Education Transformation Office

2013-2014 Literacy Strategies

6-12ESOL/Reading/Writing

Strategy / Action Steps / Tasks
Use data to set goals, determine sound instructional practices based on research, and differentiate instruction to meet the various needs of students / Analyze student data using appropriate screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and outcome measures for both Reading and Writing to examine trends, set goals and targets for the year, and to plan for instruction
Schedule and conduct initial and ongoing data chats throughout the school year by class and by student. Post up-to-date data in the classroom.
Utilize relevant and current data (FAIR Patterns and Profiles, Interim Data, and STAR) to create flexible student groups that are aligned to students’ reading and writing deficiencies, and benchmark needs
Use data from relevant computer programs (STAR, AR, CELLA, TeenBiz 3000, SuccessMaker, Voyager SOLO, FCAT Focus, JRN, FCAT Explorer, Riverdeep, Write to Learn, Write Score, etc.) to make instructional decisions based on student progress; particularly during small group DI sessions (to include Accelerated Reader)
Conduct professional development for all teachers with English Language Learners (ELLs) on the effective use of the Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA)[how to pull scores from File Download Manager (FDM) and align resources for whole group and Differentiated Instruction (DI) to meet language needs]. Utilize CELLA Connections lessons in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.
Ensure awareness of students’ ESOL Levels (through CELLA)
and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) accommodations in order to provide tailored instruction for students during whole and small group DI sessions and provide appropriate accommodations during in class assessments
Utilize the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and Common Core Standards when planning for and delivering instruction / Implement and monitor the ETO Instructional Frameworks that follows the model of explicit instruction and the effective use of small group instruction to target students’ needs.
Utilize common planning protocols to provide all core areas with time for comprehensive lesson planning, purpose driven standard instruction, including daily doable objectives aligned to the standards that scaffold to the highest level of DOK, standard-based essential questions, rigor in assignments, high order questioning, and explicit instruction. Discuss and analyze student work samples for corrective explicit feedback and rigor as a part of common planning.
Utilize a Common Board Configuration to establish a consistent instructional routine to include Daily Doable Objectives (tied to the standards), Essential Question(aligned to the Objectives), the before-during-after instructional activities (for both whole group and small group sessions), Home-Learning, and the daily/weekly assessment as the framework for bell to bell instruction.
Employ the effective use of the item specifications, task cards, Webb’s DOK, in order to create lessons using the rigorous planner (with the effective model of instruction—“the I do, We do, and You do”)
Incorporate in the daily delivery of instruction all components of explicitinstruction (teacher think-aloud, multiple guided practice sessions with corrective feedback, student collaborative learning and individual practice) based on lesson plans and the CBC.
Identify in daily lesson plans, employ and monitor the use of effective and meaningful accommodations [including ELL and Special Education (SPED)]and effective scaffolding in daily lessons and on assessments.
Utilize research-based Reading, Writing and ESOLStrategies to enhance instruction in core curriculum areas / Implement and monitor school-wide strategies that utilize higher-order questioning strategies in order to promote critical, independent and creative thinking, for a deeper understanding of content. Develop observational classrooms that demonstrate high levels of rigor.
Increase evidence based vocabulary instruction and the effective use of interactive theme charts/word walls, rigorous writing and revision opportunities related to the content, active reading strategies to scaffold understanding complex related to the topic through pre-during, and post reading strategies.
Include and implement the effective use of appropriate graphic organizers as thinking tools to aid in comprehension, as well as infusing writing in response to reading as the end product.
Implement Accelerated Reader, set goals, incorporate written reflections based on the reading and provide rewards through the Literacy Leadership team to increase independent reading.
Ensure the explicit modeling and implementation of close reading and text dependent questions in all core curriculum areas to increase understanding through an in-depth analysis of complex text.
Increase descriptive and corrective feedback on student work in order to provide opportunities for the student to make adjustments and improvements towards mastery of a specific standard.
Increase and monitor activities to promote student accountability talk and active learning strategies such as Think, Pair, Share, Higher Order Thinking Strategies, Socratic discussions, literature circles, the use of response boards and technology clickers.
Infuse a variety of High Order Thinking Strategies into the Delivery of Instruction in Reading and Writing / Include and implement higher order questions in lesson plans (derived from Webb’s DOK, Task Cards, etc.) and translate these into instruction during whole and small group differentiated instruction sessions.
Use higher complexity questioning strategies to promote critical, independent, creative thinking, for a deeper understanding of the content.
Employ questioning techniques to include probing, wait-time, and re-directing to enhance instruction
Utilize, through modeling and practice, student accountable talk for explicit thinking, supporting, and explaining thoughts and ideas for reading and writing.
Provide instruction of the various modalities of writing throughout the writing process from start to finish
(i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, conferencing, editing, publishing, etc.) / Consistently utilize rubrics, calibration, and exemplar papers to increase the quality of students’ writing in the creative classes and develop through active coaching, common planning, and the Lesson Study Process.
Utilize the writing data (Write to Learn; Write Score; Teacher Created Essays) to determine student needs and for grouping for small group differentiated instruction writing sessions.
Implement an instructional framework in writing classes to ensure effective writing instruction.
Increase explicit instruction in writing classes to include think and write alouds and calibration papers.
Utilize exemplar papers and rubrics to increase the quality of students’ writing.
Incorporate instruction of writing as a process from planning to publishing and opportunities for different formats of writing
Provide intensive, scaffolded instruction for students with writing deficiencies and limited language proficiency (ELLs), as well as providing students with differing instructional practices (to include graphic organizers and framed sentences and paragraphs) and materials to meet the needs of all students in writing.
Create writing portfolios for all students; collect various work samples that demonstrate writing from beginning to end, show different modes of writing, and include papers with descriptive and corrective feedback in order to provide opportunities for students to make adjustments and improvements towards mastery of targeted writing skills.
Create end products in all content areas that requires analytical writing that synthesizes information from multiple sources and addresses all components of the writing process.
Provide students with intervention and enrichment opportunities as determined by data / Utilize assessment data throughout the year to develop and revamp intervention and enrichment groups
Ensure students are matched to the appropriate materials that will meet their needs
Ensure fluidity of the grouping of students is maintained during specified times during the year according to the OPM/Interim data.
Determine and set meeting times for teachers and interventionists to review and analyze the intervention and enrichment curriculum, discuss OPM/Interim data, and other issues/challenges pertaining to student progress
Analyze and maintain a solid and effective tracking system to monitor student progress, and provide regularly scheduled check-ups to ensure student needs are met
Provide push in interventionist support for ELLs in all Developmental ESOL courses. Train and monitor the effective use of these interventionists to focus on students’ oral language development.
Ensure regularly job-embedded Professional Development sessions are conducted
(i.e., common planning, lesson study, professional learning communities) / Ensure regularly scheduled common planning sessions are conducted by the Literacy Coaches, Assistant Principals and ETO support staff, which will include an agenda and log for documentation purposes, as well the effective unwrapping of the benchmarks, building purpose driven standard-based lessons and developing lessons that follow the gradual release model, and sharing of student work.
Ensure Instructional Coaches provide active coaching cycles of support to all teachers based on need (during common planning and individual classroom sessions)and guided by the administration and ETO support staff.
Ensure Lesson Study is implemented in all core curriculum groups with a focus on specific instructional strategies that continue to present challenges for instruction. Create a Lesson Study implementation schedule as evidence of completion.
Ensure Professional Learning Communities take place in order to strengthen knowledge of content, develop areas of need for all core areas, and share instructional best practices across content.
Provide targeted professional development on ESOL Strategies and Accommodations for content area teachers with ELLs.