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Unionville-Chadds Ford School District launches students to success through research-backed literacy instruction

At the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the research-backed approach called the Science of Reading started playing a larger role in literacy learning during the 2025-26 school year. And, for UCFSD parents, it might look nothing like the education of their own youth. 

Cracking the Code

Gone are the days of memorizing whole words or guessing the ones they don’t know based on pictures. Instead, students are starting with phonemic awareness and phonics as a systematic approach to reading. By teaching them how to hear sounds and to connect them with specific letters or sequences of letters, Unionville educators are equipping students with a toolkit that can be used to decode almost anything. 

At the center of this work are UCFSD Reading Specialists like Melissa Huber from Pocopson Elementary School. Huber contends that literacy development extends far beyond the primary years, with foundational phonics evolving into more advanced word study as students mature. She views morphology as an essential toolkit for older learners: “When you understand a word’s building blocks—its roots, prefixes, and suffixes—you unlock a significantly deeper level of comprehension.”

Tools for Success

All Unionville, educators were trained in the Science of Reading during the 2024-25 school year. 

“It was important that we not only provide training, but also materials to help with the transition,” added Huber, who shared that a committee informed UCFSD’s decision to implement Heggerty and Fundations programs for use by students in Grades K-3 this year. The district remains committed to expanding its literacy curriculum, with plans to implement more advanced programs for intermediate students.

Huber and the district’s eight other Elementary Reading Specialists continue to provide expert support in literacy instruction for all full-day Kindergarten classrooms while also conducting a combination of whole class, small group, and individual intervention from first grade on. 

Seeing the Results

She and others say they have already observed significant differences in student outcomes. “For example, a huge adjustment for elementary classroom teachers, especially at the Kindergarten level, was a delay in teaching sight words. But the research says that children were just memorizing the shape of those letters,” she reflected. “A lot of us were skeptical that students would be behind. But, by delaying sight words, our children are actually memorizing them a lot faster because they're not just memorizing the shape, they're really thinking about their sounds.” 

Parents as Partners

UCFSD emphasizes that literacy is a partnership between school and home. Parents can jumpstart their child’s journey by: 

1. Reading aloud to model fluency and to foster a love of literacy, 
2. Playing games to sound out words they see, and 
3. Practicing recognition of letters. 

With science-backed instruction, world-class educators and supportive families, our community can ensure that, for every student, the future is an open book.

About the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is a high-performing public school system serving approximately 4,000 students in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The District consists of four elementary schools, one middle school and Unionville High School, consistently ranked among the top public schools in Pennsylvania.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District celebrates fourteen retiring educators

As Unionville-Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) students and staff start their summer, fourteen dedicated educators will step into a new adventure: retirement. 

Together, Chadds Ford Elementary School’s Emilie Conover and Charlotte Denenno, Hillendale Elementary School’s Joan Amstutz, Pocopson Elementary School’s Sharon Towber, Charles F. Patton Middle School’s Kevin Crossman, Shannon Freehart, Janelle Hadly, Brian Kelley, and John Walsh, and Unionville High School’s Patrisha Burt, Kathy DiFilippo, Pat Martin, Cheryl Press, and Patty Toole represent lifetimes of commitment to the District’s children.

Chadds Ford Elementary School (CFES)

• Emilie Conover is a 2nd Grade Teacher and Faculty Mentor at CFES. She has served the District for 25 years. 
• Charlotte Denenno is a 3rd Grade Teacher, the 3rd Grade Chair, and a member of the Sunshine Committee at CFES. She has served the District for 20.5 years.  

Hillendale Elementary School (HES)

• Joan Amstutz is the Office Manager at HES. She has served the District for 9 years. 

Pocopson Elementary School (PES) 

• Sharon Towber is the Head Custodian at PES. She has served the District for 36 years. 

Charles F. Patton Middle School (CFPMS)

• Kevin Crossman is a Social Studies Teacher at CFPMS. He has served the District for 29 years. 
• Shannon Freehart is a Social Studies Teacher, the Social Studies Chair, and a Faculty Mentor at CFPMS. She has served the District for 29 years.  
• Janelle Hadly is the Health & Physical Education Teacher at CFPMS. She has served the District for 34 years. 
• Brian Kelley is a Gifted Teacher and Faculty Mentor at CFPMS. He has served the District for 31 years. 
• John Walsh is a Computers & Computer Applications Teacher, the Communications Coordinator, Hawk TV Coordinator, a Faculty Mentor, and Volunteer Softball Coach at CFPMS. He has served the District for 29 years. 

Unionville High School (UHS)

• Patrisha Burt is a Chemistry Teacher at UHS. She has served the District for 33 years.
• Kathy DiFilippo is the Testing Center Paraprofessional at UHS. She has served the District for 33 years. 
• Pat Martin is a Paraprofessional at UHS. She has served the District for 37 years. 
• Cheryl Press is a Security Monitor at UHS. She has served the District for 20 years. 
• Patty Toole is a Food Service Assistant at UHS. She has served the District for 9 years. 

“This year’s retirees perfectly embody our shared philosophy of the Portrait of a Graduate. Whether in the classroom or across their communities, their influence has spanned every level and inspired countless lives,” said UCFSD Superintendent Tim Hoffman. “When they could have chosen to be anything and to go anywhere, I am so grateful that they chose to make a difference in our district.”  

About UCFSD’s Portrait of An Educator

The Portrait of an Educator serves as a north star for all Unionville-Chadds Ford School District educators. The series of guiding principles includes cultivating meaningful relationships, promoting achievement and wellness, contributing to a positive culture, inspiring a passion for learning, having high expectations that encourage growth, building a culture of belonging and being a person of high character. For more information, visit ucfsd.org/about/portrait-of-an-educator.