the Commonwealth.

5 Things to Know About the Virginia Literacy Act

1) Every student in kindergarten through fifth grade will receive core literacy instruction based in scientific reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as defined in the Virginia Literacy Act. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade will also receive evidence-based supplemental instruction and intervention (extra instruction), as outlined in an individualized student reading plan (K-3) if they do not meet literacy benchmarks.

In Hanover: 

- The School Board adopted high-quality instructional materials recommended by a committee of teachers, parents, and school administrators to support this critical work. These new materials will be used as the key tool during your student’s literacy instruction. 
- Teachers will continue to share individual student literacy snapshots that include diagnostic screener results and/or progress monitoring data with quarterly report cards for all kindergarten through fifth grade students.
- Teachers and reading specialists will collaborate with parents/caregivers of kindergarten through third grade students who score in a specific range in the new literacy screener to develop targeted student goals and actions and implement the Student Reading Plan.
- For students with disabilities who have an IEP with literacy goals, their reading plan will be developed in conjunction with their annual IEP.

2) Every family will have access to online resources to support literacy development at home, and will be able to participate in the development of their child’s student reading plan (K-3) if their child does not meet literacy benchmarks.

In Hanover: School staff will share Virginia Department of Education and division parent resources to support literacy development at home and communicate progress monitoring data to parents and caregivers. More information and resources are also available in the “Dive Deeper” section of this webpage.

3) Every teacher will use evidence-based literacy curriculum, assess student learning using approved literacy screeners, use student-level data to inform instruction and intervention, and participate in training on evidence-based literacy instruction.

In Hanover: General education teachers (kindergarten through fifth grade) will receive ongoing, high-quality professional learning to support this work. They will also receive ongoing coaching and support. 

4) Every reading specialist, in consultation with classroom teachers, will coordinate and oversee intervention for K-3 students not meeting literacy benchmarks according to the new literacy screener, and will develop and monitor student progress on student reading plans, working closely with families and teachers.

In Hanover: Each elementary school in HCPS has at least one core reading specialist.

5) Every school division will develop a literacy plan, ensure the use of evidence-based literacy curriculum, staff reading specialists to support intervention needs, and provide professional learning to support teachers, reading specialists, and principals.

In Hanover: The Hanover County Public Schools Literacy Plan can be accessed here or by clicking the graphic below.

Literacy Screener

Virginia elementary schools use a literacy screener (previously called PALS) to help ensure students are on track to be strong readers. The screener is designed to identify students who may be at risk of developing reading difficulties. In response to the Virginia Literacy Act and the improved ways to reach reading, Virginia has updated the literacy screener Virginia Literacy and Language Screener System (now called VALLSS).

Kindergarten through third grade students will take a new state-approved literacy screener three times per year. Fourth and fifth grade students will continue to take diagnostic assessments at the end of each quarter.



VALLSS does the following:

1) Gives a snapshot of a student’s critical literacy skills.
2) Identifies students at risk of developing reading difficulties.
3) Provides useful information to help teachers and support staff target instruction for the student.
4) Allows for measurement of growth over time and across grade levels as it is vertically-aligned.

VALLSS tells us the following:

1) If a student is at risk of developing reading difficulties. After all of the subtests are completed, the student will receive an indication of an overall band of risk (low risk, moderate risk, or high risk). More information on the specific bands and how you can support your child is available in this document beginning on page nine.
2) In what components of literacy a student needs further instruction. Teachers will use this information to plan instruction and intervention (extra instruction) to help ensure that students get the support they need.

If a student is in the high-risk band based on VALLSS, they will receive additional instruction and support, including the preparation of a Student Reading Plan that is tailored to the student. More information is available on page nine of this document and in the FAQs below.

FAQs

What is the Virginia Literacy Act?

The Virginia Literacy Act was passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2022, and focuses on improving literacy outcomes for all students in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Literacy Act is being implemented, beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

More information about the Virginia Literacy Act is available on the Virginia Department of Education website.

Does Hanover County Public Schools have a literacy plan in accordance with the Virginia Literacy Act?

Yes. The plan was adopted by the Hanover County School Board at its June 2024 meeting and can be found on BoardDocs.

What will my child’s literacy block look like?

Sixty to eighty percent of the literacy block will be spent in whole group instruction using the below curriculum. The remaining time will be spent working independently to practice and review grade level skills while the teacher meets with targeted small groups.

What are the approved supplemental literacy materials that HCPS will be using?

	General Education	English Learners, Gifted, Students with Disabilities
Core (K-5)	HMH Into Reading	HMH Into Reading
Supplemental Instruction (K-5)	UFLI Foundations: An Explicit and Systematic Phonics Program	UFLI Foundations: An Explicit and Systematic Phonics Program
Intervention (K-5)	SIPPS, Lexia Core5, Lexia PowerUp	Wilson (Students with Disabilities), Fundations (Students with Disabilities)

How often will my child be assessed? What are the assessments?

Assessment	How Often	Person(s) Responsible for Administration
Virginia Language and Literacy Screener (VALLSS)	Three times annually	Pre-K-3 teachers
Informal Decoding Inventory	Quarterly	K-5 teachers
Oral Reading Fluency Assessment	Quarterly	Grades 2-5 teachers
Oral Reading Fluency Assessment	Quarterly	Grades 6-8 teachers
HMH Qualitative Spelling Inventory	Quarterly	Grades 4-5 teachers
Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS) Screener	As needed for students in grades 1-8	Reading specialists

Where can I learn more about state testing in grades 3-5?

The Virginia Department of Education website has more information about assessments.

What is a student reading plan?

A student reading plan is developed for students who are identified as being in the high-risk band based on the VALLSS screener. This plan is tailored to help your child make progress. If your child is in the high-risk band, they are eligible for an additional 2.5 hours of literacy instruction per week through the Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). This 2.5 hours per week of additional literacy instruction may include time with a staff member or a program, or a combination of the two.

I understand that the Virginia Literacy Act is being implemented. On a larger scale, though, how does reading work?



Is there a webpage where I can go to access resources that are tailored to specific questions?

Yes! Please visit the Virginia Literacy Partnerships website from the University of Virginia.

Virginia Department of Education Standards

- 2024 English Standards of Learning

Dive Deeper

- Watch: Science-Based Reading Research
- Watch: Language Development
- Read: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
- Watch: Fluency
- Read: 6 Smart Strategies to Boost Reading Fluency
- Watch: Comprehension
- Watch: Oral Language and Vocabulary

Contact and Request Resources

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.