Check One:Agency Region/Discipline/Program
(If R/D/P, you will need to complete Question # 13)
Complete this form and submit to Sherry Sines, GWAEA Professional Development Coordinator
Professional Development ProposalPLEASE TYPE (Enter text in the shaded fields only. Use the tab key to move to the next field.)
1. Title of Professional Development Proposal: What's Different About Teaching Reading to ELL?
2. Proposal Contact Person: Lynn TiemannDate: 4/27/2011
3. Focus Area Selected: (Please “click” to select focus area(s).
Writing / Science / Data Collection/Analysis
Other:
4. Briefly describe the Professional Development including intended GWAEA audience:
This year's Iowa Culture and Language Conference will host a preconference session from the Center for Applied Linguistics on the difference in teaching reading to students who are English language learners.
Five members of the AEA Literacy Team are interested in attending the preconference to learn additional strategies and considerations for working with ELL. They will be able to integrate the new learning into their current knowledge base and information they share with colleagues. The literacy consultants work across the AEA with building teams, curriculum directors, teachers and other AEA staff to close the achievement gap in the area of literacy. The literacy team provides professional development and classes to AEA and LEA staff in a variety of group configurations.
The team will meet following the training opportunity to discuss the training and determine what aspects to incorporate into training opportunities that they provide.
5. Describe how your proposal/professional development addresses the Agency’s goals.
- Increase the academic performance of all students
- Increase the percentage of students who perform at the proficient level.
The Literacy Team is working with districts to improve reading and writing skills for all students within GWAEA. Their work with reading and writing has a direct impact on other content area subjects. As the number of ELL students increases, the number of districts with ELL students increases. Training of teachers in the area of English as a Second Language has not been part of training for most teachers. Less than 2% of teachers licensed in AEA 10 have an ELL endorsement; yet they are asked to teach ELL to read.
Strategies that are necessary for ELL have been shown to improve learning for other students who are not ELL. Teachers have reported effective use of strategies designed for ELL as being effective across student groups.
6. What does the data tell about student achievement?
- Describe and/or summarize Learning and Leadership Action Plan data relevant to this proposal.
- Describe Additional Internal Data relevant to this proposal. – (Region/Discipline Action Plan; AEA data – staff needs assessment).
- Describe External Data relevant to this proposal – (National Data; Research Base, etc.).
Current data (ITBS/ITED from 2009) indicates 56% of ELLs are in the low performing group for reading in 4th grade within GWAEA. By 8th grade, 62% of ELL are in the low performing group, and by 11th grade 73% of ELLs are in the low performing group. Science results for ELL in 8th and 11th grade show low performance for 60% and 67% of students, respectively.
Preliminary results from the this year's I-ELDAresults indicated that approximately 38% of ELL students within our AEA either made negative growth, or had no change of English proficiency level.
7. Identify the Iowa Teacher Standard(s) supported by this professional development:
(Please “click” to select focus area(s).
Demonstrates ability to enhance academic performance and support for and implementation of the school district’s student achievement goals.
Demonstrates competence in content knowledge appropriate to the teaching position.
Demonstrates competence in planning and preparing for instruction.
Uses strategies to deliver instruction that meets the multiple learning needs of students.
Uses a variety of methods to monitor student learning.
Demonstrates competence in classroom management.
Engages in professional growth.
Fulfills professional responsibilities established by the school district.
8. Show how this addresses the following components of the Iowa Professional Development Model:
Theory:
Theory describes the rationale necessary for understanding the concepts behind a skill or strategy and how to apply it. Explain how theory is included in your proposal; examples may include discussions, reading and presentations.
The team will have the opportunity to attend the Iowa Culture and Language Conference in November to increase understanding of the best practice instruction in reading for ELL. The Center for Applied Linguistics has developed a research-based curriculum with key research findings from the National Reading Panel and the National Literacy Panel. The presentation may include topics such as: the nature of reading, comprehension, vocabulary development, beginning reading, reading fluency, and content-area reading and study skills as they impact ELL. This information is not currently part of most college coursework and teacher training programs, but has become everyday reality in many classrooms within our AEA.
Information will be shared with the entire literacy team and embedded into trainings that are done in local districts. The time for collaboration following the training will be provide for discussion and integration into current practice and trainings. The current trainings provided with be strengthened by the information on differentiation for students without a strong language base including ELL, special education students and students from a more impoverished environment.
The training will provide written materials that can be shared with teachers and other lit team members to impact colleagues, teachers and students. This resource can be used toshare what can be incorporated to strengthen understanding of the content and skills.
Demonstration:
Explain how proposal incorporates demonstration of skills and strategies.
