Spotlight Texas: Literacy transformation in Glen Rose

Snapshot: Glen Rose Intermediate School

• Location: Smaill, rural district outside Fort Worth, Texas
• Number of students in school in grades 3-5: 480
• Number of students in grade 3: 175
• 11% Emergent Bilingual
• 21 % Special Education
• Title 1 school—41% economically disadvantaged

We first spoke with Mehgan Schuelke, educational diagnostician and reading specialist, in 2022 to talk about their literacy goals and solutions at Glen Rose Independent School District (Part 1: Spotlight Texas: Literacy grows in Glen Rose). We followed up in 2024 to see how the transformation in literacy practice and culture has been going since our first conversation (Part 2: Spotlight Texas: Literacy thrives in Glen Rose). For this post, part 3 in our Spotlight Texas series, we were thrilled to speak again with Mehgan Schuelke, her principal Debbie Morris, and literacy educator and curriculum coordinator Tiffinie Pounds. Our focus in this conversation was on the progress they’ve seen, both in students and teachers, and in particular, in 3rd grade.

Read on to discover essential ingredients for a successful implementation of science of reading-aligned and evidence-based 95 Phonics Core Program®—to transform student literacy and school culture.

How has the shift to a science of reading-based approach impacted 3rd grade this year as students have been coming in from K-2 with structured literacy experience?

Debbie Morris: With any new program there is always the change in implementation and a big learning curve.

That first year was a big jump and a big learning curve for all of us. How do we fit our old mindset and old habits and our old philosophies and thinking into this new program?

Second year—”Oh gosh, we like some of this. This is good.” Right?

Third year—You’re going, “Hey we’re rocking and rolling. We’re good. We’re good to go.”

By the fourth year—now we’re doing it with integrity and the kids are getting it, we’re getting it.

And I think it’s one of those things…Everybody thinks you’re going to see change that first year. Well that’s not true. I think that’s misinformation if people say you’re going to change in one or two years. So I think it’s really nice that we have a third grade teacher saying it is coming. And we’re gradually seeing these things happening. I love having that information because we are seeing the same thing.

We’re getting first graders that are really knocking the lid off now because we as teachers feel really comfortable with it and we’re all keeping to the format, routines, and language, always with the focus on students.

Tiffinie Pounds: We’ve had the most buy-in this year—people are really trusting in the systems and doing the program with integrity across all of K-3. Everyone’s gone through that learning process and figured out what works for them, what doesn’t, the pacing of it, and honestly, they’ve taken it in and gone much further with it. It has been an incredible journey—and seeing the data is the best part, because that is the proof—”Hey, this is really working.”

Going back to that buy-in where teachers are saying, “I do 95 Percent regardless! I am always going to do that, I’m never not going to do it.” That’s just incredible for them to see the value in the program.

How is the progress in reading impacting other parts of the curriculum?

Debbie Morris: We’re seeing more writing because it’s embedded in the program as well. We’re seeing more writing in the last several years than we’ve probably ever seen, even posted out on the walls.

Tiffinie Pounds: I was just thinking about that the other day walking through Kindergarten—they had four sentences with transitions and all kinds of things we wouldn’t typically see in the past. And it’s easier for the teachers to pull this out of students—students are just excited to write, to put pen to paper, or type it, however they’re getting their thoughts down and out. It’s even impacting their handwriting at the young grades too. It’s great. It’s really fabulous.

What is the teacher experience using 95 Phonics Core Program in the classroom?

Debbie Morris: I had retired as principal and came back in the 2023-2024 school year as a substitute teacher, subbing nearly every single day. I was in every grade level, and I wasn’t familiar with everything like a teacher. What I found reassuring was that I could walk into a classroom and I knew 95 Phonics Core Program was going to be there. I knew I could open up the teachers manual, I knew I could open up the active board, and I knew I could go through the program with the kids and we could get that done. Was I going to be a little bit slower than the teacher? Yes. But what I found reassuring was the kids knew the routine, the habits, the hand signals, all the parts of the program, so as a substitute teacher walking in there, it was very esay to use. I knew a little bit more because I’d been around it as the principal and I’d been in and out of classrooms. It was very easy for me to pick up that manual. Obviously it was well written as I could read it walking in as the sub. Most of our subs could follow that script and go ahead with 95 Phonics Core Program, and get it done for the teacher.

It is really great if we have long term substitutes that have to be in the classroom—for example, if a teacher is out on maternity leave—they are not going to miss a beat. Our long term subs can have that programming and just keep on going.

Mehgan Schuelke: It’s easy for our student teachers too. Our teachers will turn that over to them. It’s so easy to use.

Debbie Morris: We have 10 student teachers on my campus this year. I love that the teachers are learning this because for me this is one of the most important things that you can learn as a teacher. You need to know how to teach reading and basic reading. We did hire 3-4 of our student teachers—and do they know how to hit the ground running! What a great teaching tool for our newbies.

Talk a little about the observation form that you developed. How has that changed through the years of implementation?

Debbie Morris: It was very important because we were trying to make sure everyone was doing it with integrity. Now because teachers have such buy-in and see the results from it, it’s not as necessary. We still observe but now we can focus more on the new teachers.

Tiffinie Pounds: I don’t see resistance anymore because there’s so much buy-in. And also, 95 Phonics Core Program is explicitly written so you can just pick it up and go. When we were meeting with the Tarleton State University student teacher residency leads, they were saying that’s the first thing they gravitate towards because of the explicit instruction, and the built-in observation time to check to see if students understood—it has everything that goes along with the perfect lesson cycle for a teacher.

What is the Aha moment that you have seen teachers experience?

Tiffinie Pounds: The first thing we tell everyone is “You have to give it time, because your pacing is not going to be where it needs to be for a while. You just have to set a timer, get as far as you can, and move on, and you’re going to get better. I think that’s the hardest part for teachers to internalize because they want to do it all. But we don’t have all the time in the world in a class period.

Once they get past that then we hear, “Oh yeah, I’m down to what it says in the overview—20 minutes for 3rd grade.” I think that’s the biggest Aha!—when it’s starting to run smoothly.

Conclusion

Comprehension doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on intentional, teachable processes. When students are equipped with the right tools, they’re not just reading—they’re understanding.

If you missed part 1 and part 2 of this series, be sure to check out the full story. And if you’re ready to strengthen the foundation that makes comprehension possible, explore our Tier 1 solution: 95 Phonics Core Program.