1. Derry Township School District Hershey, PA Assessment Informing Instruction in our Elementary Literacy Program Cindy GoldsworthyLori Dixon Director of Curriculum & InstructionIntermediate School Principal (4-5) David Lillenstein, Ed.D., NCSPKay Dull Director of Psychological Services Early Childhood Center Principal (K-1) Joseph McFarland Primary School Principal (2-3)

2. Overview Who we are… Where we are… What has changed… How we got there… Stages of development… The key to successful change… What’s next? What worked… Resources… Contact information…

3. Who we are… High School 9-12 Middle School 6-8 ECC K-1 Primary 2-3Intermediate 4-5 8.1% Low income 10.4% Special Education 3 Elementary principals 2 psychologists, 2 F/T interns 2 Literacy Coaches (K-3, 4-6) ECC (K-1) (24 Classroom Teachers) 1 Early Intervention Specialist & Aide 1 Intervention Specialist/IST & Aide Primary (2-3) (23 Classroom Teachers) 1 Intervention Specialist/Reading Specialist ½ Intervention Specialist/IST Intermediate (4-5) (22 Classroom Teachers) 1 Intervention Specialist/Reading Specialist ½ Intervention Specialist/IST & Aide 3500 Students K-12 1450 Students K-5

4. PSSA’s – 3 rd Grade - Reading

5. PSSA’s – 5 th Grade - Reading

6. Where we are… Elementary classroom teachers are meeting collaboratively to plan instruction, based on data analysis Students in need of additional supports are provided “boosting” –Intervention specialists –Flexible small groups –In addition to, not in place of… Proficiency plans are developed for all students deemed to be at some level of risk Classroom teachers are providing students with focused instruction on their instructional levels

7. What has changed… Teachers growing in the belief that they are the “first line of intervention” Teachers employing explicit instructional strategies More focus on phonics at the early grades –Systematically taught according to prescribed scope and sequence A deeper understanding of the role of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary A deeper understanding of the long term impact of problems in decoding An enhanced perspective on the importance of prevention, i.e., all kids can learn to read at proficient level or higher

8. How did we get there? Required involvement of all stakeholders –Not only a special education or regular education initiative, but a blended philosophy put into practice The merger of IDEIA and NCLB –RtI –Classroom as first line of intervention – prevention vs. remediation Heightened expectations and increased support to teachers

9. 2002-2003 – The Beginning Stages Attended PaTTAN DIBELS training w Roland Good PaTTAN & IU 15 consultants – DIBELS and supplemental intervention ideas DIBELS pilot with Learning Support and IST DIBELS and kindergarten screening Nibbles w DIBELS trainings – K-1 and SWAT DIBELS, IST, and Ch. 14 evaluations

10. New Elementary Literacy Program Initiated District committee, K-8, adopted Balanced Literacy as instructional framework 2003/04: Three on-site consultants from Rigby provided training, in class modeling –Throughout the year - over ___ days of training Literacy committee established to develop deeper levels of understanding and consistent and pervasive practices –Met 1X/month as a K-8 team Consultant follow up in 2004/05 – external Rigby consultants provided in class coaching – 90 days

11. 2003-2004 – DIBELS Unfolds DIBELS assessments K screening …. then 1 st … then 2 nd … then 3 rd All staff trained in purpose and administration SWAT team conducted benchmark assessments (School Workers Armed w Timers) Learning Support, Psychologists, or IST conducted progress monitoring Baseline data collection DIBELS reported in ERs and IEPs Began using RtI language and progress monitoring graphs Teachers focused on balanced literacy training and learning to group students for instruction at their instructional levels

12. 2003-2004 – Reading Interventions Expand Special Education – Tier 3 – Outcome drove change at Tier 1 and Tier 2 Read Naturally Project Read rebirth Corrective Reading REWARDS…. Regular education Phonemic Awareness for Young Children Road to the Code Reading to Read (repeated readings) Read Naturally….

13. 2003-2004 Preliminary Data Trends DIBELS Benchmark data – showed need for intervention in all grades Used data to investigate comprehensiveness of Rigby BL: Letter names vs. Letter sounds Sight word vs. Decoding skills Low fluency rates No RtI or decrease in skills as text difficulty increases Lack of systematic, explicit instruction

14. 2004-2005 – Rounding Out the Literacy Puzzle New Director of Curriculum & Instruction Curriculum Writing committee formed –Curriculum Mapper –Met throughout 2004/05 to design a written curriculum at each grade level Shared data trends based on DIBELS Administrative Literacy meetings – Literature Reviews to supplement BL training Articles - Torgeson, Lyon, Moats, Shaywitz, Adams, Beck, Vaughan, Fletcher… Books - Voice of Evidence (McCardle), Overcoming Dyslexia (Shaywitz), CORE materials National Reading Panel Websites – fcrr.org, Univ. of Oregon sites, etc. NASP literature

15. 2004-2005 – The Learning Continued… Trainings/Consultations – K-8 Literacy committee continued to meet monthly to study various aspects of literacy acquisition –Co-chaired by ECC Principal and Director of C & I Principals as instructional leaders IDA conferences – Philly and D.C. Susan Hall @ IU 13 PDE Annual Conference - Hershey Project Read K-5 – Joy Mackenzie PaTTAN workshops and teleconferences on RTI, progress monitoring, and reading Phone consults with CLSD Assessment Focus Group – investigated DRA and discrete assessment – reviewed literature, developed map DIBELS – expanded to 4 th …then 5th…then 6 th.. Susan Hall at DTSD – multiple days of training in preparation for 2005/06 school year

