AIM for LiteracyAIM for Literacy
Solutions to Advance Adolescent Literacy in West Virginia
May 2008
West Virginia Department of Education
As promised…
West Virginia Department of Education
Who: Literacy Leadership Teams (LLT)
What: Webinar 2 LLT roles and responsibilities Year 1 of multi-tiered literacy instruction
When: May 28, 2008-Wednesday
Where: Any convenient location
April 16th PowerPoint presentation is available at http://wvde.state.wv.us/ose/RtI.html
“The challenge for the Literacy Leadership Team, then, is to set goals that can be enacted by all stakeholders, measured for progress and revisited yearly for revision.”
JoAnne Allain (2008)
KNOW
West Virginia Department of Education
DO
West Virginia Department of Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia Department of Education
AIM for Literacy
Meeting the Needs of All Learners through Tiered Instruction
West Virginia Department of Education
Levels of Support
Individual Students
Classroom Unit Professional Development
AdvancedTier
Students consistently exceed the targets and can handle advance materials; need challenge, extension and enrichmentAssessment: Assessment every 6-8 weeksMaterials: Standard plus reading 25 books per year; SREB recommends 100 pages of technical text to receive credit for one book
Students in the classroom are exceeding the benchmarks as demonstrated through assessment; teachers are models and resources for others; AP and Pre-AP trained teachers
Time: Policy 2510 RLA requirement
Advanced Placement training and material; Pre-AP instructional strategies and materials;Differentiated Instruction training;Training on adopted instructional materials;Instructional guides and/or standards-based unit plans;Assessments for and of learning
West Virginia Department of Education
Levels of Support
Individual Students
Classroom Unit Professional Development
Tier 1: Benchmar
k
Students generally can meet the standards; average learner
Intervention: Occasional in-class modifications; SBRR and SBRI in vocabulary and comprehension strategies
Assessment: Assessment every 6-8 weeks
Materials: Adopted grade level instructional materials plus reading 25 books per year; SREB recommends 100 pages of technical text to receive credit for one book
75-80% of students are making good progress; teachers need praise and recognition and may serve as a resource to others; all teachers
Time: Policy 2510 RLA requirement
SBRR and SBRI in pre reading, during reading and post reading strategies and writing strategies
Differentiated Instruction training
Training on adopted grade level instructional materialsInstructional guides and/or standards-based unit plans
Assessments for and of learning
West Virginia Department of Education
Levels of Support
Individual Students
Classroom Unit Professional Development
Tier 2:Strategic
Students are typically between the 30th-49th percentile on normative measures; 1-2 years behind; gaps in skills and knowledgeIntervention: Direct instruction with teacher or one-on-one in the form of reteaching, preteaching, adjustments of pace and complexity; separate reading intervention; possible strategic tutoring programAssessment: Assessment every 3-4 weeks to pinpoint problems and target interventionsMaterials: Standard reading program with added support class and materials plus reading 25 books per year; SREB recommends 100 pages of technical text to receive credit for one book
Classrooms where about one-third of the students are not making benchmarks (25-30%); reading specialists/special education teachers/coaches/content area teachers labeled literacy intensive classes (i.e., social studies class is considered reading intensive)
Time: Policy 2510 requirements for RLA block with defined intervention component
Collaboration and co-teaching trainingTraining on adopted grade level instructional materials
Differentiated Instruction trainingInstructional guides and/or standards-based unit plans
Content area teacher training on instructional strategies in reading and writingSBRR and SBRI: building background knowledge; vocabulary; fluency; comprehension strategies
Assessments for and of learning
West Virginia Department of Education
Levels of Support
Individual Students
Classroom Unit Professional Development
Tier 3:Intensive
Students test below the 30th percentile on normative measures; reading skills are limitedIntervention: Assessment every 2 weeks to pinpoint problems and target interventions
Materials: Intensive intervention to replace traditional ELA class; special supplementary materials and/or specialized program
Classrooms where about half of the students are not meeting benchmark indicators; teachers held accountable to teach the program as designed; reading specialist with assistance from special education/coach
Time: Extended time for literacy; usually are temporary replacement programs for grade-level ELA classes
Program specific training without exceptionTraining on adopted grade level instructional materialsDI trainingSBRR and SBRI: building background knowledge; vocabulary; fluency; comprehension strategies; writing strategies
Assessments for and of learning
Roles and Responsibilities of the LLT
Identifying Strengths and Challenges Literacy Capacity Survey
1. Give the Literacy Capacity Survey. 2. Collect results.3. Use as a planning guide for LLT.
Assess Student Needs1. Which assessment(s) will we use?
