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Literacy Plan

Laura Efford
Spring 2017
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Hello, teachers!

 Student Population=334 in grades K-5

 Demographics:
 39% White
 27% Black
 20% Hispanic-Latino

 54% Free or Reduced-Price Lunch

 19.8% Limited English Proficiency

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Literacy Need

 8 out of 53 1st graders are English language learners

 7 out of 8 ELs did not meet or barely met mid-year DSA goals

 Similar trends are seen across grade levels

 ELs at our school tend to be low SES and transient

(additional challenges to consider)

 About 20% of our students are LEP

 How do we increase these students’ spelling scores

and thereby create more fluent readers and writers?

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Let’s Look at the Data
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A Closer Look...
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Possible Solution #1
Increase Time for Writing
 At least 45 minutes of writing instruction/practice everyday

 Supplement instruction with Being A Writer

 Encourage invented spelling

 Provide targeted feedback to students

 Ongoing spelling assessments to guide feedback

 More time to apply skills learned in word study

 Build fluency and confidence in writing

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Possible Solution #2
Book Study
 Words Their Way: Sorts for Spanish-Speaking English Learners

 Try new teaching strategies with the support of a coach

 Collaborate with teams

 Most of our ELs speak Spanish at home

 Targeted instruction for Spanish-speaking ELs

 Teams study the text that is a best fit for their

grade level
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Possible Solution #3
Book Study
 Words Their Way With English Learners

 Try new instructional methods during word study with the

help of a literacy coach

 Collaborate with peers

 Meet twice a month in teams and as a

whole school to reflect and grow

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Proposed Solution

 50% of 1st graders that did not meet mid-year DSA

benchmarks are ELs

 Increasing ELs’ spelling scores will improve school-wide data

 About 20% of student population is LEP, and this number

grows every year.

 We can’t afford to ignore these

students’ needs
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Proposed Solution
Words Their Way With English
Learners Book Study
 Read parts of WTW With English Learners

 Work with a coach and other colleagues to set goals and try
new teaching methods during word study

 Reflect on how it went

 Refine or abandon the strategy

 Support & guidance while you practice

new techniques
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Proposed Solution

Meet once a month in

Meet once a month in
school-wide PD after
grade level PLCs
school

Improve ELs
spelling scores

Work with coach to set Read Words Their Way With

goals and practice English Learners
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Professional Development Plan

 Work with team to identify problem

 Set personal/team goal

 Collaborate to create a plan

 Try a technique with the support of a coach

 Demonstrations/modeling
 Observations
 Feedback

 Discuss with colleagues

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Professional Development Plan

 Try new strategies with support & feedback of colleagues

 Look at data each quarter to refine plan and set new goals

 Use Words Their Way as menu of ideas

 Tailor instruction to meet unique needs of your students

 Celebrate successes

 Remember, we’re all trying this together!

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Timeline

 September & October: Begin reading book

 Identify need and set goal
 October—1st quarter data review

 November & December: Try strategies

 Use strategies from the book in your classroom
 Coach will provide support
 Discuss with colleagues: How did it go?

 January: Mid-year data review

 Look at data to celebrate successes and set new goals
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Timeline

 February & March: Coaching cycle continues

 Learn from colleagues by sharing what went well
 Abandon strategies that are not a good fit

 April & May: Refine teaching methods

 Look at 3rd quarter data
 Think about what strategies helped create success
 Set end-of-year goals

 June: End-of-year data

 Compare to previous years’ to determine what went well
 Decide steps for next year
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We can do it!

 By trying new strategies in your classrooms we can increase

the spelling scores of ELs.

 Let’s help these future leaders be ready for higher education

by giving them all the tools they need to be successful!