16. 2004-2005 - More Changes… Board presentations on DIBELS and Literacy 3 Tier Intervention model discussions Elementary schedule changes Designated time for reading instruction – flipped schedule Double Dipping model – more need = more time Classroom is 1 st line of intervention – huge role change!!role Data-based decision making – no more referrals – students identified by a team for intervention - based on data “IST” and “reading specialist” changed to “intervention specialist”

17. 2005-2006 – Assessment Informing Instruction Literacy Manual developed, shared with teachers Curriculum draft shared and revisions sought at grade level meetings Assessment MapMap DIBELS, CORE Phonics, STAR, Project Read Tests, 4Sight BL to bl - 5 Big Ideas of Reading becomes blbl Reading Interventions Project Read and Read Naturally in regular education classroom, PAYC, Road to the Code, Corrective Reading, etc. Homogeneous flexible Grouping based on data (pod mtgs)Grouping Benchmark vs. Strategic vs. Intensive

18. 2005-2006 continued… Data-based decision making – Data ProfilesData Profiles Data Review Mtgs., Pod Mtgs., Intervention Planning mtgs. IST changed to Intervention Team – for non-respondersIntervention 2 Literacy Coaches – K-3, 4-6 RtI trainings – K-5 staff, Board, parents

19. Trainings… Susan Hall – DIBELS data analysis and intervention Joy Mackenzie – Double Dipping, Project Read, structured multi-sensory language instruction Literacy Coaches – homogeneous grouping, small group individualized instruction, Project Read, PA training International Dyslexia Association – National Conference, Jack Fletcher IU 13 – Data Coach training (Wahlstrom process) PVAAS Psychologists – RtI, IDEIA – consulting w other districts Johns Hopkins University – 4Sight Assessments

20. Commitment District-Wide One voice heard! Support from District Office –Superintendent and Asst. Supt. Attended faculty meetings Met individually with small groups of teachers and individual teachers “Proficient is not prepared” “You don’t have to be sick to need to get better” Director of C & I and Principals –Meet frequently with staff, small groups, grade level teams, individual teachers –A constant focus on the change process – going to the next level

21. What’s Next ? (2005-2006 and beyond) Developing skill and independence of teachers to analyze reading problems –From forming to storming to norming, and then performing! Finalizing written curriculum in reading for implementation in 2006/07 Development of writing, spelling, vocabulary components of literacy program

22. And, also…. The (Ch 14) Evaluation is the Intervention Or…(if you prefer…) The Intervention is the (Ch 14) Evaluation… IQ only assessed when suspecting MR or Gifted Developing Line of Inquiry for Interventions Add to Tier 1 and Tier 2 tool box

23. What’s Next, con’t. Piloting AIMSweb MAZE Focus on Middle School reading program –Strengthen and enhance –Diagnostic and prescriptive model is goal –RtI at the middle school RtI for math, writing, gifted, S&L…

24. What worked… Keeping the focus on good instruction Keeping the focus on formative assessment and progress monitoring as a means of designing instruction Keeping the focus on prevention Keeping the focus on “all students can learn to read at proficient levels or higher by end of third grade”

25. Marriage of RtI and Good Instruction Principals focused teachers on “doing what works in their classrooms” as the impetus for the changes –Minimalized RtI, yet showed connections over time –Not about “keeping kids out of special education”, but about good instruction in the regular classroom Exceptional commitment by principals to support the sea of change

26. Helpful Books “I’ve DIBEL’d, Now What?” Susan Hall (Sopris West) “The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research”- McCardle & Chhabra Overcoming Dyslexia – Shaywitz Bringing Words to Life - Beck

27. More Books… Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice – Baumann & Kame’enui Fluency Instruction – Research- Based Practices Rasinski Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures – CORE Learning Response to Intervention – NASDSE

28. …and More Books…. Phonemic Awareness for Young Children – Brookes Road to the Code - Brookes Response to Intervention – Guilford

29. Helpful Websites… www.fcrr.org www.projectread.com www.aimsweb.com www.sedl.org www.progressmonitoring.org www.sopriswest.com www.aea11.k12.ia.us

30. More Websites… www.nationalreadingpanel.org www.interventioncentral.org http://reading.uoregon.edu/ http://dibels.uoregon.edu/ www.hershey.k12.pa.us/56039310111408/site/default.asp www.studentprogress.org www.texasreading.org/utcrla/

31. Yes…More Websites!! www.fsds.org http://oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu/ www.interdys.org http://www.nasponline.org/

32. More? www.grownetwork.com www.drc-web.com/reportdelivery https://solutions1.emetric.net/pssa/

33. Contact Information Cindy Goldsworthy Director of Curriculum & Instruction 717-534-2501 x3205 cgoldsworthy@hershey.k12.pa.us David Lillenstein, Ed.D., NCSP Director of Psychological Services 717-531-2277 x5436 dlillenstein@hershey.k12.pa.us Joseph McFarland Primary School Principal (2-3) 717-531-2277 x5202 jmcfarland@hershey.k12.pa.us Lori Dixon Intermediate School Principal (4-5) 717-531-2222 x5302 ldixon@hershey.k12.pa.us Kay Dull Early Childhood Center Principal (K-1) 717-531-2211 x6202 kdull@hershey.k12.pa.us