Developing a School-wide Literacy Plan January 19, 2010

1. Developing a School-wideLiteracy PlanJanuary 19, 2010 School Improvement Webinar Series www.acteonline.org/multimedia.aspx

2. Your Moderator, Host and Presenter Diana Rogers • Regional Coordinator • HSTW NE Ohio Region Catherine Imperatore • Electronic Media Manager • ACTE Paulette Dewey • HSTW Technical Coach • HSTW NW Ohio Region

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6. Webinar Outcomes • Describe literacy across the curriculum. • Recognize the importance of a school-wide literacy plan and focus. • Understand the steps in developing a literacy plan. • Identify diverse literacy team membership, process and work. • Understand how to effectively plan and implement a school-wide literacy plan.

7. Poll Activity • Is literacy an emphasis in your school? • a) It’s currently not a priority. • b) We see the specific need, but haven’t developed a plan. • c) We have a literacy team, but need direction. • d) Our team has started to address literacy strategies. • e) None of the above describes our situation.

8. “Literacy” Across the Curriculum

9. Why Literacy Across Curriculum? • 21st century employment challenges • Post-secondary education success • Direct correlation: educational level and economic security • Educational equity • Life-long positive experience

10. And…Gateway Tests • Standardized tests: higher order reading and writing skills • OAT and OGT tests • ACT and SAT tests

11. School-wide Literacy Plan • Getting Started: Appoint the right people to serve on the literacy focus team • Stage 1: Identify critical needs based upon the data • Stage 2: Developing the plan • State 3: Implementing the plan • Stage 4: Monitoring the plan

12. Getting Started: Literacy Team • Teacher-based: core curriculum, arts, intervention specialist, career technical • School administrator • Parent and/or community representative • Student

13. What about…. • Literacy coach, curriculum director, reading specialist representatives?

14. Stage 1: Identify Critical Need • Test scores • Literacy climate: student reading, writing surveys • Teacher surveys • Finally, make a decision to move forward

15. Stage 2: Developing the Plan Align and focus the plan: • HSTW/MMGW Site Action Plan, district’s school improvement plans • Review test scores – state report cards • Trend data • College readiness data

16. Gather Teacher Input • Perceptions • Needs • Skills and assets • School-wide goals

17. Set Goals Set … Attainable… Appropriate… Targeted… Goals!!!

18. Five Goal Literacy Plan Goal 1: Students will read the equivalent of 25 books per year across the curriculum Goal 2: Students will write weekly in all classes for a grade. Goal 3: Students will use reading and writing strategies to help them understand and use the content of all classes. Goal 4: Students will write research papers in all classes. Goal 5: Students will be taught as if they were in an honor language arts classes.

19. Research-based Strategies Goal 1: Students will read the equivalent of 25 books per year across the curriculum. Strategy: Silent Sustained Reading and Reflection Goal 2: Students will write weekly in all classes for a grade. Strategy: School-wide Writing Rubric Goal 3: Students will use reading and writing strategies to help them understand and use the content of all classes. Strategy: Pre and Post Reading Strategies

20. Poll Activity • Have you initiated any of these strategies? • a) Silent Sustained Reading and Reflection • b) Writing Across the Curriculum • c) Pre and Post Reading Strategies • d) Research Writing Strategies • e) Vocabulary Across the Curriculum

21. Adopt a Three-Year Literacy Plan • Examine SREB’s five literacy goals and select initial goals appropriate to your data • Select and pilot research-based strategies • Plan to phase in whole-school implementation over three years • Don’t take on too much too soon!

22. Stage 3: Implementing the Plan • Focus on targeted goals and strategies—not just “literacy across the curriculum.” • Recognize the literacy strands in all courses. • Technological literacy embedded

23. Provide Focused PD • Prepare a schedule of professional development for the entire school year. • At least 40 hours of job embedded professional development with follow through on selected literacy strategies (i.e. demonstration classrooms) • Elicit and encourage a variety of attendees to professional development • Teacher transparency: successes and struggles. • Offer retraining on all strategies each year.

