SAU #44 LITERACY COMMITTEE

 

SAU #44 has a Literacy Committee that meets regularly to provide input to the superintendent, principals and staff regarding literacy and curriculum.  Over the past year, they have developed a number of documents.  For more information on the work of the committee, contact Robert Koenig at rkoenig@nhsau44.org.

 

Role Descriptions for SAU #44’s Literacy Committee

 

It takes a community of dedicated educators and school board members to improve student learning.  It is our expectation that all stakeholders will participate in on-going professional development in literacy designed to enhance student learning. Each has an important role to play and contribution to make in this effort. 

The Role of District Administration - District administration (superintendents, curriculum and special education directors) are charged with the responsibility of leading their learning communities. Communication between the district office and schools is critical in assisting school staff in developing their own individual plans under the larger umbrella of the district.

As an intermediary between the state and individual schools, central office leaders ensure that the state’s mandates are carried out in a manageable way by assisting each school in its on-going efforts. Emphasis must be placed on developing professional expertise in principals and teachers to aid in the attainment of high learning expectations.

District leaders will:

·        set a mission and vision for the district;

·        set clear goals for instruction/learning;

·        share ideas, programs, professional development with educators;

·        encourage and ensure systemic processes of intervention, assessment and monitoring student progress; and

·        promote building administrators’ learning by offering and attending professional development sessions.

 

The Role of Building Level Administration - The building administration (principal, assistant-principal) is the primary change agent; they are instrumental in setting the vision and tone for the school, its goals, and mission. As the instructional leader of the school, the principal’s role is to work with the faculty and staff in setting the vision for learning and academic and social goals for all students.

 

As an instructional leader who believes in the ability of every young reader and writer, the building administration:

·        builds personal understanding of how students learn to read and write and shares that knowledge with others;

·        promote faculty learning by offering and attending professional development sessions offered;

·        is visible in the classrooms, alert to how every teacher uses every minute to make a difference for every student;

·        makes structural and instructional decisions based on supporting student learning;

·        sees ongoing assessment as the key to informed instruction;

·        empowers reflective teachers to experiment with new instructional practices, then learn through their teaching; and

·        fosters the development of building leaders to support the literacy effort, including the development of the literacy/instructional leadership team.  This team will review the data on student academic performance, identify priorities and set clear performance goals, make decisions regarding instruction, maximize resources to support school goals, design implementation strategies, and assess progress.

The Role of Classroom Teacher - When it comes to supporting student success, the research is clear; it is the classroom teacher who makes the difference in students’ reading performance.  He/she is the primary instructor and is responsible for direct, systematic and effective reading instruction.

Content area and related arts teachers ensure that effective literacy instructional practices are integrated into their subject-specific instruction, so that they:

·        understand how reading instruction interacts with their subject areas;

·        understand what readers do to make sense of a variety of text (for example; a novel, history text, science article, website, or mathematical word problem);

·        ensure that students have mastered and flexibly used a repertoire of tools and strategies to be applied across all content areas;

·        ensure that students are exposed to the best possible samples -- those just-right texts and critical documents that can ignite genuine interest and curiosity about their subject matter; and

·        learn and apply the instructional skills and strategies that will support each student in his/her literacy learning, content knowledge, and ability to access information.

The Role of Special Educators - Special educators are instrumental members of the literacy team who focus their attention on students with identified special education needs. Special educators provide support to students and are charged with making sure that at-risk students obtain a high quality education.

Special educators are responsible for collaboratively working with paraprofessionals and classroom teachers to meet student IEP goals and objectives.  They should:

 

·        be a key resource for providing curricular adjustments and strategies to meet the needs of students who learn differently or who may need support and scaffolding to demonstrate what they know;

·        be trained in a wide variety of skills, materials, and strategies;

·        diagnose and match student needs with appropriate methods;

·        use informal and formal assessments, including student work samples or reading inventories to inform their instruction;

·        systematically monitor progress which is critical for on-going assessment of student growth; and

·        use reliable data to drive instruction for all students.

The Role of Reading/Literacy Specialists - In supporting an effective schoolwide literacy plan, the reading (or literacy) specialist assumes a variety of roles and responsibilities.  The reading specialist works directly with students, supporting, supplementing, and enriching the learning of reading, with a primary focus on struggling readers. The specialist works directly with teachers as a coach and mentor.  It is important to note that the support offered by the reading specialist supplements, but does not supplant, classroom instruction.

