What are the Best Practices of a Successful Reading Program?

Are these exceptional ELA reading systems and processes in place at your school? Your school may need to adopt these systems and processes for successful school-wide literacy action planning, strategic planning and CNA evaluations: Reading Success and Remediation Focus

1. Adoption of a (K-6 stratified) school-wide progress monitoring system (Academic Screening and Progress Monitoring Tools), like STAR reading, I-Ready, easyCBM Reading FREE (CBM) Curriculum Based Measures! Weekly and Quarterly SFA style progress monitoring school-wide that is entered into a DBI. Being Proactive: Big GOAL is to identify students with ELA/Math needs before needing an SST Student Study Team reducing the need to place students in Special Education programs!

2. Adoption of 120-180 Minute Reading Blocks that are never interrupted with pull outs or specials. Tier 2 and 3 ELL and Special education students need to receive the highest amount of instructional time and the quality of intensive interventions should be provided by the best teachers.

3. Adoption of a DBI data-based individualization program to track all students’ progress with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework that is transparent and shared with all teachers! DBI show trends and identifies students individual needs based on ongoing data collection.

4. Adoption of exceptional tier 1, 2, and intensive tier 3 ELA interventions (A multi-tier system of supports (MTSS) NOT All COMPUTER BASED) with quarterly adjustments and reviews of
outcomes using skills gap analysis! All tier 2 and tier 3 Interventions based on ongoing data- based individualization (DBI) using data collected from progress monitoring.

5. Struggling at-risk readers (reading and decoding scores 1 standard deviation or more below the mean) get a minimum of 180 minutes of intensive reading instruction daily.

6. Adoption of scientifically researched best ELA intensive Instructional strategies: Whole Brain Teaching 5 Step Lesson Plans, TPR, “SFA”, Orton-Gillingham Approach, AVID WICOR Strategies, KAGAN cooperative learning, Socratic Seminars, Marzano's Six Step Process, Structured Literacy, etc.

7. All weekly ELA tier 2 and tier 3 lesson planning must be based on academic screening tools/probes, progress monitoring, skills gap analysis, and DBI.

8. Explicit rigorous weekly parent notifications of targeted student learning goals and students’ progress. Parents need to be informed of ways they can get Involved with their child’s education to help their child thrive (Calls Home, Home Visits, School out Reach, Full Time Parent Liaison, and Class/School News Letters)

9. Adoption of a comprehensive School-wide Literacy Action Plan (SLAP) based of data collected and all stakeholders input and feedback.

10. Monthly Differentiated ELA/Math Professional Development, Book Studies, etc.

11. Stratified PLC’s meet monthly to look at progress monitoring data (DBI) and review school-wide literacy plans and reading/math curriculum

Questions for your site council, administrators, teachers, interventionist, special-education teachers, instructional support staff, instructional aides, and staff:

1. Have you developed and implement a School-wide Literacy Action Plan (SLAP! fitting acronym), and is it reviewed quarterly and yearly by school PLCs? What are your school-wide ELA goals and objectives for your staff, teachers, and students?

2. How often does the admiration or/and instructional support staff evaluate and monitor teacher ELA lesson planning? Are teachers receiving differentiated ELA PD on best instruction practices?

3. How do you track individual student ELA progress, what data do you collect, is the data useful and actionable, how do you evaluate data, and how do you share that data with staff and parents?

4. How often are school wide and individual progress monitoring probes/screens administered to develop, adapt, revise, and evaluate tier 1, tier 2, and intensive tier 3 individualize ELA programs?

5. When students are making little or no progress is there a sense of urgency to find new solutions and systems?

6. What school-wide systems (academic screening tools/probes) are in place to identify students that are at risk?

7. What are the tier 1, 2, and intensive tier 3 ELA interventions used at your school? Please list them and who provides them.

8. How effective are your tier 2, and intensive tier 3 ELA individual interventions? What does the data (skills gap analysis) tell you, what are the school-wide trends, and what is you biggest need at each grade?

9. What tier 2 and tier 3 RTI systems do you have in place for students that are not making adequate progress?

10. How do you evaluate progress monitoring data to find gaps in learning?

11. How do you evaluate, revise and adapt tier 2 and tier 3 intensive interventions to close the achievement gap?

12. What is the literacy structure at your school? Content-based learning, Skills Based Basal Reading, Balanced literacy, 4 blocks, Daily Five, etc?