Large group tests as a “first cut” Assess all struggling students beyond the WESTEST to
determine specific needs (Tier 2 and 3)
2. Place students in appropriate tier.3. Determine movement in tiers.
What is the school-wide emphasis on adolescent literacy?
1. The administrator’s role in improving the school’s literacy opportunities is clearly evident.
2. School leaders encourage collegial decision making.
3. School leaders support integration of literacy instruction across the content areas.
4. School leaders and staff members believe the teaching of reading is their responsibility.
Literacy Capacity Survey and the World Café Process Groups sit around tables and discuss guiding
questions for a given amount of time. One person stays at the table the entire time to capture the conversation, then share with the next group.
When time is called, participants move to a new table with different individuals, hear about the previous conversation, then continue that group’s discussion.
At the end of several rounds, questions and ideas are recorded on a flip chart.
http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-worldcafe.html
Literacy Capacity Survey Based on your individual and/or team
results, what have you discovered? What strengths and needs are suggested?
What priorities emerge? What potential roadblocks do you see and
how will you overcome them? What are your next steps in the advancing
the process building literacy capacity at your school?
Determining Needs of Students Most large-group assessments provide a “first cut.”
WESTEST Schools need to collect further critical diagnostic
information to begin to understand their students’ literacy problems. Scholastic Reading Inventory - www.scholastic.com Gates-MacGinitie, Degree of Reading Power (DRP) Adopted text series test
Compile data and determine the number of classes needed for strategic and intensive students. Strategic students need targeted literacy instruction. Intensive students need comprehensive literacy
instruction. Communicate with parents.
Identifying Resources Tier 1 = Effective Instruction in ALL Classes
Standard based unit plans Instructional guides Research based vocabulary instruction Research based comprehension strategies Differentiated Instruction Rubrics Lexiles Assessment for learning
Identifying Resources Tier 2 – Strategic
All in Tier 1 Strategic tutoring Content specific reading and writing strategies
Tier 3 – Intensive All in Tier 1 Specialized training in specific programs (i.e.,
Wilson Reading)
Year 1 Implementation
Keys for Success
Year 1: 2007/2008
Conduct awareness sessions to build a culture of literacy in your school
Agree on what Tier I instruction is at the upper elementary and middle school levels
Research best practices for Tier 1 instruction Vocabulary, Comprehension, Fluency, Writing and
Motivation Analyze current Tier 1 instruction relative to best
practices Implement some new practices across the
curriculum Identify universal screening and progress
monitoring assessments
Challenges from the AIM Pilot Schools Changing teacher opinions about whose
responsibility it is to teach reading skills Convincing teachers to try new classroom
strategies without making it seem like “extra” work
Movement among tiers Differentiating instruction is more difficult than
one size fits all Teachers implementing strategies in isolation,
rather than seeing the strategies as a part of their teaching philosophy
Assessing in more than one way
Successes from the AIM Pilot Schools Students were given timely assessments
FOR learning and modifications were made to enhance learning.
Content class literacy instruction The following strategies have been
implemented this year: K-W-L, Frayer, Reading for a Purpose, Semantic Map, Word Sort, Quick Sketch, Venn Diagram, Anticipation Guide, RAFT, NICK, Word Map, Think Aloud.
Increase use of small group instruction Increased targeted instruction
Additional Resources
West Virginia Department of Education
National Association of Secondary School Principals
http://www.pricipals.org/s_nassp/bin.asp?CID=52747&DOC=FILE.pdf
Joann AllainSopris West$34.49
JoAnn AllainSopris West
Additional Resources
http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/reports/reading_next
Douglas Fisher & Gay IveyASCD
Additional Resources
http://lexile.com/EntrancePageHtml.aspx?1
“Improving adolescent literacy requires that this goal be shared and central to the mission for a school staff. Buy-in is not a one time ‘event’ but rather an ongoing process.”
Don Deshler (2006)
Next Steps Create a tentative LLT meeting
calendar. Conduct the Literacy Capacity
Survey. Start building your culture of literacy
at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year.
Next TimeWho: Literacy Leadership Teams (LLT)
What: Webinar 3 Strengthening the Core Program Universal Assessments
When: August 27, 2008 3:15-4:15 p.m.
Where: Any convenient location in your building
Contact Information
West Virginia Department of Education
Linda Palenchar
RTI Coordinator
Office of Special Programs, Extended and Early Learning
(304) 558-2696
Terry Reale
Reading English Language Arts Coordinator
Office of Instruction
(304) 558-5325