Informational Webinar for MDE Literacy Support Schools School Year 2015-2016 Agenda Literacy-Based Promotion Act (Senate Bill 2347) Overview Timeline Role of the MDE Literacy Coach District and School Role Questions and Answers District and School Points of Contact 2 1
Supporting Documents PowerPoint Literacy Coach Roles and Responsibilities NRTAC Study: A Study of the Effectiveness of K-3 Literacy Coaches The Learning Principal Article: Clarify the Coach s Role Mississippi Literacy-Based Promotion Act Implementation Guide 3 Literacy Based Promotion Act (2013) Statute Overview 2
Requirements for Public Schools Inform parents or legal guardians of the student s academic progress Provide intensive reading instruction and immediate intervention to each K - 3 student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading at any time, as demonstrated by performance on an MDE-approved reading screener or locally determined assessments and teacher observations 5 Parent Notification Requirements If a K - 3 student has been identified with a substantial deficit in reading, the teacher will immediately, and with each quarterly progress report, notify parents or legal guardians of the following in writing: Determination of a substantial deficit in reading Description of student services and supports presently provided Description of proposed supplemental instruction and support to remediate the student s deficit areas Strategies for parents to use to help students at home Notification that student will not be promoted to 4 th grade if reading deficiency can not be remediated by the end of 3 rd grade MDE Office of Elementary Education and Reading 6 3
Social Promotion and 3 rd Grade Summative Assessment A student may not be assigned a grade level based solely on age or any other factor that constitutes social promotion. Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, a student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the established state assessment for 3 rd grade will not be promoted to 4 th grade. A 3 rd grade student who fails to meet the academic requirements for promotion to the 4 th grade may be promoted for good cause. 7 Good Cause Exemptions a. Limited English Proficient students with less than two (2) years of instruction in English Language Learner program b. Students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicates that participation in the statewide accountability assessment program is not appropriate, as authorized under state law 8 4
Good Cause Exemptions c. Students with a disability who participate in the accountability assessment and who have an IEP or Section 504 plan that reflects that the student has received intense remediation in reading for two (2) years but still demonstrates a deficiency and was previously retained 9 Good Cause Exemptions d. Students who demonstrate an acceptable level of reading proficiency on an alternative assessment approved by the State Board of Education e. Students who receive intensive intervention for two or more years but still demonstrate deficiency in reading, and who previously were retained for two (2) years in any grade Kindergarten through 3 rd grade 10 5
Interventions for Students with Good Cause Exemptions Students promoted to 4 th grade based on good cause exemptions shall be provided intensive reading instruction and intervention informed by data and delivered through specific strategies in order to meet the students needs. 11 The school board of each school district must publish, in a newspaper that has general circulation within the school district, and report to the State Board of Education and the Mississippi Reading Panel the following information: The number and percentage of students given an approved alternate standardized reading assessment and the percentage of these students performing at each competency level of the alternate standardized assessment By grade, the number and percentage of all students retained in K-8 Information on the total number and percentage of students who were promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause Key Reporting Requirements of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act 12 6
LBPA Reporting Template A B C D E * * * * F 13 LBPA Reporting Template E 14 7
Funding for K-3 Literacy and MKAS2 $15 M is appropriated for the following: Training K - 3 teachers, principals, IHL faculty, and preservice teachers in literacy best practices Training school- and district-based literacy coaches Funding Literacy Support Grants Employing and training literacy coaches, regional literacy coordinators, and state K-3 literacy coordinators Supplying literacy resources to K-3 teachers Providing the MS K-3 Assessment Support System (MKAS2) Providing access to Renaissance Learning to all statefunded Pre-K-3 rd grade students in the state 15 Literacy Personnel State Literacy Coordinator (1) and Assistant State Literacy Coordinators (3) provide oversight and training; support and monitor statewide implementation 13 Regional Literacy Coordinators provide coaching to teachers in K-3 literacy target schools 2-3 days per week and support regional groups of literacy coaches 60 Literacy Coaches provide coaching, training, and modeling to teachers in K-3 literacy target schools 2-3 days per week 16 8