 

In a 2000 position statement, the International Reading Association (IRA) recommends that a reading specialist has roles in three specific areas.

·        Instruction: reading specialists are expected to “support, supplement and extend classroom teaching.”

·        Assessment: reading specialists have “specialized knowledge of assessment and diagnosis that is vital for developing, implementing, and evaluating literacy programs in general, and in designing instruction for individual students”.  They are expected to “assess the reading strengths and needs of students and provide that information to classroom teachers, parents, and specialized personnel…in order to provide an effective reading program”.

·        Leadership: reading specialists “provide leadership and serve as a resource to other educators, administrators, parents, and the community.”

The Role of Title I Teachers - Teaching collaboratively in general classroom settings, Title I teachers target their instruction to students who demonstrate, through progress monitoring, that they need additional support and instruction to be better able to keep up with their peers. It is critical to remember that Title I services are in addition to, not a replacement for, general classroom instruction.  The Title I teachers will:

 

·        closely monitor and evaluate the specific reading needs of their students to target instruction to those needs; expert diagnosis and on-going assessment is critical to student growth;

·        use a variety of teaching methodologies to meet the needs of either the entire class or specific identified students. These include parallel instruction, small group instruction, mini-lessons, individual conferences, center work, and reading workshops;

·        analyze student work in a supportive, “critical friends” atmosphere to help identify the specific needs of their students.

The Role of Paraprofessionals - Paraprofessionals support struggling readers in inclusive classrooms. Working with identified students, paraprofessionals:

 

·        understand inclusionary practices and possess knowledge of different forms of classroom instruction and effective instructional modifications;

·        deliver instruction developed by the teacher(s) and special educator(s), observe the students’ response, and give suggestions related to further learning opportunities;

·        understand inclusionary practices and possess knowledge of different forms of classroom instruction and effective instructional modifications;

·        have the skills and time necessary to communicate with their partner teachers, both informally and during scheduled team meetings;

·        maintain student records, when applicable; and

·        participate in professional development opportunities designed to enhance their learning.

The Role of Library Media Specialists - The school library media specialist plays a significant role in literacy development.  The library media specialists:

 

·        provide a varied, non-graded collection of materials which reflect students’ personal interests;

·        ensure the acquisition, organization, and dissemination of resources to support the school reading program;

·        work cooperatively with teachers in selecting materials and collaboratively planning activities that offer students an integrated approach to learning;

·        offer suggestions for appropriate leveled reading for each student across all content areas;

·        supplement classroom instruction with appropriate literacy materials;

·        receive on-going professional development in the area of reading instruction and assessment; and

·        deliver literacy instruction

 

Shared Beliefs about Learning and Literacy

 

A “literacy-rich” community, provided and supported by all stakeholders, conveys to students that reading is an important, meaningful, life-long pursuit.  Engagement in literate activities is not relegated to a brief period during the school day, but rather is offered to students through real reading and writing encounters throughout the day.

 

In SAU 44’s literacy-rich community, all learners deserve:

 

·  Teachers who are invested in their students’ learning.

·  To be acknowledged and valued as readers, writers, thinkers, and oral communicators.

·  Reflective teachers whose evidence-based instructional practices are student-centered (*Follow the   Child), explicit, authentic, collaborative, effective, and always challenging.

·  To learn to read, write, and speak in caring communities that value literacy.

·  To have high and clearly articulated expectations supported by informed leaders who dedicate resources to their success.

·  To be provided with a literacy program that is balanced and delivered effectively and efficiently in whole group, small group, and, individual instruction, which includes word study, shared reading, independent reading, writing, and conversation.

Independent reading with clear expectations and meaningful purposes, as defined by the curriculum, including a wide array of “just-right” books.

·  Daily literacy strategy instruction which is explicit, systematic, effective, and in context across all grades and content areas. Students deserve the opportunity to develop literacy proficiency and self-confidence by practicing with engaging, accessible, and appropriate materials.

·  A collaborative learning team (i.e., all faculty) to build on what a student knows and can do; to use the data provided by ongoing and frequent assessment, to drive academically rigorous instruction personalized to the needs of each learner (Follow the Child).

·  Instruction necessary to insure that they become proficient and responsible in the use of 21^st century technology tools to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information within the context of core subjects.

