Massachusetts Literacy First

1. Massachusetts Literacy First Managing the Literacy Block for Student Success Massachusetts Reading First July 16, 2008

2. Create Success • New teacher induction • Mid-course correction • Whole school reflection

3. What does the Research Say? • Reid Lyon Video

4. From the “science of reading” From effective schools Information about the individual components of instruction and assessment that are most effective in raising literacy levels Information about leadership, organizational, and classroom practices that are most effective in raising literacy levels In order to effectively prevent early reading difficulties, we need to apply two kinds of knowledge Understanding, and Motivation to Apply Torgesen, 2008

5. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose,preparation, and pace • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components • Optimize time and talent

6. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose, preparation, and pace • Optimize time and talent • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components

7. 720 or bust! Good is the enemy of great! J. Collins

8. Good Teachers Matter “By our estimates from Texas schools, having an above average teacher for five years running can completely close the average gap between low-income students and others.”John Kain & Eric Hanushek Schmoker, 2006. (p 9)

9. Impact of Teacher Effectiveness on Student AchievementKati Haycock (2005) uses the findings of this study and others by Sanders and Horn (1994). Students in the classes of teachers classified as most effective can be expected to gain about 52%ile points in their achievement over a year. Classroom Management That Works, Robert J. Marzano. Adapted from J. Robinson.

10. Professional Development Teachers, like other professionals, can get more and more effective: • Participate in school/district workshops/grade level meetings • Work with school-based coaches • Take charge of your own learning • Read – professional books, journals • Help create a professional learning community • Take courses Schmoker, 2006

11. Outstanding Teachers • Create a literate environment • Present intentional instruction and provide practice • Choose texts from a variety of materials • Link reading and writing activities

12. Outstanding Teachers cont… • Create many opportunities for reading • Adjust instruction to meet students’ needs • Encourage children’s monitoring of understanding • Completely manage activities, behaviors, and classroom resources

13. Examine your “groove”Monitor your “groove” Are you in the groove? • Stay curious • Keep learning

14. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose,preparation, and pace • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components • Optimize time and talent

15. Differentiation Scheme: Code Meaning Independent worksheets or small group activities-PA, Phonics Independent reading, small group activities, vocabulary, comprehension Student Instruction Managed by: Small group or whole class instruction in PA, Phonics Teacher led discussion, question asking, vocabulary Teacher Torgesen, 2008

16. Basic Findings: Children who began first grade with below-average letter-word reading skills demonstrated greater improvement with greater amounts of time in explicit, teacher managed, code-focused instruction. Children with above-average vocabulary and word-reading scores at the start of the school year made greater gains in reading skill when they spent more time throughout the year in child-managed meaning-focused instruction (such as independent reading). Torgesen, 2008

17. Differentiation Matters Classrooms that differentiated instruction appropriately produced higher overall reading growth. Torgesen, 2008

18. Examples Using assessment data to plan instruction Teaching targeted small groups Using flexible grouping patterns Matching text level to student ability Tailoring independent projects to student ability Differentiated Instruction

19. Differentiated Instruction • Non-Examples • Using only whole class instruction • Using small groups that never change • Using the same reading text with all students • Using the same independent seatwork assignments for the entire class

20. Students Reading at Grade Level Researched-Based Comprehensive Reading Program for All Students Research-Based, In-Class Interventions Research-Based, School-Designed Interventions System for Individual Solutions adapted from J. Robinson

21. Tiered Model of Reading Instruction • Who: ALL students • What: Prevention/problem-solving model of reading instruction • When: 90-minute literacy block & (in some cases) additional 30 minutes of targeted reading intervention instruction • Where: All K-3 classrooms & other school-designated learning spaces

22. Tiered Model continued… • Why: Differentiated instruction: early identification and intervention for students at-risk for reading difficulties; challenging work for all students • How: Tiers of scientifically-based reading instruction, professional development, assessment, grade-level data meetings, teacher & administrator collaboration Assessment informs your instruction.

23. Organizing and Managing Learning Centers/Small Groups • Group children for specific purposes, using formal and informal assessment data. • Plan daily lessons and select curriculum materials and learning activities that reinforce instruction. • Develop a daily schedule. • Create a management system to establish easy to follow routines. • Monitor the activities of all the children. • Continually evaluate children’s progress and regularly regroup children to address their instructional needs.

