providing leadership in reading first schools: essential elements dr. joseph k. torgesen florida...

Providing Leadership in Providing Leadership in Reading First Schools: Reading First Schools:

Essential ElementsEssential Elements

Dr. Joseph K. TorgesenDr. Joseph K. TorgesenFlorida Center for Reading ResearchFlorida Center for Reading Research

Miami Reading First Principals, September, 2006Miami Reading First Principals, September, 2006

3. New discoveries from scientific research 3. New discoveries from scientific research about reading can provide the basis for about reading can provide the basis for improved outcomes for all children improved outcomes for all children

Why do we have Reading FirstWhy do we have Reading First

2. Prevention of reading problems is far 2. Prevention of reading problems is far more effective and humane than trying to more effective and humane than trying to remediate after children failremediate after children fail

1. Far too many poor and minority children are 1. Far too many poor and minority children are being “left behind” when it comes to growth being “left behind” when it comes to growth of proficient reading skillsof proficient reading skills

1. Increase the quality, consistency, and 1. Increase the quality, consistency, and reachreach of instruction in every K-3 classroomof instruction in every K-3 classroom

2. Conduct timely and valid assessments of 2. Conduct timely and valid assessments of reading growth to identify struggling reading growth to identify struggling readers. Use this data to improve school readers. Use this data to improve school level and instructional planninglevel and instructional planning

3. Provide more intensive interventions to help 3. Provide more intensive interventions to help struggling readers “catch up” to grade level struggling readers “catch up” to grade level standards in each grade K-3.standards in each grade K-3.

Three essential areas in which we must Three essential areas in which we must become stronger every year to meet our become stronger every year to meet our goalsgoals

The most important Reading First The most important Reading First goals:goals:1. I1. Increasencrease the percentage of students reading the percentage of students reading

“at grade level” each year at each grade “at grade level” each year at each grade level from kindergarten through third gradelevel from kindergarten through third grade

2. 2. DecreaseDecrease the percentage of students with the percentage of students with serious reading difficulties each year at each serious reading difficulties each year at each grade levelgrade level

These goals are to be met while considering These goals are to be met while considering all children taking the year end test, not just all children taking the year end test, not just those who have received the full treatmentthose who have received the full treatment

The most important Reading First The most important Reading First goals:goals:Overall student performance should increase Overall student performance should increase

each year do to two factors:each year do to two factors:

In each successive year, many of the In each successive year, many of the students will have had the advantage of students will have had the advantage of previous RF instructionprevious RF instruction

Each year, instruction at each grade level, Each year, instruction at each grade level, and school-level systems as a whole, and school-level systems as a whole, should be strongershould be stronger

How are Reading How are Reading First Schools in First Schools in Florida doing in Florida doing in meeting these meeting these

goals?goals?

First Grade –% at grade level on Sat 10

58 5860

5256

60

54

62 61

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Cohort 1 Cohort 2 Cohort 3

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

e

Pre

viou

s R

F A

war

d

New

Dis

tric

ts

First Grade –% with serious difficulties in reading comprehension

23

1816

22

19

16

14

17

20

5

10

15

20

25

30


2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

e

Pre

viou

s R

F A

war

d

New

Dis

tric

ts

Second Grade–% at grade level on Sat 10

5559

61

5255

5756

6056

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

eP

revi

ous

RF

Aw

ard

New

Dis

tric

ts

Second Grade level–% with serious difficulties in reading comprehension

23

19

16

23

20 2022

1820

5

10

15

20

25

30


2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

e

Pre

viou

s R

F A

war

d

New

Dis

tric

ts

Third Grade–% at level 3 or above on FCAT

57 59

67

55

6264

6166 64

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

eP

revi

ous

RF

Aw

ard

New

Dis

tric

ts

Third grade–% with serious difficulties in reading comprehension (level 1 on FCAT)

2725

19

29

22 22

25

1920

5

10

15

20

25

30


2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Mia

mi-

Dad

e

Pre

viou

s R

F A

war

d

New

Dis

tric

ts

Student Demographics for all students grades K-3

72

79 78

62

83 83

14

3024

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

FR Lunch Minority ELL

Cohort 1Cohort 2Cohort 3

Cohort 1 = 30,000 per gradeCohort 2 = 6,500 per gradeCohort 3 = 19,000 per grade

Student Demographics for all students Grade K-3

85

70 75

96

7264

31

21

3

0102030405060708090

100

FR Lunch Minority ELL

MiamiPrev. Dist.New Dist.

