The Stoughton School District's literacy goal is to ensure that all students become successful, high level readers, writers, speakers and listeners. Students are expected to meet the State Standards in ELA adopted by the State of Wisconsin at each grade level. Stoughton's Comprehensive Approach to Literacy stresses the essential components of reading through explicit teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency and expressiveness, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, writing and handwriting.

Daily read-alouds, independent reading time, reading workshop, writing workshop, and systematic word study instruction are key features of the approach. Teachers demonstrate the habits and strategies of effective reading and writing through a variety of structures: instructional read-alouds, small group instruction, shared reading, and interactive writing.