Springdales K12 Comprehensive Literacy Plan

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Springdales K-12 Comprehensive Literacy Plan

• 2006-7
• K-12 Literacy Coaches

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Purpose

• This literacy guide outlines the Springdale
  School Districts K-12 Comprehensive Literacy
  Plan and teacher expectations for instruction. It
  communicates a clear purpose, direction and
  action plan focused on best practices of learning
  and teaching literacy.

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Beliefs

• We believe a comprehensive approach to learning
  and teaching in all Springdale Schools is
  grounded in scientifically-based research that
  supports the elements of literacy
• Phonemic Awareness (K-1)
• Phonics (K-2)
• Word Study and Spelling (K-12)
• Fluency (1-8)
• Vocabulary (K-12)
• Comprehension (K-12)
• Writing (K-12)

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Comprehensive approach

• A comprehensive approach also includes
• A coherent instructional design
• Parents as critical partners in developing and
  sustaining lifelong literacy behaviors
• Interventions for at-risk students
• Valid and reliable assessments which guide daily
  instruction
• On-going professional development which provides
  in-depth theory based knowledge of literacy
• A quality, organized, literacy environment

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Vision

• All students will read, write and communicate at
  proficient or advanced levels.

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Mission

• To provide a literacy plan that is grounded in
  scientifically-based research and supported by
  systematic, explicit instruction through
  comprehensive K-12 literacy programs.

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Definition

• Literacy is defined as the ability to communicate
  effectively through reading, writing, speaking,
  listening, observing and thinking across the
  curriculum.

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Comprehensive Literacy K-12

• Our comprehensive literacy plan is characterized
  by a K-12 alignment among the following initial
  instruction, intervention, assessment, and
  professional development. It integrates the
  receptive and expressive skills of oral and
  visual communications, writing, reading,
  inquiring/researching, and critical thinking
  across the curriculum.
• Specific elements Bulleted items in this guide
  are taken directly from ADE, NRP, and Reading
  Next.

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Literacy Elements

• Phonemic Awareness Instruction
• Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice,
  think about, and work with the individual sounds
  in spoken words.

Elements are aligned with Arkansas Literacy
Frameworks
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• Phonics
• Phonics is the relationship between the letters
  (graphemes) of written language and the
  individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language.

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• Fluency
• Fluency is the ability to read words in a text
  quickly, effortlessly, and efficiently with good
  and meaningful expression (Rasinsky, 2003). A
  fluent reader should read as if he/she were
  talking.

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• Vocabulary
• Vocabulary is building word knowledge through
  receptive and expressive language instruction.

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• Comprehension
• Comprehension is the ability to construct meaning
  from text. It goes beyond literal understanding
  and involves the readers interaction with the
  text.

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Comprehensive Program Design

• The following are represented as Action Types in
  ACSIP
• Coherent Instructional Design (Alignment and
  Technology Inclusion)
• Parental Engagement (Parental Engagement)
• Interventions for At-Risk Students (Equity, ESOL,
  Special Education and AIP)
• Assessments (Plan Evaluation and AIP)
• Professional Development (Plan Evaluation and
  Professional Development)
• Quality, Organized Literacy Environment
  (Alignment)
• Note Researched-based cited examples are found
  in the Resource section of this document.

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Characteristics
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A. Coherent Instructional Design

• Coherent Instructional Design embraces these
  components of a comprehensive literacy classroom
  reading aloud, shared reading, guided reading,
  familiar reading, independent reading, reading
  workshop, interactive writing, modeled/write
  aloud, shared writing, independent writing, and
  writing workshop

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B. Parental Engagement

• Parental Engagement is a purposeful relationship
  between the school and parents to increase
  student achievement. Parents understand the
  importance of their role as it pertains to their
  childs literacy development.
• The more the relationship between parents and
  educators approaches a comprehensive,
  well-planned partnership, the higher the student
  achievement.(National Standards for
  Parent/Family Involvement Programs, 1997).

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• The role of schools is to
• involve parents in the formation of meaningful
  partnerships
• educate parents by offering education classes
• inform parents on a regular basis of their
  childs literacy development
• The role of parents is to
• continually increase their knowledge of their
  childs literacy development
• participate in their childs literacy program
• encourage literacy in the home as well as at
  school

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C. Interventions for At-Risk Students

• Interventions for At-Risk Students are
  deliberate, instructional strategies, programs,
  and/or practices designed to meet the needs of
  struggling students.

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• Our 3-tiered interventions of Core Classroom
  Instruction, Supplemental Instruction, and
  Intensive Intervention reflect Arkansas
  Comprehensive Literacy Plan and the Texas 3-Tier
  Reading Model. Tiers 2 3 specifically address
  interventions for at-risk students.

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TIER I Core Class Instruction

• Tier I is designed to address the needs of the
  majority of students. It consists of three
  elements 1) Comprehensive Literacy Program, 2)
  Assessment of students to determine instructional
  needs, and 3) On-going professional development

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TIER II Supplemental Instruction

• Tier II is designed to address small group needs
  through supplemental instruction in addition to
  the time allotted for core reading.
• Examples
• Small group
• Cross-grade instruction
• After school tutoring

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TIER III Intensive Intervention

• Tier III is specifically designed to provide more
  intensive and strategic instruction for
  individuals.
• Examples
• Reading Recovery
• One-on-one instruction (before, during, and after
  school)

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D. Assessment

• Assessment is a feedback system that directs
  teacher instruction, and provides goal-setting
  opportunities for students and informs parents of
  student performance. Ongoing and continuous
  assessment builds a picture of what students know
  and determines future instruction.
• The purpose of assessment is two-fold OF
  learning and FOR learning.

