READING FIRST IN ACTION

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READING FIRST IN ACTION

• Knowing and Acting A Practical 8-Week System to
  Improve Achievement
• By Betsy Eaves and Jessica Evans

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Introductions

• Expectations
• What are your expectations?
• Needs
• What are your most pressing needs?

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Setting the Stage for a Cycle of Improvement

• This is a BOTH/AND system
• Interweaving BOTH the Assurances AND the Key
  Elements
• BOTH working in a system AND as an individual
• BOTH being accountable to the students AND to the
  teachers

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Review the Reading First Assurances

• Discuss concerns and strategies
• Agree on next steps for self and staff

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Review Key Elements

• Discuss concerns and strategies
• Agree on next steps for self and strategies for
  working with staff

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Using the System toImprove Achievement

• Developing a System for
• Immediate Improvement

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Systems in Reading First

• Comprehensive program with support for learning
  levels
• Data based on program
• Collaborative and collegial actions with explicit
  goals
• Site-based professional development
• Content knowledgeable leadership
• Coherent and active district support

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Use Data to Develop Focus Area for Improving
Learning

• Student Learning Data
• Instructional Minutes
• Pacing Schedule
• Coherent and Focused Instruction
• Assessing Teaching as a Factor of Student Success

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Content Knowledge and Developing a Focus

• Who and what do you list?
• What types of actions need to be developed to
  improve specific learning areas?
• Do your teachers understand that by teaching well
  and consistently it is possible to reduce the
  learning gap?

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UnderstandingTeaching and Learning

• What is an activity?
• Activities look like learning but do not have a
  set of critical concepts and skills.
• Activities may be used as an instructional tool
  if the use is outcome specific.

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• What is instruction?
• What is the expected learning?
• How will you know that the students have learned?
• What is the agreed level of rigor?
• How will the student be taught this concept or
  skill?

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Develop Site-Level Focus to Improve Achievement

• Setting a specific goal for improving instruction
  ( of students at benchmark)
• Identification of concept/skill area actions
• Implementation of instructional agreements
  (actions) in the area of focus
• Follow-up support and site-based professional
  development

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What do you Need to Know?

• How, where, when are the following taught?
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics/decoding
• Oral Fluency
• Vocabulary learning strategies
• Comprehension strategies
• Writing process strategies

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Implementation of Specific Strategies

• During whole group instructional time
• Increase consistent oral engagement by all
  student groups
• Scaffold instruction to engage specific students
  in learning concepts/skills

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Intensive Small Group Instruction

• Implementation/organization of universal access
  workshop time
• Pre-teaching and re-teaching
• Additional intervention lessons for students
  identified at-risk (grades 2 and 3)

New Reduction Referral Program for 2004-05
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Focusing theWork of the Coach

• The challenge of Reading First is to learn to
  effectively use the tools for improvement.

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What is Role of the Coach?

• What are your agreements?
• What is the system for communication?
• Are you doing the dance together?
• How do you keep the role of the coach clear?
• What actions are likely to benefit the
  teachers/students?
• What actions are likely to cause problems?

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What Resources are Available to Ensure Progress

• Collaborative planning and action agreements
• Effective use of curricular coaching and support
• Consistent expectations based on training and use
  of resources
• Keeping the idea of the differences between an
  activity and instruction as your continual inquiry

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Creating a Vision

• The work of the school is serving the needs of
  students to be successful as academic learners.
• What is the role of the teachers in achieving
  this vision?
• What is the role of the coach?
• What is the role of the district?
• What is the role of leader of the school?