Lowcountry Literacy Project announces Compass Collegiate Academy as its newest partner school

Multiyear partnership will align Orton-Gillingham instruction across classrooms, intervention, and special education.

Lowcountry Literacy Project (LLP) announced Compass Collegiate Academy as its newest partner school, launching a multiyear partnership to strengthen reading instruction through educator training and ongoing school-based coaching.

The partnership will align Orton-Gillingham (OG) structured literacy instruction across general education classrooms, intervention, and special education, building a shared approach to how reading is taught and how students are supported.

Generous philanthropic support has made this possible, with Compass Collegiate Academy contributing a portion of the cost. This shared investment expands access to specialized teacher training and ongoing coaching while building lasting literacy expertise within the school.

“This partnership is an investment in the educators at Compass and every child they will teach. Aligning instruction across classrooms, intervention, and special education helps build a school where teachers work together to meet each student’s reading needs,” said Lindsey Ballenger, Executive Director of Lowcountry Literacy Project

During the first year, the partnership will focus on implementing multisensory core reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade while building expertise among intervention and special education teachers.

LLP coaches are supporting implementation through classroom observations, modeling, feedback, and collaborative planning. This ongoing support helps educators put their training into practice, respond to students’ needs, and build confidence in their instruction.

Elizabeth Simpson, Compass’ Executive Director, stated, “At Compass Collegiate Academy, we believe every child deserves access to the best reading instruction available — not just those who can afford private specialists. This partnership with the Lowcountry Literacy Project gives our teachers the tools and ongoing support to meet every reader where they are. That means scholars who might have struggled for years now have teachers equipped to help them break through.”

The partnership advances a central commitment: removing barriers to specialized literacy instruction that has often been available through private schools and specialists.

About Lowcountry Literacy Project: Lowcountry Literacy Project works to ensure every child in the Lowcountry has access to high-quality literacy instruction, regardless of ZIP code. By partnering with schools to provide intensive teacher training, embedded coaching, and targeted student support, the organization works to close literacy gaps and build pathways to long-term opportunity for Charleston-area children. Learn more at lowcountryliteracyproject.org.

About Compass Collegiate Academy

At Compass Collegiate Academy, scholars build the heart and the mind to operate with a just compass. A tuition-free public charter school in North Charleston open to all tri-county families, Compass currently serves K–6, growing one grade per year until it reaches a full K–8 model. With a mission to give every scholar the academic foundation and strong habits to lead purposeful, civic lives, Compass builds every school day around what its scholars need most. Reading is at the center of that work. Compass schedules 40% to 90% more reading time each day than other area schools, and it shows: Compass scholars achieve more than a year of growth in reading, and the longer they stay enrolled, the stronger they read. Now, with teachers training in Orton-Gillingham through the Lowcountry Literacy Project, Compass scholars are just getting started. Learn more at cca-chs.org