Literacy Efforts Timeline Timeline Date August 2013 - *Ongoing Activity Provide MDE literacy coach support to MDE Literacy Target Schools January 2014 June 2016 April 2015 LETRS training for K-3 teachers, principals, literacy coaches, pre-service teachers, and IHL faculty First administration of the 3 rd Grade Reading Summative Assessment to determine promotion to 4 th grade 2015-2016 Publish LBPA reporting requirements *Contingent upon legislative funding 18 9
MDE Literacy Coach Support 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 50 Schools 26 Districts 87 Schools 46 Districts 127 Schools 65 Districts 19 Role of the MDE Literacy Coach 10
Role of the Coach ACT Building capacity for literacy across the curriculum Promoting school-wide culture for literacy learning to include all stakeholders Improve and sustain student achievement through: PLAN Enhancing and refining reading instruction and intervention CHECK Targeting instructional coaching using the gradual release model DO 21 Instructional Support System The literacy coach: helps teachers recognize their instructional knowledge and strengths; supports teachers in their learning and application of new knowledge and instructional practices; promotes job-embedded learning and provides ongoing, sustainable support to teachers; and, uses data to provide differentiated support to individual teachers or small groups by grade level, by department, or by skill level. 22 11
Best Practices The literacy coach: works with students in whole and small-group instruction in the context of modeling, coteaching, and coaching; assists teachers in implementing explicit, systematic and rigorous reading instruction; and, ensures effective student grouping through the Response to Intervention (RtI) process. 23 Job-Embedded Professional Development The literacy coach: serves as a resource for professional development throughout a school to improve reading and literacy instruction and student achievement. provides initial and ongoing professional development to teachers in: the major reading components, based on an analysis of student performance data; the administration and analysis of instructional assessments; and, differentiated instruction and intensive intervention. 24 12
The literacy coach: Literacy Across the Curriculum promotes a school-wide culture for literacy learning; builds capacity for literacy across the curriculum; assists teachers with identifying the disciplinespecific literacy needs of students through the analysis of student data; and, assists teachers with implementing literacy strategies that are most effective for their students. 25 Literacy Coaches are NOT EVALUATORS Evaluators Substitute teachers Interventionists School administrators Tutors 26 13
Maintaining a Record of Services Bi-weekly coaching log (observing, co-teaching, modeling, conferencing, planning, etc.) Professional development request and evaluation forms Conferencing artifacts (pre-conference, observation, post-conference, next steps, followup) Observation tool Monthly Coaching Support Report 27 District and School Role 14
The Principal/Coach Relationship The principal/coach relationship is critical to the development and implementation of specific duties of the coach. Principals and coaches should work together to build a shared literacy vision and collaborative relationship to improve instruction and student achievement (Casey, 2006; Puig and Froelich, 2007). 29 The literacy coach cannot be effective without the consistent support of campus leaders. Wren & Reed, 2005 15
School Leadership Support Role The principal (administrative team): communicates through both words and behaviors that the literacy coach is not evaluating the performance of the teachers; holds staff accountable for working with the literacy coach to improve instruction; provides an opportunity for collaboration in the development of the School-wide Literacy Plan; meets frequently with the literacy coach to discuss goals and plans for activities; and, attends collaborative staff meetings. 31 School Wide Literacy Plan 32 16
Monitoring and Evaluation Procedures MDE Administer bi-annual formal evaluations of the coaches Monitor Bi-weekly submission of coach logs Site visits, Learning Walk, data analysis (formative and summative) Ongoing professional development and training Districts and Schools Regularly debrief with literacy coaches Conduct and analyze data from district and/or school observations Complete a survey of coaching support biannually (December and April) Analyze student data (formative and summative) 33 Benefits of Coaching Reported by Teachers An improved sense of professional skill An enhanced ability to analyze their own lessons A better understanding of teaching and learning A wider repertoire of instructional practices An increased sense of efficacy Robbins, P. (1991) 34 17
Benefits of Coaching Reported by Teachers(cont.) Stronger professional ties with colleagues Improved teaching performance Enhanced student progress A better articulated curriculum A more cohesive and positive school culture and climate 35 Expectations What is expected of the superintendent? What is expected of the principal? What is expected of the teacher? 36 18
Instruction aligned to CCRS Anchor Charts Writing to Text Data Walls/Rooms Word Walls PLCs Best Practices for MDE Literacy Target Schools Uninterrupted Reading Block MDE Office of Elementary Education and Reading 37 Questions & Answers District and School Points of Contact 19