Reading Horizons, a multisensory curriculum used to rapidly increase reading skills, presented the Charlotte F. Lockhart Award for Excellence in Literacy Education to Neshaminy School District.

Neshaminy, located in Bucks County, PA, began its Reading Horizons implementation with a small pilot five years ago. Since then, the dedication of the educators involved has helped transform that pilot into a highly praised intervention program that is offered to all Title 1 students in kindergarten through third grade.

By including activities and games that build phonics, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension skills, educators at Neshaminy ensured that Reading Horizons would help their students master foundational decoding skills and grow in every area they needed for reading success. The staff diligently spread their message of literary success, ensured the fidelity of the program’s delivery, and remained current with the necessary research and trends—all so that every Title 1 student could achieve his or her complete potential.

Currently, all of Neshaminy’s Title 1 staff, elementary reading specialists, and some special education teachers have been trained to use Reading Horizons through professional development workshops and are successfully using the method. 

“It’s just remarkable what the educators at Neshaminy have accomplished,” said Tyson Smith, President of Reading Horizons. “We see a lot of success stories, but Neshaminy has gone above and beyond in their dedication to creating a culture of literacy in their district. It was their passion for student success that warranted receiving this award.”

After two years of using direct instruction from Reading Horizons, the Neshaminy district administration added the company’s interactive software Reading Horizons Discovery® to create a blended learning model of instruction. Title I staff also initiated after-school orientations in an effort to give parents the means to apply these powerful strategies at home.

“Neshaminy School District’s Title 1 staff has always been committed to providing outstanding interventional support for their most struggling readers using research-based strategies and best-practice methods,” said Dr. Gloria Hancock, the assistant superintendent of Neshaminy School District. “They have been dedicated and determined to ensure that every Title 1 student had a solid foundation in reading so all could achieve grade-level proficiency. I believe Neshaminy School District exemplifies the spirit, dedication, and passion for literacy demonstrated by Charlotte Lockhart.”

The Charlotte Lockhart award was created to embody the characteristics and core values of its namesake, Charlotte F. Lockhart. Nicknamed the “Biphonic Woman,” she was an exemplary educator and role model with a passion for teaching the world to read. The Orton-Gillingham-based method that Lockhart created is now the foundation of the entire Reading Horizons system. To honor her legacy, Reading Horizons grants the award to institutions and individuals who best exemplify the excellence in literacy education that she embodied and embraced.