Literacy in the Wachusett Regional Schools

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Literacy in the Wachusett Regional Schools
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Key Features of the Literacy Program

• Balanced literacy
• Teachers as learners
• Instruction is what matters most
• Assessment drives instruction

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What Is Balanced Literacy?

• Balanced Literacy
• Balance of explicit teaching of skills and
  literature-based instruction
• Fosters a love for reading
• Emphasizes the following
• Phonics and phonemic awareness
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
• Writing
• Explicit strategy instruction
• Engagement and motivation
• Real books and real writing

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What Is Strategy Instruction in the WRSD?

• Explicit modeling by the teacher
• Independent and guided practice for students
• Daily conferring and small-group instruction
• Focus on key strategies that transcend many types
  of texts and purposes

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What Are the Key Comprehension Strategies?

• Retell
• Make connections
• Create sensory images
• Ask questions
• Infer
• Determine importance
• Summarize
• Synthesize

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What Is Readers Workshop?

• 15 minute focus lesson
• 30-45 minutes of independent reading (5-15 in K)
• 11 conferring and small-group instruction during
  independent reading time
• 5 minute group share
• RW occurs daily and is uninterrupted

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What Is Writers Workshop?

• 15 minute focus lesson
• 30-45 minutes of independent writing (5-15 in K)
• 11 conferring during independent writing time
• 5 minute group share
• WW occurs daily and is uninterrupted

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What Other Literacy Experiences Occur on a Daily
Basis?

• 15-30 minutes of phonics instruction
• 15 minutes of interactive read-aloud
• 15-30 minutes of Tier II intervention

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What Materials are Available to Support Literacy
Instruction?

• Classroom libraries
• 375 titles
• Fiction, nonfiction, favorites, award winners
• Common texts across grade levels
• Fundations phonics, spelling, and handwriting
• School bookroom
• 900 titles
• Six-pack of each title for small-group work

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What Does Assessment Look Like in the WRSD?

• AIMSweb fluency measures (3x per year, grades
  K-4)
• DRA2 (K-5)
• Fundations assessments
• Wachusett Reading Benchmarks (January and May,
  K-5)

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How Do We Use Assessments?

• Assessment data is used to
• Plan instruction for individuals and small and
  large groups
• Create flexible strategy or guided reading groups
• Identify students in need of intervention

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How Do We Support Struggling Readers in the WRSD?

• Response to Intervention (RTI)
• Three-tier approach to intervention
• Tier I ? Balanced Literacy (high quality,
  differentiated instruction for all students)
• Tier II ? Second dose of 15-30 minutes targeted
  intervention for Tier I non-responders
• Tier III ? Third dose of intense intervention
  distinct from Tiers I and II, facilitated by a
  service provider

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Who will help you?

• Literacy coaches
• Tufts partners
• Principals and Assistant Principals
• Curriculum Supervisors

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Current WRSD Literacy Assessments

• AIMSweb
• WRSD Sight Word Lists
• Fundations Assessments
• DRA2
• WRSD Reading Benchmark Conferences
• MCAS

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Sight Words
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Sight Words

• Students should be able to recognize these words
  in less than a second.
• We want students to read these words quickly in
  text so that they are able to retain what is
  happening in a story rather than focus on their
  decoding of words.

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WRSD Sight Word Lists

• There are lists for grades K-3.
• 2 lists of words for Kindergarten
• List 1 Pre-primer words from the Dolch list
• List 2 Primer words from the Dolch list
• All students in grades K-3 are assessed
• Obtain a baseline number of sight words for each
  student in the beginning of the year to plan an
  instructional sequence for each student.
• Some students may demonstrate mastery of sight
  word list during the baseline assessment.

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WRSD Sight Words (cont.)

• The administration dates for this assessment may
  vary. You may want to consider conducting the
  assessment during each marking period.
• There is a report card line item for grades K-3
  that says reads grade level sight words so this
  information will be conveyed to parents.
• Proficiency targets
• 90 recall of word lists taught to date for
  Kindergarten
• 95 recall of word lists taught to date for
  grades 1-3
• The assessment is only based on a students
  reading of sight words. Spelling is not a part of
  this assessment.