The proposal will allow six members of the literacy team to hear information on best practice for providing reading instruction with students who are not native English speakers. The team members currently use modeling, demonstration and practice and application in the workshops they provide and their direct work with teachres. Strategies will be discussed and information infused into current learning that is provided by the Literacy team. Trainings and work with districts and teachers will provide the opportunity for demonstrating skils and strategies that have been gained from the workshop.
Practice:
State how multiple opportunities for practice of skills and strategies will be provided. The members of the team meet on a monthly basis to increase learning, collaborate and share concerns. Next year the team will also meet on a monthly basis in small groups to share information about regional concerns. They are continuously providing professional development individually, in groups and through classes. These opportunities are ongoing and will allow for multiple practice opportunities.
Collaboration:
How will opportunities for collegial learning, discussion and support be provided?
Support is available from the project members, at monthly literacy meetings, through consultation with ELL resource team members, through literacy suport teams and through the 4 hour implementation meetings the group will have to best determine where and when to add learned information into the current coursework and professional develomen the team provides.
Implementation:
How will the new learning be used and monitored? What data source(s) will be analyzed to determine continued use or modification of skills and strategies?
Members will be expected to implement the learning in their work settings. The group collects data on training they provide and the settings. This practice and implementation will provide this team with opportunities to take the procedures from the workshop setting and apply them in real situations with teachers and students.
They will reflect on their practice/implementation and consider the impact of the information has on their training.
9. Plan of Action. (timeline, person(s) responsible, method of evaluation)
Action Steps to be Taken / Person(s) Responsible /Timeline / Method of Evaluation
Attend ICLC / All / Nov. 7th / Attendance records
Meet to discuss learnings and share perspectives. / All / Nov. 30th / Minutes of meeting and action steps
Incorporate learnings into indiviidual PD, share with Lit team at a monthly meeting and determine changes to courses as appropriate / All / through April / Minutes of Lit team, additions to PD; data from trainings provided.
10. Outcomes/Intended Results
- What are the participant outcomes/intended results of the professional development (include relevant data).
- Describe how you will measure your outcomes.
- How will this impact student achievement?
This training is designed to improve instruction for ELL in the area of reading instruction by sharing research based practices that have been proven effective with ELL. With the new knowledge and resources, lit team members will be able to better respond to requests for supporting ELL and other students with non proficiency in English from their AEA colleagues, teachers and in work with individual students.
As training is provided to teachers and other AEA support staff, more effective practices should occur which will improve the learning of ELL in reading. Improving skills in reading should translate to improved achievement in other academic areas. An increase in the number of ELL students making growth on annual assessments for achievement in the areas of reading and English proficiency should increase AYP and AMAOs for schools, districts and the AEA.
Feedback from trainings will be gathered to determine effectiveness of training, additional questions and concerns and challenges. This will indicate if additional information in the area of ELL is requested. Additional speakers, professional development opportunities and discussion should result.
11. Identify budget and other resources for professional development.
BudgetEXPENSES COVERED THROUGH TEACHER QUALITY FUNDS
Names of Participants: Myrissa Gingerich
Kate Gardner
Jessica Graham
Heather Feuerhelm
Melody Cassidy
Lynn Tiemann will meet with the team for the follow-up training, but is not requesting funds for the project.
Number of hours per participant: 10 hours x 5 = 50 hours
Identify which action steps (see above) and participant these hours will support.
Total staff hours x $38/hour: / $ 1900 + F/I 304 = 2204
Materials/books: / $
Registration fees: / $ 700
Other: / $
TOTAL TEACHER QUALITY FUNDS / $ 2904
SECONDARY EXPENSES:
Identify item, cost and source of funding
Item: / $ / Source:
Total Other Funding / $
- Are there existing agency resources available to meet this need? If so, please identify.
Lynn Tiemann will work with the group as part of her contracted time. The special expertise from the workshop is not currently available within our AEA.
Do not complete for Agency proposals
- If this proposal is for discipline/region/program professional development, please provide evidence of need identified by staff.
At the literacy team, information has been shared by the ELL consultant. Members are increasingly seeing students within districts they work and the number of districts with ELL is fluctuating. Team members indicated that this is an area where they would benefit from additional learning. There are currently over 1300 ELL students within our AEA based on Fall BEDS from 2010. We have 70 different language groups within our AEA and over ⅔ of our districts have ELL enrolled. There are many considerations that need to occur to offer the most effective instruction in the areas of reading and content area instruction. These include, but are not limited to:: prior instruction, phonology considerations from the native language, similarities and differences in the languages, age of developing English, vocabulary, parent education, acceptance within the school setting. This workshop can begin to increase knowledge of some aspects of academics for those students.
Proposal contact person: Lynn Tiemann
Shared with RA/link on: 4/21/11 (date)