Welcome to Reading First! From the Professional Development Architects Dr. Sharon Walpole University of Delaware Dr. Michael McKenna University of Virginia

Today’s Goals Learn about the aspects of a comprehensive reading reform initiative Learn about the characteristics of effective school leadership in RF Revisit the roles of an LC Make a plan for getting started at your school

Goal 1 Learn about the aspects of a comprehensive reading reform initiative

Reading First relies on... Assessment and Intervention Classroom instruction School-level organization District-level support Federal guidance and monitoring

At all levels, this means Professional Development Instructional Materials Assessment Systems Intervention Accountability

Professional Development During Grant Writing

Professional Development for Literacy Coaches and Principals  State-level conferences  Frequent visits and support from state staff members  Materials for teaching best practices to teachers  Materials developed by the Architects and placed online  Professional books, esp. those recommended by the Architects

Professional Development for Teachers Differentiated Coaching Training in Core Materials Teacher Academies

Procedures for Selecting Instructional Materials Identify essential components for instruction to heterogeneous groups, needs-based groups, and intervention groups Consider commercial materials to help teachers teach components explicitly and systematically Consider outside evaluations and ratings Conduct inside evaluations and ratings

Once the materials are chosen Use experts, consultants, and close analyses to specify how, when, and why the materials will be used in all classrooms Which parts? How much time? What grouping configurations?

Once the materials are used Use observations to assess individual teacher’s fidelity to the model in the school Provide support Use student achievement data to assess the match of the materials to the student’s needs Provide support

Assessment systems As you know, four types of assessments are used in Reading First. They make it possible to plan and provide instruction that is truly based on the needs of the children you serve!

Types of Tests Type of TestWhat does it do?Examples? Screening Provides a quick indication of problem areas. Diagnostic Provides detailed information on skill deficits, once a screening test has identified a problem. Progress Monitoring Quick method of gauging student growth; periodically administered; similar to screening test. Outcome Used to measure long-term progress, usually at the classroom, school, and state levels.

Intervention Systems Interventions are programs designed for literacy acceleration: Instruction that enables struggling readers to make rapid progress and read as well as or better than their peers not struggling in reading.(Duffy, 2001)

Characteristics of Interventions Multiple Entry Points Feedback and Engagement Progress Monitoring Intensive Focus Temporary Duration Small group size

Accountability to the GARF Model StateFederal Monitors External Evaluation Regional StaffQuality/Quantity of support to LCs District StaffBudgeting decisions Literacy CoachesTime inside classrooms Time outside classrooms TeachersFidelity to model

What questions do you have about the model in general?

Goal 2 Learn about the characteristics of effective school leadership in Reading First

Successful School Reform is …  Specific The program is sufficiently detailed.  Powerful The program produces results.  Authoritative Leadership is involved and informed.  Consistent The program is uniformly implemented.  Stable The program is not changed without reason. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72,433–479.

What problems do you foresee in making sure your school has these characteristics?  Specific The program is sufficiently detailed.  Powerful The program produces results.  Authoritative Leadership is involved and informed.  Consistent The program is uniformly implemented.  Stable The program is not changed without reason. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented? Review of Educational Research, 72,433–479.

Joseph Murphy, in Leadership for Literacy: Research-Based Practice, PreK-3 (2003, Corwin Press), summarizes key qualities possessed by principals of schools where achievement is strong. The Effective RF Principal

Setting Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Has a more child-centered visionHas a more adult-centered vision Sets manageable, realistic goalsFavors broad goals Sees student performance as centralLikes to see things run smoothly Expresses goals in measurable termsExpresses goals vaguely Uses goals for planningRefers rarely to goals Asks parents & staff to help set goalsLimits goal setting input

Communicating Goals The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Periodically reviews & discussesInfrequently discusses goals Actively clarifies goalsRarely clarifies goals Has teachers who know goalsHas teachers unfamiliar with goalsHas teachers who see themselves as good instructorsas good managers & colleagues

Promoting Quality Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Insists on certain teaching strategiesHas less focus on methods Favors interactive teachingIs content with less interaction Assigns teachers on the basis ofAssigns teachers bureaucratically improving achievement

Supervising Instruction The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Relies little on formal observationsValues formal observations Values informal visits and meetingsRarely makes informal visits Often reads about instructionSeldom reads about instruction Often provides specific feedbackSeldom provides specific feedback Counsels and assists poor teachersLess likely to confront poor teachers

