Northampton County Schools Chooses Reading Horizons to Empower Educators and Improve Student Reading Outcomes

September 18, 2024 at 09:00 AM EDT

K–2 classrooms are implementing Reading Horizons Discovery® to boost countywide reading proficiency by the end of third grade

Northampton County Schools has chosen Reading Horizons, a leading provider of foundational literacy programs, to enhance reading instruction in two elementary schools in northeastern North Carolina. The district is setting the stage for a successful school year by implementing a research-based foundational reading program to strengthen skills for its youngest learners across 19 K–2 classrooms. This move aligns with the county’s five-year strategic plan to increase the percentage of students proficient in reading by the end of 3rd grade.

The Reading Horizons Discovery® Product Suite is a leading program for effectively teaching foundational reading skills to young learners. Based on over 40 years of research, it blends direct instruction with engaging and age-appropriate software to make reading a reality for all learners. The program has proven successful across multiple settings, including whole classroom, intervention, special education, dyslexia, and multilingual learners.

Under the leadership of a newly appointed superintendent, Dr. Rosa Atkins, Northampton County Schools sought a science of reading-aligned literacy program that would offer clarity, consistency, and comprehensive support to students and teachers.

“We needed a program with a clear scope and sequence to help our teachers deliver effective phonics instruction, whether to the whole class or in small groups,” said Lakecia Brown, K–12 Director of Curriculum Instruction for Northampton County Schools. “Reading Horizons provides the structured support our new and alternatively certified teachers need. It was the missing piece.”

To ensure educators address all five elements of effective reading instruction, Northampton is pairing Reading Horizons—which specializes in foundational literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency—with a language comprehension curriculum focusing on vocabulary and comprehension.

Aside from improved reading proficiency, Northampton County leadership believes the confidence students will gain from Reading Horizons will transfer to science, math, and other subjects. Northampton County Schools' investment in student literacy supports its mission to partner with families and communities by using a holistic approach to empower students to become responsible and engaged citizens.

“Northampton County’s commitment to excellence and thoughtfulness was evident from the start,” said Sean Lindsey, Director of Education Solutions at Reading Horizons. “They involved multiple stakeholders in their decision-making process, including instructional coaches and teachers, and didn’t only rely on third-party rubrics; they developed their own, aligned with the district’s instructional needs. Their focus on alignment, teacher voice, and insightful follow-up questions impressed me and underscored their dedication to making the right choice with Reading Horizons.”

For more information, visit www.readinghorizons.com.

About Reading Horizons

Reading Horizons empowers educators to eradicate illiteracy with effective, tech-enabled foundational reading instruction that helps all students achieve reading proficiency. For 40 years, Reading Horizons has continuously aligned its simple instructional method with advancements in the science of reading. We have supported educators and students with ongoing, synergistic partnerships, serving as a trusted, innovative, foundational literacy partner. Adopted by over 200,000 educators, our proven method for teaching foundational literacy prevents and remediates reading difficulties, supporting our mission to ensure students reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade. Reading momentum begins at Reading Horizons.

About Northampton County Schools

The Mission of Northampton County Schools is to partner with families and communities using a holistic approach to empower students to become responsible and engaged citizens. The Vision of Northampton County Schools is to have safe, orderly, and effective schools that provide a wholesome learning environment and strong, competitive learners.