·  Teachers who learn not only through their own teaching but also from thoughtful participation in ongoing high-quality, job-embedded professional development opportunities.

·  Deserve to have at least one selected piece of writing published in a way to be determined by the school.

 

All struggling readers and writers deserve:

 

·  more time and more intensive targeted instruction by highly qualified and effective teachers;

·  the early and proactive intervention essential for each student’s success; and

·  instruction designed to accelerate progress and help them to reach 21^st century standards.

 

FOLLOW THE CHILD is a New Hampshire Department of Education initiative to ensure that students learn today, graduate tomorrow, and prepare for the future by supporting their personal, social, physical, and academic growth.

 

Instruction and Assessment

 

The educators of SAU #44 agree with the authors of the New Hampshire Literacy Action Plan that “focused instruction will make a difference in our classrooms”.  Focused teaching means that teachers need to know the following things:

 

• the strengths and weaknesses of each student, as  identified through assessments;
• appropriate instructional strategies and resources to employ with students; and
• methods to develop and implement classroom structures, routines and tools that allow for daily targeted instruction in reading and writing

 

Teachers who use focused instructional practices are effective and efficient.  They approach each day, and each class, with a purpose and a plan.  With the appropriate infrastructure in place, teachers can use the resources of their professional learning community for support.

 

An Assessment-Driven Tiered Model of Instruction and Intervention

 

Timely assessment drives effective instruction.  The key to providing responsive instruction is assessing each student’s reading skills. Many assessment tools can be used to evaluate a student’s reading. Some work in a large group setting, while others require individual testing in order to pinpoint a specific reading problem. When students fall below expectations, diagnostic assessments help identify specific areas of need. 

 

Teachers need to begin with the fundamentals: Can students comprehend the text?  Do they demonstrate phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and fluency? Do they have sight word vocabulary and knowledge of word meanings?  If not, can the specific problem be isolated?  The five key elements of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel are phonemic awareness, systematic, explicit phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

 

We recommend each student be screened in early fall using an instrument that is user friendly - quick to administer, score; and understand (such as DIBELS, NWEA, TPRI, etc).  This information is helpful for instructional sub-grouping.  Students approaching grade level can take a more comprehensive inventory, using the same assessment instrument (DIBELS, NWEA, TPRI, etc).

 

Based on information gained from screening, diagnostic, on-going formative benchmarks and summative assessments, all students, including struggling readers of all grade levels, will receive rigorous, standards-based instruction that reflects the five key areas of reading. Working together, teachers, specialists, and paraprofessionals can implement a successful, comprehensive reading program that meets the needs of every student in SAU #44.

 

Tier One: Core Instruction

 

All students must have access to an engaging, rigorous, standards-based curriculum and direct instruction. In grades K- 5, all students should have experiences in reading that include the five key areas of reading, authentic literature, and reading in the content areas.  All students, including middle and high school students, need to receive daily, direct, focused instruction in their grade level curriculum.  Students need to be taught phonemic analysis, systematic explicit phonics, and the strategies necessary to monitor their own reading and understanding of the text.  Effective teachers use formal and informal assessments to group students for instruction and differentiate instruction.

 

Tier Two: Supplemental Targeted Instruction (small groups)

 

Students need targeted, direct instruction and support from teachers.  For example, in the early grades, students need additional support in the basics skills of phonemic awareness, fluency, and language development.  In middle and high school, students need additional help in developing and using metacognitive strategies, as well as some reinforcement of those early reading skills applied to their higher level texts.  This targeted instruction is in addition to the core instruction and can occur in multiple ways and settings, including support in the regular classroom, an additional class, or a before or after school program.  These efforts need to be documented before a student is referred to tier three.

 

Tier Three: Intensive Instruction (small groups or one on one)

 

Students who are far behind their peers may need very intensive instruction that addresses specific needs in order for them to accelerate their learning.  These students may need additional support in some of the fundamental reading skills to be able to access grade level texts.  Highly trained reading professionals need to use very specific assessments in order to determine the needs of this group.  This level of support may require a 1:1 ratio or very small group instruction.  Formal objectives may be established for the student.  Students with disabilities may receive special education services. Teachers will use assessment results to organize and focus instruction.

 

Individuals who would like more information about the curriculum can click on the appropriate grade(s).