Allocating Instructional Time The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Carefully sets time allocationsLess likely to set time allocations Coordinates time allocationsLess likely to have uniform schedule across teachers Schedules more instructional andLess likely to favor instructional over fewer non-instructional activitiesnon-instructional activities Insists on time for basicsLess likely to ensure their coverage Protects uninterrupted blockLess likely to preserve block

Coordinating the Curriculum The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is highly involved in curriculumIs less involved in curriculumalignment Is concerned with the continuityTends not to focus on continuityof curriculum from grade to grade

Monitoring Student Progress The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Supports testing programsViews testing as a necessary evil Provides test results to teachersIs less timely in reporting results In a timely mannerto teachers Discusses results with groups andIs less likely to discuss results individual teachers Encourages teachers to use testDoes not emphasize the connection results to plan instructionbetween testing and teaching

Setting Expectations The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Holds adults accountable for studentDoes not hold others accountable learning outcomes Requires mastery of grade-levelIs more likely to socially promote skills for promotion to next gradestudents

Being Visible The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is often out of the officeSpends large amounts of time in the office Makes an effort to move aboutIs less mobile the campus and in and out of classrooms

Providing Incentives The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Recognizes teachers with rewardsSeldom acknowledges teachers such as  distributing leadership  showing personal interest  making public acknowledgements  giving private praise Ensures that student rewards areIs less concerned about student frequent and they they go to a large rewards percentage of students Focuses rewards on achievement Is less likely to reward achievement

Promoting PD The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is more likely to be directly involvedOften avoids PD sessions in PD activities Follows up by ensuring that PD Is unlikely to follow up PD methods are implemented Cobbles temporary coalitionsIs not adept at working with of teachers to help implementteacher groups to implement Encourages professional dialogueIs indifferent to dialogue Helps teachers attend conferencesResists conference attendance

Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Works with teachers to developIs less focused on management skills classroom management skills Establishes a clear and consistentFails to set up a clear policy disciplinary policy Enforces discipline fairly andMay be inconsistent in enforcing consistentlydiscipline Involves teachers and studentsSets rules independently In setting rules

Creating a Safe & Orderly Learning Environment The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Confronts problems quickly andIs tentative and indecisive forcefully Supports teachers with disciplineIs unsympathetic to teachers with problemsdiscipline problems

Promoting Collaboration The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Encourages teamwork and Allows teachers to function collaborative effortsindependently Gives faculty a formal role in Excludes teachers from decision decision makingmaking Informally seeks teachers’ ideasIs indifferent to the ideas and and opinionsopinions of teachers

Securing Outside Resources The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Is skilled at influencing districtReacts to district decisions decision making about resources Actively seeks resourcesIs passive about finding resources Assertively recruits the bestFollows standard hiring teachers (even from other schools)procedures Allocates money based on goalsMakes allocations based on other factors

Linking Home and School The More-Effective Principal The Less-Effective Principal Communicates with parents on aInfrequently communicates with regular basisparents Involves parents in school activitiesIs more likely to ignore parent participation Establishes programs that promoteFails to facilitate parent-teacher parent-teacher interactioninteraction Promotes the school toDoes not participate in community community groupsgroups Provides ways parents can learnDoesn’t about school and help their children

Which qualities of the principal relate to reading achievement?  Principal’s race  Principal’s sex  Number of years as a principal  Number of years as a classroom teacher  Knowledge about reading – Kean et al. (1979), What Works in Reading? (Federal Reserve Bank Study)

Which qualities of the principal relate to reading achievement?  Principal’s race  Principal’s sex  Number of years as a principal  Number of years as a classroom teacher  Knowledge about reading – Kean et al. (1979), What Works in Reading? (Federal Reserve Bank Study)

Goal 3 Revisit the roles of the LC.

Literacy Coach LearnerManagerPlanner Curriculum Expert ResearcherTeacher

Literacy Coaches are Learners Learn about reading development –Engaged and active participation in all levels of professional development –Self-directed reading of professional materials –Self-directed networking

Literacy Coaches are Learners Learn about professional development –Engaged and active participation in all levels of professional development –Self-directed reading of professional materials –Self-directed networking

Literacy Coaches are Grant Writers and Site Managers Understand and review federal guidelines Keep careful record of budgeting decisions and professional development activities Collaborate with district personnel to provide reports Manage site visits

Literacy Coaches are School- Level Planners Work with administrators to build school-level schedules to protect time for classroom instruction and intervention –Both whole-group and needs-based time Work with administrators to plan time for small-group and whole-school professional development Work with administrators and teachers to direct specialists and paraprofessionals Work with teachers to build classroom schedules