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• Assessments of learning are formative and provide
  summaries of achievement. They typically include
• Norm referenced assessments
• Criterion reference assessments
• Grades
• Assessments for learning screen diagnose and
  monitor student progress and behavior. They
  include
• DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)
• Observation Survey
• Running records
• Anecdotal records
• Formal and informal assessments which drive daily
  instruction and identify areas of intervention
• It is important to note that it is not the
  instrument that determines assessments of and for
  learning, but how the teacher uses it.

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• Assessments for learning screen diagnose and
  monitor student progress and behavior. They
  include
• DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)
• Observation Survey
• Running records
• Anecdotal records
• Formal and informal assessments which drive daily
  instruction and identify areas of intervention

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• It is important to note that it is not the
  instrument that determines assessments of and for
  learning, but how the teacher uses it.

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E. Professional Development

• Professional Development is a continuous learning
  process which builds teachers knowledge in order
  to impact student learning. It is job-embedded,
  on going, focused and occurs in a variety of
  ways.
• Conferences/Professional speakers
• Training for administrators
• Assessed needs of students and teachers
• Site-bases Literacy Coaches
• District Personnel
• National, State and Local Resources
• Peer to Peer

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F. Quality, Organized Literacy Environment

• Quality, Organized Literacy Environment provides
  an atmosphere conducive to developing
  self-regulated learners.
• Comprehensive core reading program in a print
  rich environment
• 2 ½ hour literacy block with 90 minute
  uninterrupted reading instruction
• Established curriculum routines
• Well-stocked school and classroom libraries
• Availability of instructional material
• Guided Reading leveled books (K-12)
• Magnetic letters
• Magnetic boards

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Literacy Coach Job Description

• A Literacy Coach is one who is a reading
  professional, knowledgeable in literacy pedagogy
  and counted on for leadership. The coach provides
  professional development in school settings.
  Their duties include activities related to
  developing the organizational capacity of whole
  schools. It includes helping principals and
  teachers reallocate their resources and improve
  their use of data in the service of improving
  instruction. And it includes activities directly
  related to improving instruction (such as
  one-on-one observation and feedback of teachers
  instructional strategies and small-group learning
  of new content and pedagogy).

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General Responsibilities

• Focusing on Leadership for Whole-School
  Improvement
• Focus on Discipline-based Instructional
  Improvement
• Help teachers transfer what they learn about new
  practices to their classrooms.
• Help establish a safe environment in which
  teachers can strive to improve their practice
  without fear of negative criticism or
  evaluations.
• Work directly with students, as appropriate for
  Tier II and III interventions.
• Responsibilities at the Building Level
• Plan and implement professional development
  sessions, often in collaboration with principals
  and/or lead teachers
• Conduct book purchases and inventories
• Help teachers develop classroom-based strategies
  for assessing student learning and learn to use
  formative assessments to inform instruction
• Manage and interpret data in relationship to
  reading and writing.
• Work as members of a team along with the
  classroom teacher and other support personnel to
  implement the district/building plan
• Meet with principals to revise progress and plan
  future work
• Responsibilities at the Classroom Level
• Work with teachers to plan and implement lessons
• Work with content-area teachers to hone specific
  strategies
• Develop/Find materials and other curriculum
  resources
• Work with new teachers on new-teacher issues as
  well as on instructional strategies
• Encourage teachers to talk about their practice
  with them and with one another
• Observe classes and provide written or oral
  feedback after observations

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References

• Allen, J. (2002). On the same page shared
  reading beyond the primary grades. York, ME
  Stenhouse Publishers.
• Allen, J. (2000). Yellow brick roads Shared and
  guided paths to independent reading 4-12.
  Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
• Allen, J. (1999). Words, words, words Teaching
  vocabulary in grades 4-12. Portsmouth, NH.
  Heinemann.
• Allen, J. (1995). Its never too late Leading
  adolescents to lifelong literacy. Portsmouth, NH.
  Heinemann.
• Atwood, N. (1998). In the middle new
  understandings about writing, reading, and
  learning. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
• Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., (2002).
  Words their way Word study for phonics,
  vocabulary, and spelling instruction. Columbus,
  OH. Prentice Hall.
• Calkins, L., Hartman, White, Z. (2005). One on
  one The art of conferring with young writers.
  Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
• Clay, M. (1998). By different paths to common
  outcomes. York, ME. Stenhouse Publishers.
• Clay, M. (1993). An observation survey of early
  literacy achievement. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
• Dorn, L., French, C., Jones, T. (1988).
  Apprenticeship in literacy Transitions across
  reading and writing. York, ME. Stenhouse
  Publishers.
• Fletcher, R., Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing
  Workshop The essential guide. Portsmouth, NH.
• Heinemann.
• Fountas, I., Pinnell, G.S. ((2001). Guiding
  readers and writers grades3-6 Teaching
  Comprehension, genre, and content literacy.
  Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
• Harvey, S., Goudvis, A. (2004). Strategies
  that work Teaching comprehension to enhance
  understanding. York, ME Stenhouse Publishers.
• Harvey, S. (1998). Nonfiction Matters Reading,
  writing, and research in grrades3-8. Portland,
  ME. Stenhouse Publishers.
• Levine, M. (2002). One mind at a time. New
  York, NY. Simon Schuster.
• Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J., (2001).
  Classroom instruction that works Research based
  strategies for increasing student achievement.
  Association for Supervision and Curriculum
  Development. Alexandria, Virginia.
• Parkes, B. (2000). Read it again! Revisiting
  shared reading. (2000). Portland, ME. Stenhouse
  Publishers.