24. Centers Match reading lesson and student needs Extra needed practice on taught skills (engaging, fun) Skills and strategies from this week’s lesson Centers & Interventions

25. Centers & Interventions Interventions • 3-5 students in group • Systematic & explicit • Paced to match student’s skill level • Provide multiple opportunities to respond • Provide immediate corrective feedback

26. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose,preparation, and pace • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components • Optimize time and talent

27. Excellent Classroom Management – Begin with the End in Mind • Effective and consistent routines/signals • Bell to bell instruction • Entry and exit procedures • Transition procedures • Independent work, small group, & materials procedures • Efficient traffic routes/scanning ease

28. Magic in 90 Minutes Program You add the rest Place, group, teach, and assess each lesson from the Teacher’s Guide Excellent Classroom Management + + 100% Engagement Enough added practice for mastery Timely Error Correction + +

29. Excellent Classroom Management • Effective and consistent routines : • Consistent signal for attention • Entry procedure and task that uses lesson reading skills • Transition procedures/routines • Independent work procedures • Materials procedures • Small group procedures • Exit procedures from today’s lesson

30. Write 6 words from the selection on oceans. Tell what they mean in sentences and pictures Write 3 questions about yesterday’s work. Be prepared to ask them of your partner How… Why… … Upon Entering

31. Optimize Your View/Traffic Patterns adapted from J. Robinson Noisy Center Quiet Center Noisy Center Computers

32. Arranged for Best View/Traffic Routes adapted from J. Robinson Noisy Station

33. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose,preparation, and pace • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components • Optimize time and talent

34. What Can Fluent Readers Do? • Read every letter in every word • Read text with 96% accuracy (independent) • Apply syllabication strategies to divide lengthy words with little conscious analysis. • Read fluently with adequate speed, phrasing, intonation; their reading sounds like they’re speaking. • Rely little on contextual information because word recognition is rapid, automatic and efficient. • Construct meaning as they read/make connections.

35. Context Processor Meaning Processor letter memory speechsound system Phonological Processor Orthographic Processor phonics The Four Part Processor background information sentence context fluency vocabulary speech output reading input writing output

36. Brain: Functional Neuroanatomy • Each processing system operates in a distinct region of the left brain. • Rapid communication among regions is essential. • Reading problems can originate in one or several systems. • All systems must be educated Moats, 2005

37. The Phonological Processor Processes the speech sound system. We must teach: • Identification, comparison, and manipulation of sounds • Pronunciation of sounds and words • Memory for sounds and words • Links between sounds, spellings, and meanings Moats, 2005

38. The Orthographic Processor Processes letters, letter patterns, and whole words. We must teach: • Recognition and formation of letters • Association of letters with sounds • Attention to letter sequences and patterns • Fluent recognition of whole words • Recall of letters for spelling Moats, 2005

39. The Meaning Processor We store word meanings in relation to: • Other words • Categories and concepts • Examples of word use in context • The sounds, spelling, and syllables • Meaningful parts We must teach vocabulary with attention to all these areas. Moats, 2005

40. The Context Processor(self-correction device) Interprets words we have heard, named, or partially identified, with reference to: • Language • Experience • Knowledge of the concepts We teach the background that children need to interpret what they read. Moats, 2005

41. Reading Comprehension REQUIRES More than Knowledge of Words “By age three, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from poor families. By kindergarten the gap is even greater. The consequences are catastrophic. Among all children, comprehension scores are stagnant. Convincing research tells us that key to both problems is to systematically build children’s vocabulary, fluency and domain knowledge.” -E.D. Hirsch

42. Goals • Perfect your practice with purpose,preparation, and pace • Differentiate instruction • Efficiently manage all aspects of the classroom • Optimize learning of all components • Optimize time and talent

43. Put It All Together

44. The First 6 Weeks of Schooladapted from Responsive Classroom • Investment in time, energy, and efficiency • Payoff in freedom to optimize learning, talent, and time • A slow and purposeful beginning results in a competent, successful, cohesive classroom culture – one that supports success for all

45. Assessments • DIBELS – Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (3X for benchmarks) • GRADE – Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (2X for outcomes/3X for monitoring progress) • Other – district/school/program benchmarks • Progress monitoring as needed • Other diagnostics as needed

46. The Barriers Permanent Memory All that we know and all that we understand. Working Memory consciousness Sensory Memory Much of what enters our Sensory Memory results in no permanent record. Too many things to attend to and encode Background knowledge, academic and nonacademic The quality and type of processing that occurs in working memory that dictates whether that information makes it to permanent memory Marzano, 2004

47. Three Interacting Dynamics of Working Memory • Strength of Memory Trace: The more times we meaningfully engage information in working memory, the higher the probability that it will be embedded in permanent memory. • Depth of Processing: Thinking deeper about a concept adds detail to our understanding of information. • Elaboration: The variety of associations we make with information. Marzano, 2004

48. Classroom Instruction • Think about the BIG IDEA (concept). • Make connections to what they know, what they’ll learn and how it affects their lives. • Create opportunities for students to maintain the understanding of the BIG IDEA. • Words on the wall connected to BIG IDEA (remember purpose). • PROTOCOL for discussions (subskills).

49. Classroom Ideals • Teach the academic routines with the academic curriculum. • Pay attention to how students learn as well as what they learn. • Students working together learn more – more student talk/less teacher talk. • The skills you teach through routines are necessary for learning.

50. Continued… • Know your students as well as your content. • Make every effort to connect with students’ families. • Model behaviors – social and academic every day. • Respect your profession and your place as a professional.