Literacy Coaches are Curriculum Experts Learn about core curriculum and intervention materials –Extensive personal review of manuals –Research of program reviews –Interaction with publisher’s representatives –Observe curriculum in action

Literacy Coaches are Researchers Design, schedule and manage data collection Interpret and share data with all stakeholders Assess fidelity to school-wide model through observations Assess relationship of fidelity to student achievement Propose changes in school-level plan based on these analyses

Literacy Coach as Teacher Arrange for training in core program materials Provide outside-the-classroom professional development through presentations and study groups Provide inside-the-classroom professional development through modeling and observation-feedback

What strengths do you bring? Learner Manager Planner Curriculum Expert Researcher Teacher

How will you EVER learn all of this stuff? Listen to Cece, a two-year veteran of Literacy Coaching projects/garf/Cece.htm

Whew! Serving in all these roles will require real organization. LCs need to think carefully about their own schedules if they are to accomplish all they need to. Let’s look at some possibilities...

A sample LC schedule: Week 1 AmGrade Level Professional Development Sessions Grade Level Professional Development Sessions Observations Work with Materials PmGrade Level Professional Development Sessions Set agenda for next Grade Level Meetings Prepare Whole School Session Write up Observations Work with Materials ASProgram Administration Program Administration Whole School Professional Development Meet with Individuals re Observations Meet with Individuals re Observations

A sample LC schedule: Week 2 AmObservations Organize Materials and Data PmWrite up Observations Prepare Whole School Session Write up Observations Prepare for Professional Development ASMeet with Individuals re observations Whole School Professional Development Meet with Individuals re observations Prepare for Professional Development

Goal 4 Make a plan for getting started at your school.

What’s on your to-do list?  Understanding your grant  Understanding your core program  Planning whole-group and needs- based instruction  Planning assessments  Planning professional development

Understanding your grant

1. Make a chart Who?Key Responsibilities Classroom Teachers Principal District Rep Special Educators

Sample (LC Handbook, pp ) Times Fall Year 1- Spring Year 2 Task Conduct whole-school, after-school professional development session one hour each month Conduct small-group, after-school professional development sessions two days each month Conduct two in-school professional development sessions each month for each grade level team Conduct six formative observations of instruction for each teacher Establish professional development library Team Literacy Coach Principal Assistant Principal

2. Decide how to “do” your grant Review your understandings with your Regional Specialist. Remind administrators of the shared commitment Use preplanning to remind teachers of shared commitment Present to School Board and parents Present quarterly updates

3. Get acquainted with your core program Conduct a personal review of every grade level’s manuals with the LC Handbook’s Descriptive Template (p. 133) Pay special attention to any placement or progress-monitoring tests and any materials intended for needs-based use

Check for other review information to identify potential strengths and weaknesses

Consider other ways to learn about the program in action Can consultants help? Are there videos? Are there schools using the program that you can call or visit?

Decide what “stuff” must be stored, displayed, and used in each classroom Make a checklist for your teachers Make sure everyone has what he or she needs

4. Plan time for whole-group and needs-based instruction: Think about time Phonemic Awareness DecodingFluencyVocabularyComprehension Strategies Writing K 20%10%20%30%10% 1 20% 10%20% 2 10%30%10%30%20% 3 30%

5. Then think about groupings Phonemic Awareness DecodingFluencyVocabularyComprehension Strategies KNeeds-Based GroupWhole Group and Needs-Based Group Whole Group 1Needs-Based GroupWhole Group and Needs-Based Group Whole Group and Needs- Based Group Whole Group 2Intervention OnlyNeeds-Based Group Whole Group and Needs- Based Group Whole Group And Needs-Based Group 3Intervention OnlyWhole Group and Needs- Based Group

6. Think about support How can it be managed? –Push-in programs? –Paraprofessionals? –Circle-Seat-Center rotations? What will teachers need to be successful? –Routines? –Materials? –Modeling?

7. Plan for assessment Decide who will assess Get your school-level calendar with all vacations and events Find out when the required assessments will be due Schedule trainings and due dates

8. Plan professional development Make a strict schedule During the day for grade-level teams? After school for the entire staff? On release days? Start with the CORE!!!! Will you have consultants come during preplanning? How can you help teachers set up their rooms so that they have what they need?

Make direct connections between the summer trainings and your core Make sure that all of your attention is directed to giving everyone the support needed to start teaching

AreaFocus Priorities

Although RF has many components, and although you may feel a bit overwhelmed at first, it’s important to take the plunge and get started. And remember …

You don’t have to change everything to change anything.