Literacy Coaches & Interventionists

English Language Arts (ELA) seeks to teach English language literacy skills, primarily expressed in the ability to effectively read, write, listen, and speak. Standards and objectives that describe grade-level expectations for teaching and learning these skills are found within the state of Virginia’s English Standards of Learning.The Arlington Public Schools ELA program seeks to develop students who are strategic readers, effective writers, engaging speakers, and critical thinkers. The ELA Office believes all children can learn to read skillfully, write expressively, and engage in higher-level discourse.

• The focus in early elementary (grades preK-2) is the development and mastery of foundational literacy skills. Evidence-based instruction that emphasizes phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension is prioritized to meet the needs of students in the early stages of reading and writing acquisition.
• The focus in upper elementary (grades 3-5) shifts from learning to read to reading to learn across all content areas. Students build on their foundational reading skills and become increasingly proficient readers and writers.

Literacy is a division-wide priority, and elementary teachers embrace new approaches to help our students become more proficient readers. The English Language Arts Department has shifted its model to teach foundational skills and phonics more explicitly and systematically.