MASTERING READING INSTRUCTION A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR FIRST GRADE PROFESSIONALS

A Professional Development Research Project Studying First Grade Reading

"Teacher preparation should emphasize the competencies important to learning to read and a variety of methods for developing those competencies, with the idea that different instructional approaches may be appropriate for different children. It should not focus on a 'one- size-fits-all' method. " Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement

Haskins Laboratories  Research on speech and language  Defined reading as a linguistic activity  Discovered the importance of phonemic awareness  Brain research informing us about the reading systems of the brain

Early Reading Success  Research-to-practice feasibility study since 2000  We have trained over 30 mentors, including Haskins Fellows and Teacher Specialists  We have worked in 20 schools with more than 200 teachers  Project leaders and mentors have developed professional development modules and tools for teacher training

Key Components  Guided by scientific research  Comprehensive approach to reading  Focus on creating 'method-proof' teachers by building teacher knowledge  Professional development tailored to the needs and existing curricula of individual schools

US Department of Education  4 year Teacher Quality Grant  Focus on 1st grade reading instruction  Institute of Educational Science: New division to study educational research  National competition - 3 proposals selected  Research study to inform higher education and policy-makers about how teachers should be trained

Purpose This project will compare the value of professional development with and without the support of school- based mentors.

Scientific Study  Two conditions - each one will have between teachers.  All schools will receive the same professional development.  Mentor schools will have two mentors supporting pd. One will be a Haskins mentor and one will be a person from the school assigned to the project part-time by the principal.  Schools will be randomly assigned to the mentor or no mentor conditions and will remain there for two years.

Goals  Examine the associations between teacher knowledge, teacher practices and student reading achievement  Evaluate the importance of having expert mentors available to assist teachers in developing their knowledge of reading  Investigate the extent of changes in teacher knowledge and practices related to reading instruction over one or two year periods of professional development

Professional Development  Explicit, systematic instruction built over time  Summer orientation session before the school year  Professional development on literacy topics two full days during each year  School or district-based monthly workshops (two-three hours)  Individual teacher conferences and coaching in Mentor Schools  Sustained for two years

This PD will address:  normal reading development  curricular goals for reading instruction  importance of pacing in differentiating reading instruction  interpreting assessment results  choosing appropriate instructional methods  integrating key elements of literacy instruction into teaching practice  looking at student work and progress to guide instruction

Areas of Reading Instruction  Phonemic Awareness  Code Instruction (Phonics)  Fluency  Oral Language  Vocabulary  Comprehension

Resources Provided  Two sets of professional books and resources per school  Reading materials individually selected for school's and students' needs  Set of decodable books or hybrid readers to facilitate the transition to leveled books  Assessment of reading achievement of first grade students by Haskins evaluators twice each year

MRIn Team  Principal  First Grade Teachers  Literacy personnel  Literacy Specialists  Title 1 Coordinators, teachers  Special Education teachers  Speech/language teacher  Haskins Mentor and Teacher Specialist (Mentor Schools)

Participating Teachers  Work toward mastery of the reading components using a scope and sequence for knowledge and practice  Attend and participate in Haskins PD  Use information from PD to enhance classroom instruction  Use assessment to plan instruction  Welcome Mentor and Teacher Specialist into classrooms (in Mentor Schools) for modeling and coaching  Take a Teacher Knowledge and Attitude Survey

Haskins Mentor  Onsite 1-2 days per week  Apprentice Teacher Specialist in Haskins Model  Provide onsite PD tailored to the needs of the school's teachers and students  Model lessons, coach teachers  Interpret assessment and guide teachers to plan instruction and interventions based on data  Provide assistance in selecting and adapting instructional materials

Teacher Specialist  Apprentice with Haskins Mentor  Set up professional development and grade level meetings  Act as teacher liaison and monitor teacher practice  Practice model lessons (not small-group instruction)  Devote approximately 15 hours per week to the job

Mentor as Coach  Non-judgemental  Non-evaluative  Supporter and cheerleader

Connecticut Blueprint Framework for Instruction

Reading-Related Competencies What do first-grade children need to know in order to be successful in reading?  Word identification  Fluent and accurate reading in context  Comprehension  Spelling  Writing

Teacher Competencies 1. Effective K-3 teachers of literacy have a broad knowledge base about areas essential to effective literacy instruction.

Teacher Knowledge  Understand the relationship between oral language and literacy  Know the stages and processes of children's development in literacy areas  Understand the nature of written English  Have knowledge about diverse learners  Know about reading research

Teacher Competencies 2. Effective K-3 teachers of literacy can teach important aspects of literacy well to a wide range of students.

They can teach:  word-identification skills  fluent and accurate word identification in context  comprehension, in both listening and reading  spelling  writing  and manage classroom instruction  and effectively use technology in instruction

Teacher Competencies 3. Effective K-3 teachers of literacy can assess children's competencies in key areas of literacy.

They can  administer and interpret measures of literacy routinely used with all children  administer and interpret screening and diagnostic measures designed to identify children with reading disabilities  informally assess children's competencies in word id, fluency, comprehension, spelling and writing  use knowledge about developmental stages and processes to assess children's performance and improve instruction  use the results of assessment to improve instruction

Teacher Competencies 4. Effective K-3 teachers of literacy can motivate a broad range of children to read and write.

"Experienced teachers should be provided with a variety of opportunities for professional development to help them stay current with research findings in their field. These opportunities should include not only in-service training, but also the chance to attend professional conferences, to engage in research, to visit model programs, to seek mentoring from other educators or to provide such mentoring and continued support while attempting to implement new ideas and programs into the classroom." Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement