August 9, 2006 The Superintendent’sAugust 9, 2006 The Superintendent’sSummer InstituteSummer Institute

by by JJEROMEEROME C COLONNAOLONNA, , SuperintendentSuperintendent

Pre-K-12 Approach to LiteracyPre-K-12 Approach to Literacyin the Beaverton School Districtin the Beaverton School District

COMPONENTS OF THE BEAVERTON PRE-K-12 LITERACY PLAN

I. BASIC STRUCTURE

• Pre-K-12 Articulation Through 4 Regional Groups

• Common Instructional Strategies, Uniform Assessments and Integrated Professional Development

• Intensive Intervention for Below Grade Level Readers

• School-Wide, Cross-Curricular Plans Facilitated by Literacy Teams

• Advanced Support and Challenge for Highest Level Students

• Training in Critical Friends Protocols

COMPONENTS OF THE BEAVERTON PRE-K-12 LITERACY PLAN

II. ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (31)

• Emphasis on Big 5 Reading Components

• Full Time Literacy Coaches at Each School

• Pre-K Programs (3 schools)

• Full Day Kindergartens (10 schools)

• Reading First Programs (2 schools)

• Before School Reading and Pre-Reading School Programs

• Five Year Reduction of Class Sizes with Targets of 21:1 @ Pre-K-1, 23:1 @ 2-3, and 25:1 @4-5

COMPONENTS OF THE BEAVERTON PRE-K-12 LITERACY PLAN

III. MIDDLE SCHOOLS (8)

• Full Time Literacy Specialists at Each School

• Literacy Teams at Each School Anchored by Literacy Specialist which Includes the

Principal and 2-6 Teachers

• Extended Day Literacy Programs at Each School

• Onward to Excellence II and Read 180

COMPONENTS OF THE BEAVERTON PRE-K-12 LITERACY PLAN

IV. HIGH SCHOOLS (8)

• Full Time Literacy Specialists at Each School• Cross-Curricular Literacy Teams Anchored by Literacy Specialist which Includes the Principal and 6-8 Teachers• Received Training from Judith Irvin, Penny Plavala, and Step Up to Writing

COMPONENTS OF THE BEAVERTON PRE-K-12 LITERACY PLAN

V. CENTRAL OFFICE

• Coordinate $1,200,000 annual Literacy Staff Development Budget

• Have 1.5 FTE Literacy Teacher on Special Assignment Positions

• George Fox Reading Endorsement Cohort

• Summer Staff Development Institute Dedicated to Literacy and Mathematics

• Established Consultancies with Doug Reeves/the Center for Performance Assessment and the

American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC)

Only One District-wide GoalOnly One District-wide Goal

Narrowed Focus:

The District Five Year Goal

Increase academic achievement district-wide with literacy and mathematics gains for each

student.

Reporting System Reveals Achievement Levels of all Students:Reporting System Reveals Achievement Levels of all Students:

Semi-Annual School Board Accountability Reports on 23 Goal Targets

Spring School and Department Improvement Plan Progress Reports

SUPERINTENDENT’S MULTI-YEAR GOALS(Originated November 2003 and Updated in August 2004, 2005 and 2006)

I. Leadership for The District Five Year Goal*

*District Goal for 2004-2009: Increase academic achievement district-wide with a special emphasis on

literacy and mathematics gains for each student. The intent is to give every student the skills to succeed in challenging courses, meet academic standards, graduate from high school and be fully prepared for a

range of post-secondary education and vocational options.

Raise District-wide Expectations for Academic Achievement

Make projected annual improvement in reading, writing and mathematics for all students with a special emphasis for high poverty, high mobility, Hispanic/Latino, Black, and Native American student groups that have been historically less academically successful as compared to the achievement of the District’s total student population.

Literacy is Literacy is

Learning to Read,Learning to Read,

Reading to Learn andReading to Learn and

Learning to LearnLearning to Learn

Skillfully Reading, Writing,Skillfully Reading, Writing,

Speaking, Analyzing and Speaking, Analyzing and

Listening. Listening.

What is Literacy?What is Literacy?

From The Oregon Literacy Leadership State Steering Committee

Reading is the Key to All Academic LearningReading is the Key to All Academic Learning

Why Reading?

It is a fundamental skill and the gateway to all other knowledge.

Each public school student must have the right to be literate at a high level and be a productive citizen of their community.

Years and years of educational research support reading’s importance.

Reading is FundamentalThe ability to read affects learning across the curriculum.

MATH60-70%

WRITING80-90%

SOCIALSTUDIES80-90%

LANGUAGEARTS

80-90%

SCIENCE70-80%

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn

From the Renaissance Learning Corporation

The Literacy Failure Cycle

Early Attempts at Learning to Read

Failure

Frustration

Avoidance

Lack of Practice

The good students do better and weak students do worse

Loss of self esteem

Loss of motivation

No Improvement

Research from Dr. Ted Hasselbring, U. of Kentucky

Early intervention for struggling readers is a social obligation for all educators.

Skills of Readers at Lowest LevelsSkills of Readers at Lowest Levels

Can Usually Cannot Usually

Sign one’s name Locate eligibility from a table of employee benefits

Identify a country in a short article

Locate an intersection on a street map

Locate one piece of information in a sports article

Locate two pieces of information in a sports article

Locate the expiration date on a drivers license

Identify and enter background information on a social security card application

Total a bank deposit entry Calculate total costs of purchase from an order form

Source: Reder (1998)

If you don’t read you cannot lead.

The Importance of LeadershipThe Importance of Leadership

Many correlational studies show the importance of strong and unified leadership in school improvement.

Excellent leadership will improve student achievement, but poor leadership will negatively effect student achievement.

Paraphrased from Dr. Timothy Shanahan, U. of Illinois at Chicago

Leadership

Amount of Instruction

Curriculum

Framework

Professional Developmen

t

Assessment &

Monitoring

Teaching Materials

Special Students

Parents Quality Variables

Motivation

Literacy Improvement Pyramid________________________________________________________________

From Dr. Timothy Shanahan, U. of Illinois at Chicago

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE STUDENTS!IT IS NOT ABOUT THE STUDENTS!

It Is About Adult BehaviorIt Is About Adult Behavior

GAP is Expectations + Practices = ResultsGAP is Expectations + Practices = Results

The real question is . . . how do we raise the The real question is . . . how do we raise the competence of the ADULTS to meet the competence of the ADULTS to meet the diverse needs of our students?diverse needs of our students?

From the work of Dr. Allen Rodgers of the Hope Foundation From the work of Dr. Allen Rodgers of the Hope Foundation