Williamson County Schools Named Reading 360 Model District

Published September 21, 2021

Williamson County Schools is one of only five school systems in Tennessee to be named a Reading 360 Model District. The Tennessee Department of Education made the announcement Thursday, September 16.

In order to be chosen for the honor, a district must display a strong focus on foundational literacy skills and develop a plan to support teachers with preparation, feedback, professional development and more.

"We're really excited about the focused, systematic implementation of foundational skills with our youngest readers across the district," said WCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Dr. David Allen. "Our elementary staff has worked tirelessly through trainings and collaboration to ensure a positive learning experience for students across WCS."

As a model district, WCS also received a Tennessee Model Foundational Skills Implementation District grant. The district will receive $300,000 to support its ongoing implementation of foundational literacy as well as to collect the tools and resources needed as support.

Reading 360 is a statewide literacy initiative to help more students develop strong phonics-based reading skills by supporting districts, teachers and families. The five districts will also serve as case study models as they share video resources, scope and sequences and other tools to support the implementation of strong foundational skills instruction.

"We're excited to share and learn alongside other Tennessee districts and appreciate the support provided by the TDOE for phonics instruction," Allen said.

The grants are funded through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and are in addition to the ESSER funds already received by the district.