Mission Statement: The mission of the Elementary Reading program in Loudoun County Public Schools is to teach all students how to read and comprehend written text so that they may become independent readers and lifelong learners with a firm grasp of the written world that surrounds them.

General Philosophy – The philosophy is based on a review of current research, Science of Reading, and the literature on best practices in literacy instruction.

• Most reading experts maintain that there is no one best method for teaching reading that works for all children.  G. Reid Lyon (1997) of the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD), summarizing his panel’s research on reading, testified before Congress: “We have learned that no single method, approach or philosophy for teaching reading is equally effective for all children….The real question is which children need what, when, for how long, with what type of instruction and in what type of setting.”  

• The LCPS reading program is not based solely on a leveled book, a particular text, or an instructional model.  Instead, a variety of methodologies are employed to assist students in learning to read and reading to learn. Lucy Calkin's Reading, Writing, and Phonics Units of Study are LCPS core reading curriculum in grades K-5. The Science of Reading is also married into the components of each literacy unit of study as well as the Structured Literacy model.

• Teachers use instructional practices (strategies, content, and assessments) that are based on a wide range of current research.

• Teachers set and maintain high expectations for all students; working with students from where the students are instructionally and helping them reach individual goals, which maximize their potential. The goal is for each student to be at or above grade level in reading.