Member Orientation

Member Orientation Metro DC Reading Corps InstituteAugust 12 - 16

Morning Agenda • Warm-up Activities • Orientation to The Literacy Lab & Reading Corps • Reading Corps Supporting Roles

Get to know your Teammates! • Why did you decide to join Metro DC Reading Corps? • Share something fun you did this summer. • What do you hope to gain from your year of service? • Where are you on a typical Saturday night? • What were you doing before joining Reading Corps? • If you could be an animal, what kind would you be and why? • What are you most unsure of going into the year? • What superpower do you wish you possessed? • What experiences have you have volunteering or working in schools? • On an all-expenses paid trip, where would you go?

Get to know your Teammates! • You’ll complete the next activity with the partner you have now… • Using the following questions as a backbone, interview your partner and prepare to introduce him/her to the group, based on his/her answers. • Where are you from? • What were you doing before joining the Reading Corps? • What is your favorite kind of junk food? • Where could we usually find you on a Saturday evening? • What are you most excited for this year? • Who is your favorite superhero? Why?

The Literacy Lab

Literacy Lab Video • www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlUQXDXRpTc

Metro DC Reading Corps Total = 37 Tutors throughout DC & VA

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency: A Critical Milestone to College and Career • A student who can't read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate than a child who does read proficiently by that time.

Washington, DC • 81% of 4th graders read below grade level • Barely half of DC’s students graduate from high school

Alexandria, VA • By 3rd grade, 83% of low-income children in VA score below grade level in reading • Over 80 home languages are spoken by families of students in Alexandria City Public Schools

Our Goal For Reading Success All children will have the opportunity to be proficient readers by third grade.

Intervention & Prevention Estimates show that the number of children who are typically identified as poor readers could be reduced by up to 70% through early identification and prevention programs. (Lyon, Fletcher, Shaywitz, Shaywitz, Torgesen, Wood, Schulte, and Olson, Rethinking Learning Disabilities, 2001)

Response to Intervention (RtI) Tier 3:Intensive 5-10% Tier 2: Strategic / Supplemental 15-20% Pre-K Interventions Tier 1: Universal / Core Instruction 75-80% K-3 Interventions Pre-K Interventions

Supporting Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations Reading Corps Summer Training InstituteAugust 12- 16

Supporting Roles Tutor / AmeriCorps Member Internal Coach Program Director{Program Support} Master Coach{Literacy Support}

Program Manager/Director:Emma Byrne • Full-time employee of The Literacy Lab • Primary Responsibilities: • Program administration and management • Member and site management • What do I contact Emma about? • AmeriCorps-related questions • Living allowance, health insurance, education award questions • Overall program or organizational questions • Any issues that would impact your ability to fulfill your responsibilities as a Reading Corps tutor • Any issue that can’t be solved by your Internal Coach or Master Coach

Supporting Roles Tutor / AmeriCorps Member Internal Coach Program Manager{Program Support} Master Coach{Literacy Support}

Master Coaches: Shannon Hepler – K3Kimberly Parker – Pre K • Independent Consultant hired by The Literacy Lab • Primary Responsibilities: • Provide on-site support to Internal Coaches & Members to implement Reading Corps • Ensure fidelity to Reading Corps model • What do I contact Shannon or Kimberly about? • Assessments • Conducting interventions • Student progress/data questions

Internal Coaches • Employees of School placements sites, dedicate 6-9 hours per member per month to support Reading Corps in their school • Primary responsibilities • Conduct fidelity checklists – integrity for assessment and intervention • Select interventions for each student • Set-up member’s tutoring schedule • Review individual student graphs to make decisions • Provide on-site supervision for the members (approve timesheets) • Expectations • Support Reading Corps implementation and the members in the school • Follow the Reading Corps model with fidelity • What do I contact my Internal Coach about? • School-specific questions • Scheduling students • Timesheets • Day-to-day questions

Reading Corps Members or Tutors • AmeriCorps members making a one-year commitment to serve full-time at their assigned school • Primary responsibilities • Conduct assessment of student’s literacy skills (K-3rd grade) • Provide 20-minute, one-on-one tutoring sessions using prescribed interventions to selected students (15-18 each day) • Expectations • Not a volunteer or staff position, but serving in a professional capacity • Serve 40 hours per week, can include supporting after-school • Follow the Reading Corps model with fidelity

Name That Person! Program Director Internal Coach Program Director Master Coach Master Coach Program Director/Internal Coach Program Director

Literacy Lab Ethos • Our highest priority is that the children with whom we work make progress in their reading skills. To ensure that this happens, we want to radiate quality and competence in our work to the children, parents, schools, and communities we serve. The children with whom we work have often not had the opportunities that they deserve and need the highest quality service that they can get. • Good intentions and warm, caring interactions during our time with the kids are important, but without a solid professional foundation, the value of these things is greatly reduced. The foundation for the quality that we want to provide to the kids is based on….

Literacy Lab Ethos • Punctuality • Preparation • Competence • Responsiveness • Reliability • Close Attention to Communication

Member Orientation