Miami-Dade = 9,500 per gradePrev. Dist. = 7,100 per gradeNew Dist. = 2,200 per grade

Miami has the most difficult demographics of any of the groups

It is clear that there It is clear that there has been significant has been significant variability in success variability in success among Reading First among Reading First Schools in Meeting Schools in Meeting the Essential Goalsthe Essential Goals

0

-10

-20

10

20

30

YY

GL

– In

crea

se in

% o

f st

uden

ts a

t gr

ade

leve

l

YYGL – Amount of reduction in % of students at grade level

0 10 20 30-10-20-30

R with %FR lunch = -.01

R with %FR lunch = .04

0

-10

-20

10

20

30

YY

GL

– In

crea

se in

% o

f st

uden

ts a

t gr

ade

leve

l

YYGL – Amount of reduction in % of students at grade level

0 10 20 30-10-20-30

N=6

N=38N=35

Relationship of “school challenge” to student performance

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Level of School Challenge based on % of students qualifying for FR lunch

% o

f 1-3

Stu

dent

s Pe

rfor

min

g A

t Gra

de L

evel

at t

he E

nd o

f Yea

r1 2 3 4 5 6

Increasing ChallengeIncreasing Challenge

72

6158

53 51

66

Decreasing Performance

Decreasing Performance

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Average % at GL

587 RF schools in Florida

The Adult Learning and Performance Gap 100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 2 3 4 5 6

59

4945

4138

53

1 2 3 4 5 6

8480

7571

66 65

Low 15% schools

Top 15% Schools

Approx. 25%

1 6

Level of School Challenge based on % of students qualifying for FR lunch

% o

f 1-3

Stu

dent

s Pe

rfor

min

g A

t Gra

de L

evel

at t

he E

nd o

f Yea

r

Bridging the Adult Performance Gap

Practices from Practices from Comparable SchoolsComparable SchoolsMaking SignificantMaking Significant

Gains Gains

SBRR

The essential elements for success

Practices from Practices from Comparable SchoolsComparable SchoolsMaking SignificantMaking Significant

Gains Gains

Suggests to leaders that a SET of components as a SYSTEM are effective in improving achievement.

SBRRSBRR

Allows educators to know about the effectiveness of individual components such as a specific instructional program or a particular progress monitoring assessment procedure.

1. Efforts to help increase the quality, 1. Efforts to help increase the quality, consistency, and consistency, and reachreach of instruction in of instruction in every K-3 classroomevery K-3 classroom

Points of Maximum Impact and Points of Maximum Impact and Leadership Focus in Successful Reading Leadership Focus in Successful Reading First SchoolsFirst Schools

a. Insuring teachers have excellent a. Insuring teachers have excellent professional development, including strong professional development, including strong training in use of the core program to guide training in use of the core program to guide instructioninstructionb. Monitoring and supporting classroom b. Monitoring and supporting classroom instruction through principal walkthroughsinstruction through principal walkthroughs

Are teachers providing explicit, systematic, and Are teachers providing explicit, systematic, and motivating whole group instruction?motivating whole group instruction?

Is small group instruction differentiated Is small group instruction differentiated appropriately by student need?appropriately by student need?

