MIGHTY MOVES: Brevard Public Schools Details First-Ever Districtwide Literacy Plan

Strategies learned will be implemented in kindergarten through third grade

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brevard Public Schools Curriculum and Instruction is initiating a districtwide literacy plan called Mighty Moves. The plan is set to improve early literacy proficiency, based on early literacy data.

The program’s implementation begins with at least two teachers from all 57 elementary schools in the district attending a four-day Orton Gillingham training this summer. Strategies learned will be implemented in kindergarten through third grade classrooms during the 2024-2025 school year.

Additionally, the initiative includes cross-district training of all school-based literacy coaches on how to effectively use and implement the 7 Mighty Moves strategies within the schools.

“We are excited about the strategic, systematic, and structured plan based on the science of reading to tackle the need for foundational skills in the primary grades,” said Brevard Public Schools Director of Elementary Programs Wendy Smith.

“This initiative is an outline for a year of teacher and staff professional development, support, and monitoring of data that will ensure the use of research-based strategies and will be provided to all BPS students in grades K through 3rd.”

Both Orton Gillingham and the 7 Mighty Moves by Lindsay Kemeny, are grounded in the Science of Reading.

One Mighty Move will be the focus for each quarter, throughout the year. Currently, Curriculum and Instruction has slated for:

■ Quarter One – Teach Phonemic Awareness With Intention
■ Quarter Two – Teach Phonics Explicitly and Systematically
■ Quarter Three – Teach Decoding Strategies, Not Cueing Strategies
■ Quarter Four – Improve Comprehension by Developing Vocabulary and Background Knowledge

The remaining three moves, fluency, use of decodable text, and teaching sight words, will be addressed within each quarter’s moves.

In addition to the school-based literacy coaches being tasked with presenting the “move” to all kindergarten to third grade teachers, literacy coaches will also visit kindergarten to 3rd grade classrooms daily to observe instruction, work collaboratively with a minimum of three teachers initiating the mighty move in the classroom for five days per quarter, and provide time for discussion on the observations.

The literacy coaches will prepare teachers for fluency monitoring, meet with grade levels weekly, and collaborate with the principal on the progress of the move being initiated. The structured plan will allow all BPS kindergarten to third grade teachers to receive the same training and students to receive the same mighty move/strategies in the same quarter.

This will provide consistency among all schools and allow for a smooth transition if students transfer schools within the district. Teachers will administer fluency checks quarterly and review data with the literacy coach to make any instructional changes, as necessary.

“The district’s support in creating meaningful and professional learning around this book partnered with coaches working side by side with teachers will go a long way to increase the effectiveness of our reading instruction,” said Viera Elementary Literacy Coach Jessica Pokorny.

At the district level, English Language Arts resource teachers and district coaches will be paired with six school-based literacy coaches in support of the initiative.

The English Language Arts resource teachers and district coaches will meet regularly with the Director of Elementary Programs on the initiative’s progress; with biweekly reports being provided to the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. This will allow the district to better monitor and assess the implementation’s success through quantitative and qualitative data.

The planned initiative will benefit all faculty and staff serving students in grades K through three with faculty and staff becoming proficient in the mighty moves.

“I am looking forward to having teachers empowered with the Mighty Moves Initiative, where the Science of Reading meets practical implementation,” said Principal Roseann Bennett of Croton Elementary.

Principal Adrea McDonough, of Oak Park Elementary, agreed by noting, “The 7 Mighty Moves will support our teachers in using the Science of Reading to teach our youngest learners how to read. I especially think it will benefit the many alternative certified teachers by providing them with research-based techniques to teach foundational skills which will result in stronger readers.”

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