Believe & Read
Sacred Heart Catholic School is a Certified Believe and Read School
Sacred Heart Catholic School is one of the Catholic schools in the greater Twin Cities metro area certified in Believe and Read, a literacy program that aims to ensure every student reads at or above grade level by fourth grade. With the certification, 80% of the schools kindergarten through third grade teaching staff are trained in this best-in-class reading instruction for students.
Believe and Read is a partnership the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE), a Twin Cities nonprofit; Groves Academy, an industry leader in reading instruction; and Cretin-Derham Hall High School. Literacy coaches from Groves Academy work with Catholic school teachers over three years to provide training and curriculum.
Groves Academy is visionary in changing the way children learn to read. Students learn to read and spell using a curriculum based on the science of reading. Teachers collect reading data on their students and provide additional instruction to students who struggle. In addition to a weekly classroom coaching session by a Groves literacy coach, all teachers attend a variety of Groves professional development workshops to increase their knowledge.
In addition to students’ regular reading lessons, teachers incorporate a daily 30-minute phonics lesson. Students also “sky write” and tap their fingers to reinforce components of reading to build better connections in the brain.
Learning for Life
Research shows that when students can’t read they have difficulty learning, affecting them for life. With Believe and Read, all students benefit. Struggling readers become proficient, and good readers become stronger. Assessments help teachers meet individual learning needs, a hallmark of Catholic education.
How Believe & Read works at Sacred Heart Catholic School:
- Literacy coaches from Groves Academy work with our teachers in K-3 over a three year period using a “train the trainer” model.
- In addition to building students’ vocabulary and comprehension skills through their regular reading lessons, teachers will be tasked with incorporating a daily 30-minute phonics-based lesson to ensure students are grasping the reading rules they’ll need to one day achieve fluency.
- Many of the lesson plans are scripted, so teachers will know exactly how and when to introduce each letter, along with the sounds, and how to build up to words from there.
- Our teachers also receive weekly check-ins with a literacy coach from Groves Academy, along with support for tracking student progress through routine assessments.
- A reading specialist is available to provide additional support for students that need more practice with the Groves curriculum.
Learn more about Sacred Heart Catholic School’s Believe and Read curriculum implemented in K-3.