Park City schools overhaul reading instruction

Photo: Unsplash // Sincerely Media

PARK CITY, UT — The Park City School District (PCSD) is implementing changes to its reading instruction this school year, targeting improved literacy outcomes, particularly for students in Kindergarten through second grade.

“These changes are in alignment with state legislation mandating that reading curricula be based on the “science of reading,” which is a collective body of research completed over decades about how children learn to read,” Carly Driscoll, a parent in the community, shared.

As part of this mandate, all K-3 public school teachers in Utah are required to complete a two-year professional development program called LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). This program, developed by Dr. Louisa Moats, a renowned expert in reading education, provides teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively teach reading.

What’s happening: Starting this fall, K-3 teachers in Park City will begin using materials from the 95 Percent Group, including the Phonics Core Program. “These materials, which provide explicit and systematic phonics based instruction, will be used in all PCSD K-3 classrooms and for tiered interventions. Intervention materials will also be used in Grades 4-8,” Driscoll said.

Furthermore, the district is implementing Wit & Wisdom, a program designed to enhance students’ language comprehension skills. It incorporates texts from science, social studies, and the arts, helping students develop vocabulary, background knowledge, and listening comprehension. It also aims to strengthen students’ literacy skills by building their knowledge base and including diverse topics.

Teachers will further supplement instruction with Amira, an AI-based platform that supports structured reading practice and has been shown to detect dyslexia in both English and Spanish-speaking students with up to 98% accuracy.

What’s next: The community is invited to learn more about these advancements at an upcoming event hosted by PC READS on September 24. The event, titled “Raising a Reader: Why It’s Important and How to Motivate Your Kids to Read,” will feature a keynote address by Dr. Margie Gillis, founder and president of Literacy How, Inc. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Louisa Moats and local educators, offering valuable insights into how children learn to read and how parents can support them.

For more information, visit the PC READS website.