Insights

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted almost every aspect of education as we know it. Without adequate support and resources, teachers have been at the forefront of this disruption as schools struggled to pivot the way they teach and reimagine how students learn. While our education system transitioned to distance and hybrid learning, a sudden urgency emerged for new innovation in professional learning and the proper tools to support students. Laptops and tablets became basic necessities, serving as the primary medium to connect teachers and students in an effort to sustain the momentum toward meeting specific learning outcomes. But our teachers needed more.

Helping Educators Become Literacy Experts

In a trend that is moving across the country, more teachers are turning to LETRS^® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), our professional learning solution from Voyager Sopris Learning^® that provides Pre-K–5 teachers with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts. The flexible, blended version of LETRS^® targets instruction of early literacy and language skills essential for academic success. The content addresses the cognitive processes of learning to read in order to prevent and remediate difficulties for students of every age.

Unlike other professional learning solutions, LETRS^® is relevant and applicable regardless of the literacy programs already in use within a teacher’s state, district, or school. LETRS^® is designed to be the cornerstone of a multi-year, systemic literacy improvement initiative.

Proven to Work at Scale

LETRS^® has seen proven results in school districts all over the country. In Ohio, district leaders in Niles City Schools recognized the key to raising literacy success was ensuring teachers had the knowledge and skills to teach students to read. After implementing LETRS for one year in grades K-3, the district saw a 35% increase in students' reading levels. In Mississippi, 62% of teachers rated an improvement in their instructional performance to "above average" or "excellent" upon completing the LETRS course. Additionally, Mississippi was the only state in the country to increase reading scores on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress. LETRS was a contributing factor in this success. This week, Senate leaders in North Carolina passed a bill that amends the state’s current professional learning reading solution, requiring the training of Pre-K and elementary school teachers in the science of reading and directing the State Board of Education to develop new literacy instruction standards. The bill requires educators working with the state's Pre-K-5 students to use LETRS^® in order to complete science of reading training funded by federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, among other proposed plans.

Our country is at an inflection point as we begin to see school districts make the transition back to in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year. It’s clear educators recognize that LETRS is transforming instructional practices and is a critical component in improving literacy rates in our country.