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Teaching Sight Words

• Sight word instruction is differentiated for each
  student.
• Instruction can occur
• During whole class Fundations or Readers
  Workshop
• In small groups
• At literacy centers
• During conferring

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A Note About Fundations

• Fundations provides its own list of sight words
  that align with its phonics program.
• There is some overlap of words listed in
  Fundations and the Dolch list.
• For grades 1-3 there are two sight words
  assessments given.
• The Dolch List
• The Fundations List

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Conferring

• Writers Workshop
• Readers Workshop

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What Is an Independent Reading/Writing Conference?

• Teacher works 11 with a student
• The teacher assesses (researches) what the
  student needs to learn, decides what to teach,
  and then teaches.
• Some people think of an independent
  reading/writing conference as a private lesson.

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Dual Role of Reading Conferences

• Teach Reading Skills and Strategies
• Teach the reader, not the text
• Support Curriculum
• Coach student to apply the strategy taught in a
  focus lesson

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What is essential?

• Conversational tone
• Consistency
• Motivation - develop identity as a reader
• Research, Decide, Teach (RDT,R) and record
• Teach the reader, not the book

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Conference Goals for the Teacher

• To coach the student to think actively
• To assess what the student knows and needs to
  learn
• To teach the reader
• To motivate the student to read more and to apply
  the strategies taught

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Four Part Conference Structure

• Research
• What does the student know?
• What does the student need to learn?
• Decide
• Select 1-2 things the student is ready to learn
  next.
• Teach
• Explain and model the strategy
• Record
• Record what you taught and expect student to
  practice for follow-up at next conference.

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Research, Decide, Teach and record
Date/Title/Level What does the student know? What does the student need to learn? How can I teach this?




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Research, Decide, Teach and Record
Date/Title/Level What does the student know? What does the student need to learn? How can I teach this?
10/17 Dan the Flying Man (C) How to look at the first letter and the picture. Find parts in words an, at. Magnetic letters- make and break. Find words in text with -an -at
10/22 Tracks (C) Enjoying books Reading for meaning. Still relying on first letter cue.. Used parts when prompted. More work on parts of words and, it, is. Is student looking at the last letter? More practice with books so students can practice using parts in words.
10/24 At the Ball Park (D) Reading for meaning. Used parts of words independently. Make sure she is rereading so that she gets the flow of the text. Strategy group on how to reread when you have stopped to figure out an unfamiliar word.
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Domains for Conferring

• Decoding
• Comprehension
• Fluency
• Motivation

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Viewing Early Reader Conferences

• Watch Debbie Miller confer with her grade one
  students.
• Analyze video for RDT and R

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Starting a book.

• What does the student know about himself or
  herself as a reader?
• Tell me how you chose this book.
• Have you read any other books by this author,
  series?
• How do you know this is a just right book?
• What kinds of books do you like to read?
• What do you do before you read a book?

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Middle of a book.

• Is the student actively engaged and applying
  strategies as needed? Is the student monitoring
  for meaning?
• Read a bit of the story to me.
• Do a quick running record to analyze strategy
  use.
• How did you get back into the story from
  yesterday?
• What is happening in the story so far?
• What do you think might happen next?
• Tell me about the characters. Have they changed?
• Was there a part of the story that was confusing?
  What did you do to help yourself as a reader?

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End of the book.

• Is the student thinking beyond the text?
• What do you think about the story?
• What was your favorite part? Why?
• Did you make any connections to the story?
• What did you learn about yourself as a reader
• Retell what happened in the story.
• What strategies did you use as a reader?
• What will you read next?
• What goals do you have for yourself as a reader?

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Conference Notes

• User friendly.
• Not unnecessarily complicated.
• Record and reflect over time.
• Keep track of who to confer with.
• Access for support staff who also confer with
  your students.
• Space to record information you need.