Are other students engaged in independent Are other students engaged in independent learning activities that are appropriate and learning activities that are appropriate and engagingengaging

Organization of a classroom during small Organization of a classroom during small group instructiongroup instruction

Classroom teacher and group of 4

Independent Learning Activity (4)


Resource teacher and group of 3

FCRR has developed 240 ISA’s for K-2 and 170 for 2-3 – are they being used effectively?


Are these students working productively on appropriate practice activities?

Value of the principal’s walkthrough

Points of Maximum Impact and Points of Maximum Impact and Leadership Focus in Successful Reading Leadership Focus in Successful Reading First SchoolsFirst Schools2. Be sure school-level assessment plan is 2. Be sure school-level assessment plan is

working, and provide leadership in use of working, and provide leadership in use of data to plan instruction at the school and data to plan instruction at the school and classroom levelclassroom levelSchool level planning involves identifying School level planning involves identifying

needs for materials, personnel, time – needs for materials, personnel, time – takes place in spring or early summer-has takes place in spring or early summer-has budget implicationsbudget implications

Budgeting for Success

Points of Maximum Impact and Points of Maximum Impact and Leadership Focus in Successful Reading Leadership Focus in Successful Reading First SchoolsFirst Schools2. Be sure school-level assessment plan is 2. Be sure school-level assessment plan is

working, and provide leadership in use of working, and provide leadership in use of data to plan instruction at the school and data to plan instruction at the school and classroom levelclassroom levelSchool level planning involves identifying School level planning involves identifying

needs for materials, personnel, time – needs for materials, personnel, time – takes place in spring or early summer-has takes place in spring or early summer-has budget implicationsbudget implications

Provide leadership for the use of data to Provide leadership for the use of data to make adjustments and increase power of make adjustments and increase power of instruction for those who need it –attend instruction for those who need it –attend important data meetingsimportant data meetings

Successful schools use data effectively

Making decisions and following up

Points of Maximum Impact and Points of Maximum Impact and Leadership Focus in Successful Reading Leadership Focus in Successful Reading First SchoolsFirst SchoolsProvide powerful interventions to students who Provide powerful interventions to students who

need them for as long as they need themneed them for as long as they need them

A. Developing a school schedule that allows A. Developing a school schedule that allows sufficient time for interventionssufficient time for interventions

B. Identifying or providing sufficient personnel to B. Identifying or providing sufficient personnel to deliver the intervention instructiondeliver the intervention instruction

C. Providing appropriate programs and materials C. Providing appropriate programs and materials to support the intervention instructionto support the intervention instructionWill need something for fluency Will need something for fluency

growthgrowth

Students at Benchmark in ORF at Grades 1-3, Assessments 1 through 4

Assess 1 Assess 2 Assess 3 Assess 4

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

72% 64% 64% 54%

56% 54% 53% 46%

45% 44% 48% 38%

37th

34th

30th





C. Providing appropriate programs and materials C. Providing appropriate programs and materials to support the intervention instructionto support the intervention instructionWill need something for fluency Will need something for fluency

growthgrowthMany student will need extra support for the Many student will need extra support for the development of early reading accuracy-development of early reading accuracy-phonicsphonics

62nd percentile

50th percentile

42nd percentile

6863 54 66

Schools were selected based on Schools were selected based on their index of Effectiveness of their index of Effectiveness of

Core Instruction (ECI) Core Instruction (ECI)

Looking at growth in phonemic Looking at growth in phonemic decoding in 20 RF schools that decoding in 20 RF schools that

had different success on the first had different success on the first grade ECIgrade ECI

10 high performing schools10 high performing schools10 low performing schools10 low performing schools

District 1 School High ECI

65% 76%

High performing school


50% 68%



49% 58%


District 1 School Low ECI

82% 42%

Low performing school


69% 37%



63% 35%


65 65 68

56

67

40

79

52

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1 2 3 4

High ECILow ECI

Percentage of students meeting benchmarks in 1st Grade NWF for High ECI and Low ECI Reading First Schools





C. Providing appropriate programs and materials C. Providing appropriate programs and materials to support the intervention instructionto support the intervention instruction

D. Oversight, energy, follow-up – use data D. Oversight, energy, follow-up – use data meetings to ask about students, make meetings to ask about students, make decisions to increase support, etc.decisions to increase support, etc.

