Texas Literacy Initiative

1. Texas Literacy Initiative

2. Texas Literacy Initiative • San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) will partner with an approved service provider to deliver literacy readiness and professional development services to administrators and staff. • The service provider will be a pre-approved, by the Texas Education Agency, public or private nonprofit organization or agency with a demonstrated record of effectiveness in improving the early literacy development of children from age 0 through kindergarten entry.

3. Texas Literacy Initiative • TLI leaders include the Education Service Centers, the Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the Institute for Public School Initiatives at the University of Texas at Austin, the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts at The University of Texas at Austin.

4. Texas Literacy Initiative • TLI will target improving school readiness and success from age 0 through grade 12 in the areas of language and literacy development for disadvantaged students, especially those who are living in poverty, are limited-English-proficient, or who have disabilities. These characteristics describe a majority of students within the literacy line.

5. Texas Literacy Initiative • The purpose of the Texas Literacy Initiative (TLI) grant is to improve school readiness and success in the areas of language and literacy for disadvantaged students in targeted school districts, including their associated ECE providers, who will use the model of Literacy Lines to implement the Texas State Literacy Plan (TSLP). • A Literacy Line is a vertical collaborative among feeder-pattern campuses within an LEA or among partnering eligible LEAs (including prekindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools) and their associated ECE providers, which may include, among others, Early Head Start, Head Start, public or private or nonprofit licensed child care providers, and public prekindergarten programs.

6. Objectives of the Texas Literacy Initiative grant are to • (1) increase the oral language and pre-literacy skills of participating preschool children; • (2) increase the performance of participating students in K-2 on early reading assessments; • (3) increase the percentage of participating students who meet or exceed proficiency on the State English Language Arts assessments in grades 3-12; • (4) increase the use of data and data analysis to inform all decision-making in participating districts, campuses, classrooms, and early learning settings; and • (5) increase the implementation of effective literacy instruction through Literacy Lines.

7. Texas Literacy Initiative (TLI)Campus Based Leadership Team • White, Principal Member • Irving-Conaway, CBLT Administrator • Hembree-Buckley, Dept. Chair Member • Buckner, Teacher Member • Overman, Teacher Member • Acuna, Teacher Member

8. Texas Literacy InitiativeCBLT/CIP Components for Grant • Strategy 4: The Sam Houston High School Campus Based Literacy Team (CBLT) supported by the Texas Literacy Initiative grant and the district TLI team will implement a comprehensive and coherent literacy program. • Activity 1: Teachers will participate in professional development to transform and enhance current literacy instructional practices in order to improve student achievement in reading. • Activity 2: The TLI CBLT will target improving school readiness and success for 9th through 12th grade students at our campus in the areas of language and literacy development for disadvantaged students, especially those who are living in poverty, are limited-English-proficient, or who have disabilities.

9. Texas Literacy InitiativeCBLT/CIP Components for Grant • The TLI will provide the necessary support structure, interventions, professional development, and progress monitoring for administrators, faculty and staff to ensure students have access to equitable learning opportunities and high quality literacy instruction.The CBLT will engage in ongoing communication and feedback with teachers, the District TLI Leadership Team, and the Grant Implementation Team.

10. Texas Literacy InitiativeCBLT/CIP Components for Grant • Develop interdisciplinary focus teams that create an organizational structure and process that promote student achievement. Focus teams ensure a continuous involvement of school administration and teachers in the planning and implementation of effective instructional strategies. • The TLI Team will promote a literacy plan implementation to improve student performance on TAKS and upcoming performance on STAAR and foster opportunity for college readiness. In addition, the focus team will promote literacy and writing across the curriculum. Teachers will participate in professional development to complete this activity.