24. Recommended PD and Resources • HSTW Annual Conference • SREB Bureau of Presenters • Collins Writing Across the Curriculum • Max Teaching Strategies with Mark Forget • Regional HSTW workshops • Local, state education consortiums

25. Most Importantly Keep Communication Alive! In all aspects of the Implementation Stage

26. Model Literacy Strategies During faculty meetings: • Use adopted literacy strategies to gather teacher feedback • Share peer observations of demonstration classrooms • Ask departments to showcase a literacy strategy

27. Stage 4:Monitoring the Plan • Be attuned to incoming data • Be thoughtful of attitudes and concerns • Involve data focus team throughout • Continue teacher input, surveys, questionnaire box… • Revise the plan at least annually

28. Emphasis on Literacy Across the Curriculum Students report: • They often used word-processing software to complete an assignment or project. • They often revised their essays or other written work several times to improve their quality. • They sometimes or often were asked to write in-depth explanations about a class project or activity. • They discussed or debated topics with other students about what they read in English or language arts classes at least monthly.

29. Emphasis on Literacy Across the Curriculum Students report: • They read and interpreted technical books and manuals to complete assignments in their career/technical classes at least monthly (CT students only). • They read an assigned book and demonstrated understanding of the significance of the main ideas at least monthly. • In a typical week, they read non-school-related materials outside of class for two or more hours. • They completed short writing assignments of one to three pages for which they received a grade in their English classes; in their science classes; in their social studies classes at least monthly.

30. Emphasis on Literacy Across the Curriculum Intensive: 7 to 10 indicators Moderate: 4 to 6 indicators Low: 0 to 3 indicators Percentage of students who met the readiness goals in reading, mathematics and science each category Intensive Moderate Low Reading Mathematics Science Reading Mathematics Science Reading Mathematics Science

31. Reflection on the Literacy Plan • Are our goals targeted and realistic? • Are our decisions being data-driven? • Are our stakeholders involved in decision-making? • Are we communicating clearly & often with our colleagues? • Are we ready to re-assess goals with additional data? • Are our students achieving at higher levels?

32. School-wide Literacy Plan Checklist • Create a literacy focus team • Gather school data • Set attainable, focused goals • Provide targeted professional development • Communicate with all staff members regularly • Review incoming data regularly • Celebrate successes

33. Recommended Resources Publications: Literacy Across the Curriculum: Setting and Implementing Goals for Grades Six Through 12http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/pubs/LiteracyGuide.asp Macrorie, Ken. I Search Paper. Heinemann, 2000, www.heinemann.com Romano, Tom. Blending Genre, Altering Style. Heinemann, 1988 www.heinemann.com Websites: www.sreb.org www.maxteaching.com

34. Questions To ask about the content type a question in the Q&A panel and send to All Panelists. Questions will be addressed at this time Or an email response will be sent to you after the webinar.

35. Question Do you have a literacy plan template or list of strategies that most schools use in developing a literacy plan?

36. Question What professional development is available to assist school teams in learning more about developing a school-wide literacy plan?

37. More Q & A Questions and responses

38. Contact Information If you have questions or would like to learn more about developing a school-wide literacy plan, please contact: Paulette Dewey, HSTW Technical Coach Paulette.dewey@utoledo.edu

39. Next Webinar in the Series Establishing an Effective Advisor/Advisee Program Vicki Hunt, HSTW Site Coordinator/Practitioner February 16, 2010 from 11:30 – 12:30 ET

40. Thank you for participating! Reminders… Register for future webinars or to view archived webinars at www.acteonline.org/multimedia.aspx or www.hstwohioregions.org After leaving today’s webinar… Please complete the webinar survey. If you are interested in graduate credit, remember to print a copy of the survey. Please click the X to exit the webinar. Have a great day!