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eSchool News
How
we turned around our reading program
By Mellissa Douglas
April 2nd, 2019
Hint: It has to do with taking a personalized approach
Demographics:
Rockford Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in
Illinois. More than 28,800 students attend the 44 schools in the
district.
Biggest challenge:
There were many gaps in foundational reading across classrooms before
we piloted our new reading program. It didn’t seem that we had a common
methodology to teach foundational literacy. We were looking for a
resource to fill this gap. We also were lacking in the area of
personalized learning that supported foundational literacy skills. We
were having trouble supporting students who needed extra help while
providing enrichment for students who were already thriving.
Solution:
Every single student needs whole-group instruction that’s explicit,
modeled, and demonstrated by teachers. Our literacy program supports
best practice by encouraging teachers to implement the “I do, we do,
you do,” approach to learning. After whole-group instruction, our
teachers designate time for small-group learning. The expectation
district-wide is for K–5 small-group lessons to happen every day.
Teachers meet students where they are in their learning, using data to
drive instruction. In Rockford, small group instruction includes
skill-based groups, guided reading, or literature circles.
With the combination of small groups and the time we give students to
read and write independently, they are able to work towards mastery of
foundational skills. Students also have additional time to flesh out
skills using tech tools that support instruction. We’ve implemented
Reading Horizons Discovery, a phonics-based literacy curriculum that
tailors lessons to each student’s ability level. We use a blended
approach to learning to support explicit instruction, small-group
instruction, and the use of technology.
One thing Reading Horizons Discovery provides is the expectation for
students to write, spell, and decode nonsense words. Unlike sight words
that students might memorize, nonsense words provide the opportunity to
demonstrate that they have mastered literacy skills.
Our district builds teacher capacity by supporting implementation.
Before the beginning of each school year, our new teachers attend a
two-day professional development training for the program. For ongoing
support, we have monthly web training provided by implementation
coaches, and also offer teachers two in-person coaching sessions a year.
Lessons learned:
Know your students, and believe they are capable of great things. Being
reflective as educators, and being responsive to students in the
classroom, is important in order for instructional strategies to be
successful. One example of that success: We had a kindergarten
classroom that saw 167-percent growth in reading scores from fall 2018
to this winter. The same classroom had some students score around 20
points higher than their projected growth scores.
Rather than just saying, “Oh, today you’re going to go read a book,”
it’s important to be strategic and explicit with students. We’re aiming
to overcome the idea that learning can be intimidating for students. In
order to make a positive impact, educators have to scaffold instruction
by not only modeling instruction, but modeling a positive attitude when
learning.
The more comfortable our educators are with a new program of
instruction, the more explicit and systematic it will look in the
classroom, which will promote even more growth.
In order to improve comprehension, our literacy expectations include
reading and writing. It also includes writing about reading.
Related: Want to get struggling readers enthusiastic about reading?
Here’s how
Next steps:
We are currently expanding the use of a phonics-based approach to
literacy. Our district will soon have four elementary buildings pilot
the Reading Horizons Elevate program as an intervention with 4th- and
5th-grade students. If the pilot goes well, the goal is to use the
program as an intervention tool starting next school year. This will
allow educators to pinpoint which students need help with foundational
skills, and provide lessons to help them master skills.
Starting next year, our district will implement benchmark goals for
each grade level K-3. The idea is to set end-of-the-year goals for
students, while still collectively teaching to mastery. To ensure our
students are working towards the goals, our educators are teaching all
four parts of instruction (review, instruction, dictation, and
transfer) every day, supporting small-group instruction, and analyzing
data on a regular basis.
To support implementation and student growth, next year our district
will have a certified implementation coach in each building. This
requires a three-day intensive training, plus at least 30 hours of
implementation in the classroom. We believe this will help both
teachers and students master the skills they need to grow in learning.
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