Steve Underwood, Ed.D .

1. The Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Act:Background, Influence on the State, and Applicable New Learning Steve Underwood, Ed.D.

2. Historical Overview

3. Reading Study Committee (1997) • Learning to read is the most important and challenging skill taught in elementary school. • Forty percent of fourth graders in school in Idaho were reading below grade level. • The numbers of poor and/or non-readers in the state and in the nation are too high. • For all young children to reach their potential as readers, there must be a collaborative effort on the part of parents, educators and community members. • The knowledge and technology is available to help every child achieve his or her birthright… to become a successful reader. • A variety of initiatives need to be carried out to guarantee every Idaho child’s right to read. (Barr et al., 2002, p. 2)

4. Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Act(ICLA; aka, Idaho Reading Initiative) Three spheres within the educational system: • Schools • Pre-service teacher training programs • In-service teacher/administrator training And… • “Legislative intent” that curricular materials would be aligned

5. ICLA – The School • Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) • All students in K-3 • No less than twice per year (was F-W-S until Recession) • Determine reading skills and screen for academic risk • Intervention to lowest performing students • Diagnostic assessment • 40 hours for all 1’s • Funding to support intervention • State reporting requirements • Public reporting of school level results • Made public on ISDE's website • Reported to the state board, the legislature, and the governor

6. ICLA – Preservice Programs • Required that courses, offerings, and graduation requirements were consistent with ICLA • Passing score on assessment for K-8 candidates required for certification (demonstration of teaching skills and knowledge of current research) • Annual Report of programs by the State Board of Education to the legislature and the governor (# of pre-service teachers taking and passing the assessment).

7. ICLA – Inservice Educators 3-credit (or 45 hour) state-approved reading instruction course for recertification required of: • K-8 teachers • Administrators of K-8 programs • Title I teachers • Special education teachers

8. ICLA – Goals by 2006… At or above grade level: (Set as increasing benchmarks from 2004)

9. Successes by 2003 • Reading achievement gains seen in IRI • Higher reading standards (better alignment with national norms on ITBS) • Useful, accessible assessment data • Early literacy as a state and local emphasis

10. Challenges by 2003 • Concerns regarding school instructional design (i.e., tracking) • Concerns about pre-service assessment of knowledge/skills • First grade challenges • Grades 2-6 emphasis needed • Need for more professional development and resources (academies) • Concerns for intervention needs in middle/high school • Reading achievement of poor/minority students

11. Recommendations by 2003 • Improve reading achievement for all students (especially among subpopulations of at-risk students) • Provide professional development for teachers of reading in research-based instruction • Provide professional development for teachers of reading in research-based practices related to assessing phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary • Provide curricula and materials to educators in grades kindergarten through three that explicitly teach the key components of reading

12. Assessment Change in 2007

13. Influence of lessons learned from ICLA • Reading First • School Improvement Efforts • Response to Intervention (RTI) • Statewide System of Support

14. Reading First in Idaho (local level) • Research-based curricular materials • 90 minute reading block • Comprehensive assessment plan (screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and outcome assessments) • Flexible interventions every day for all students based on student profiles • Job-embedded instructional coaching for teachers • Time for collaboration • Focus on instructional leadership

15. Reading First in Idaho (statewide) • Statewide K-3 Reading Academies • Support infrastructure (regional reading-focused school improvement coordinators) • Ongoing leadership academies for principals and reading coaches • Calibration visits between schools (common understanding of high-quality instruction, assist one another, solve problems of practice) • Collaboration with other state programs • Increased focus on system conditions

16. School Improvement Efforts • Principals Academy of Leadership (PALs) • Adapted from Reading First support model • Literacy and leadership support primarily in middle schools • Learning community, surveys of enacted curriculum, and instructional reviews • Revised vision for RTI • Adapted from ICLA and Reading First lessons • Comprehensive assessment systems • Tiered interventions that use standard treatment protocol and student profiles • Research-based core programs and instruction

17. Idaho Building Capacity • Maintained Reading First focus on systems conditions • Added district improvement processes • Not prescriptive • Focused on any/all content areas • Maintained regional support infrastructure of Reading First • Provided one-time statewide leadership institutes focusing on systems improvement

18. Statewide System of Support Common Design Elements • Comprehensive Assessment Systems • Tiered intervention systems • Collaboration time for teachers • Instruction align to standards • Effective leadership • Job-embedded PD • System alignment at district and school • Research-based instruction and materials • Alignment between state initiatives

19. Other Lessons Learned • Characteristics of Effective Schools • Mega-System context • Right drivers for bringing about change

20. Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools (Shannon & Bylsma, 2007) • Clear and Shared Focus • High Standards and Expectations for All Students • Effective School Leadership • High Levels of Collaboration and Communication • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Aligned with Standards • Frequent Monitoring of Learning and Teaching • Focused Professional Development • Supportive Learning Environment • High Levels of Family and Community Involvement

21. Mega-System (Redding, 2006) “Each school itself also operates as a system, with its own parts and subsystems, working toward its own ends. In the system of a single school, the state and the district serve as gatekeepers, regulating inputs to the system and monitoring its output—the learning its students acquire.” • It’s tempting to focus on the improvement of individual schools and their subsystems of instruction, data utilization, etc. • Large-scale improvement will only occur if the Mega System is understood and reform efforts are approached systemically, rather than focusing on fragmented subsystems. • All of the parts of the system must be embedded in a process by which they are "continuously engineered to precision". • In addition to focusing on the results (i.e., improved student learning outcomes) and the means of school improvement (i.e., good pedagogy), the system must also focus on the process for continuously improving those outcomes.

22. Right Drivers for Whole System Reform (Fullan, 2011) “Good drivers must (1) foster intrinsic motivation of teachers and students; (2) engage educators and students in continuous improvement of instruction and learning; (3) inspire collective or team work; and (4) affect all teachers and students - 100 per cent [because] intrinsic motivation, instructional improvement, teamwork, and 'allness' are the crucial elements of whole-system reform.” Good drivers are: • A focus on capacity building, • Ensuring high-quality group work and connectedness, • Emphasizing high-quality pedagogy, and • Approaching reform systemically.

23. Ongoing Problems of Practice • Not enough ongoing capacity building • Lack of explicit focus on group quality • Confusion about good pedagogy in light of new standards • Lack of whole-system alignment • Lack of strong process for continuous refinement of the system • Disconnect from other initiatives • Difficulty of embedding reading instruction in effective school change practices

24. Significance of Your Work

25. Recommendations • Stay the course. • Build from the past, don’t start from scratch. • Ensure system-wide alignment and improvement. • Design a focus on group-quality capacity building efforts at the teacher, school, district, and state levels.