Patrick County teachers returned to the classroom this week to prepare for the start of the 2025–26 school year, which begins Friday, Aug. 8.
As part of the back-to-school preparations, educators attended a presentation on the science of reading, led by Kareem Weaver, co-founder and executive director of Fulcrum Literacy. The science of reading refers to a body of research that explains how people learn to read and the most effective ways to teach reading.
Weaver said reading instruction must support consistent language development across all content areas to help students navigate complex texts.
“If you’re trying to get them college-entry ready for real, this has to be an everyday thing. This is the whole game right here,” he said. “That’s how you get a kid who is not speaking English, or who is dyslexic, or who’s struggling, to end up being an engineer, a scientist, a doctor, a tradesman. If a kid can just wrestle with complex texts a little bit, they’re probably ready for higher education.”
Citing ACT testing data, Weaver said a reading score of 21 indicates a student is “college-entry ready.”
“This is what the ACT says: We’ve seen kids flunk out, we’ve seen kids graduate. This is the thing right here. If they can do this, they’re probably going to make it. If they can’t, they’re probably not going to make it,” he said.
Weaver also emphasized the urgency of applying best practices in reading instruction, regardless of debates over educational theory.
“Kids can’t afford for us to get our ‘why’ together,” he said. “Some things we just have to do because it is our duty. Because that’s the way the trend is moving, because this is the season, this is the cycle of justice that we’re on.”
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Andrea Cassell said staff are ready and excited for the new school year.
“Our educators are excited, everybody’s ready,” she said. “I think we’ve got our transportation routes set. We’ve had a few changes, but all of our kids are still getting free breakfast and lunch this year.”
Cassell said the decision to start school on a Friday was based on feedback from a staff survey.
“We built multiple calendars and looked at holidays and breaks throughout the year. Starting on a Friday allows us to have a three-day break at Thanksgiving, just based on the way the dates fell,” she said. “Our staff voted, and that was the majority choice.”
She said Friday will be used for students to learn rules and procedures, with instruction beginning in full on Monday.