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Sharon Taberskis Notes
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Debbie Millers Notes
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Viewing Transitional Conferences

• Watch Sharon Taberski confer with her grade two
  students.
• Analyze video and transcripts for RDT,R

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Conferring Tips
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1. Talk about what you see the student doing at
the moment.

• I see you are laughing. Whats so funny?
• I see you have lots of sticky notes in your book.
  What are you writing?
• I see youre reading the back of the book. Tell
  me about that--what kind of information does it
  give you?
• I see you have selected many nonfiction text.
  What do you like about nonfiction?

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2. Talk about what you worked on last conference.

• Last time we met, we talked about finding just
  right books. Share with me the books you
  selected. How do you know they are just right?
• Last time we met, we worked on reading fluently
  and paying attention to the punctuation marks.
  Read this part aloud so I can hear how youre
  doing
• Last time we worked on what you can do when you
  come to a word you dont know. What can you do to
  figure out that word?

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3. Talk about that days focus lesson topic or
the current unit of study.

• In the focus lesson we practiced creating sensory
  images. Show me a place in the book where you
  could create a strong image.
• We are learning about nonfiction. How do you read
  this page? What part do you read first?
• We have been practicing retelling. Retell what
  you have read so far in the book.

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4. Ask one or more open-ended questions.

• Hows your reading going?
• Tell me about this bookwhats it about? Whats
  happening so far in the story?
• Tell me about the character in the story?
• Why did you select this book?
• Can I help you with anything in your reading?

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5. Try an over-the-shoulder read.

• I want you to silently read the rest of this
  page, and Im going to sit here beside you and
  read it silently to myself.
• When youre done, lets talk about what youre
  thinking.

• Things to Notice
• Silent Reading RateHow long does it take for the
  student to finish reading that section silently?
• ComprehensionDoes the student understand the
  selection? What strategies does the student use?
• Oral Reading (optional)-- of errors, fluency
  phrasing

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The Developmental Reading Assessment
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What is the Developmental Reading Assessment?

• The DRA2 is an assessment tool commonly used to
  measure student performance in the following
  areas of reading proficiency.
• Reading engagement
• Oral reading fluency
• Comprehension / Printed Language Concepts
• It provides information to identify students
  independent reading levels and next steps to take
  to help students improve their reading skills.

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Components of the DRA2

• Your kit includes
• Teachers Guide
• Blackline Masters and Blackline Master CD
• Benchmark Assessment Books
• Assessment Procedures Overview Card
• DRA2 Clipboard with timer
• Training DVD
• Word Analysis Resources

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WRSD DRA2 Administration Dates

• Kindergarten
• Rolling Administration from late fall - 4/2/10
• Grades 1-5
• Fall By 11/24/2009 Gr. 1-5 All students
• Spring By 4/16/2010 Gr. 1-2 All students
  
• Gr. 3 Students below level 30 in
  fall
• Gr. 4 Students below level 40 in
  fall
• Gr. 5 Students below level 50 in
  fall

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Administration Suggestions

• Remain organized.
• Get help with photocopying.
• Make a schedule and stick to it.
• Conduct 1-2 assessments per day.
• Ask your literacy coach to model a DRA.
• Determine which students you wish to assess
  first.
• Have more than one student working on DRA at a
  time.
• Score the assessment (especially ORF) as soon as
  possible.
• Complete the Focus For Instruction form.

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WRSD DRA2 Benchmarks (K-3)

• Kindergarten
• Fall - Level A Spring Level 2
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 16
• Grade 1
• Fall Level 6 Spring Level 16
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 28
• Grade 2
• Fall Level 20 Spring Level 28
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 38
• Grade 3
• Fall Level 30 Spring Level 38
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 40

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WRSD DRA2 Benchmarks (4-5)

• Grade 4
• Fall Level 40 Spring Level 40
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 50
• Grade 5
• Fall Level 50 Spring Level 50
• ceiling level for DRA testing Level 60

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DRA and Guided Reading Level Correlation Chart
Grade Level Guided Reading Level DRA level
Kindergarten A B A 1 2
Pre-Primer C D E 3 4 6-8
Primer F G 10 12
1st Grade H I 14 16
2nd Grade J-K L-M 18-20 24-28
3rd Grade N O-P 30 34-38
4th Grade Q-R 40
5th Grade S-V 50
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Conducting the DRA2

• The assessment is conducted in three steps
• Step 1 Reading Engagement
• Level 24 and Below Conducted orally
• Level 28 and Above Reading Engagement Survey
• Students complete survey prior to an assessment
  conference. Survey may be administered
  individually, in small groups or as a whole
  class. Surveys are found in Blackline Master
  Books or on CD on pgs. 314-315 for K-3 and pgs.
  1-2 for 4-8.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 2 Oral Reading Fluency
• One-on-One Student Reading Conference
• Teacher selects the Benchmark Assessment Books
  deemed most appropriate for the students level
  of Oral Reading Fluency and Comprehension.
  Student then chooses from offered texts.
• Teacher introduces text as noted in Teacher
  Observation Guide.
• In levels 16 and below, student uses picture
  walk to make initial predictions about text.
  Teacher notes use of connecting words and
  relevant vocabulary.
• Student reads aloud a portion of the text as
  designated in Teacher Observation Guide.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 2 Oral Reading Fluency (cont.)
• One-on-One Student Reading Conference (cont.)
• Teacher notes miscues, self-corrections, phrasing
  and expression as mandated in Teacher Observation
  Guide. Teacher times (level 14 and up) the
  students oral reading to determine the reading
  rate.
• Teacher completes Oral Reading portion of Teacher
  Observation Guide and Reading Engagement and Oral
  Reading Fluency sections of Continuum.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 3 Comprehension
• In levels 16 and below
• Student gives an oral retelling of the text.
  Student DOES NOT refer to text for this portion
  of the assessment. Teacher notes elements
  included on Teacher Observation Guide. Teacher
  may prompt student using and noting prompts on
  assessment.
• On nonfiction texts, students may be referred to
  specific text pages to answer some questions
  based on text features found there.
• Student dictates Reflection and Making
  Connections answers to teacher as indicated on
  Teacher Observation Guide.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 3 Comprehension (cont.)
• In levels 18 - 24
• Student makes predictions based on portion of
  text read thus far. Student DOES NOT refer to
  text for these predictions.
• Student completes reading text silently.
• Student gives an oral retelling of the text.
  Student DOES NOT refer to text for this portion
  of the assessment. Teacher notes elements
  included on Teacher Observation Guide. Teacher
  may prompt student using and noting prompts on
  assessment.
• Student dictates Interpretation and Reflection
  answers to teacher as indicated on Teacher
  Observation Guide.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 3 Comprehension (cont.)
• In levels 28 - 38
• Teacher dictates questions and records responses
  on first pages of Student Booklet. Student DOES
  NOT refer to text for these predictions.
• On nonfiction texts, students may be referred to
  specific text pages to answer some questions
  based on text features found there.
• Student completes reading text silently.
• Student completes remainder of Student Booklet
  independently. Student MAY refer to text for
  this portion of the assessment.

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Conducting the DRA2 (cont.)

• Step 3 Comprehension (cont.)
• In levels 40 and above
• Student completes Before Reading page of Student
  Booklet independently after reading portion of
  text indicated in Teacher Observation Guide.
  Student DOES NOT refer to text for these
  predictions.
• Student completes reading text silently.
• Student completes remainder of Student Booklet
  independently. Student MAY refer to text for
  this portion of the assessment.

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DVD Training Video

• Emergent Stage
• Level A Can You Sing?
• Level 1 What is Red?
• (K-3 Kit)

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What do I do when I have finished administering
the DRA with my class?

• Submit your DRA2 scores using the Class
  Reporting Form (found in Blackline Masters K-3
  p. 313 4-5 p. 284) to your literacy coach.
• Remember to fill in each of the columns.
• Literacy coaches will input your scores into an
  electronic database for you.
• Store all DRA assessments and attempts in each
  students folder. These folders will be passed on
  to a students future teachers.

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AIMSweb

• Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
• Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
• Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
• Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)