Materials and Instruction

Time and Grouping

Assessment Data Utilization

Professional Development

School Organization and

Support

School and District

Leadership

Coaching

Before the School Year Begins: Action Planning

Adjustments made to Action Plan During the Year For Groups and Individuals Via: Instructional Planning

Materials and Instruction

Time and Grouping

Assessment Data Utilization

Professional Development

School Organization and

Support

School and District

Leadership

Coaching

Instructional planning often reveals problems that have implications for budget, scheduling, personnel, etc.

Solving these problems requires involvement of the leadership team and adjustments in the

Action Plan.

Putting It All Together:Action Planning and Instructional Planning

August Sept. Oct.-Dec.

January Feb.-April

May June-July

ActionPlanning

Work onCreating/RefiningActionPlans

Refinementof Action

Plans

CreateAction

Plans forNext

SchoolYear

InstructionalPlanning

¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦

Principals and Coaches Hold the Key to Closing the Adult

Learning and Performance Gap

The Key Change Agents for Action Planning are the Principal with Input from

the Coach

Data Informs Planning for Critical Variables:

• Materials and Instructional Practices

• Time/Coverage/Mastery and Grouping Practices

• Assessment Practices

• Data Utilization Practices

• Professional Development

• School Organization and Support

• School Leadership - Principal

• Reading First Coach

The Key Change Agent for Instructional Planning is the Coach with Support from

the Principal

Instructional Planning Utilizing:

• Grade Level Data

• Classroom Data

• Small Group Data

•Individual Data

Instructional Planning






A final concluding thought….A final concluding thought….There is no question but that it is going to be There is no question but that it is going to be difficult to make improvements each year in difficult to make improvements each year in increasing the proportion of students at increasing the proportion of students at grade level and reducing the proportion of grade level and reducing the proportion of students with serious reading difficultiesstudents with serious reading difficulties

It will require strong leadership, dedicated It will require strong leadership, dedicated teachers, effective action and instructional teachers, effective action and instructional plans at the school and classroom level…plans at the school and classroom level…

It’s a little like herding cats, but perhaps a It’s a little like herding cats, but perhaps a little more difficult…little more difficult…

Working effectively to leave no one Working effectively to leave no one behind…behind…

Thank Thank YouYou

Important resources for Reading First Important resources for Reading First PrincipalsPrincipals

1. Your reading coach1. Your reading coach2. Your District Reading First leadership team2. Your District Reading First leadership team3. The 3. The Reading First Professional Development Reading First Professional Development

CoordinatorCoordinator Assigned to your School Assigned to your School

Human ResourcesHuman Resources

Written MaterialsWritten Materials1. FCRR Reports on various supplemental and 1. FCRR Reports on various supplemental and

intervention programs available at www.fcrr.orgintervention programs available at www.fcrr.org

2. Independent student center activities available 2. Independent student center activities available from FCRR – each teacher should have a set – from FCRR – each teacher should have a set – can also be downloaded at www.fcrr.orgcan also be downloaded at www.fcrr.org

Important resources for Reading First Important resources for Reading First PrincipalsPrincipals

Written Materials (cont.)Written Materials (cont.)1. 1. Brief document for principal’s calledBrief document for principal’s called A Principal’s Guide A Principal’s Guide

to Intensive Reading Interventions for Struggling to Intensive Reading Interventions for Struggling Readers in Reading First Schools Readers in Reading First Schools at www.fcrr.orgat www.fcrr.org

2. Full document describing practices used in Reading First 2. Full document describing practices used in Reading First schools in Florida who have been relatively successful in schools in Florida who have been relatively successful in implementing effective interventions. An executive implementing effective interventions. An executive summary of the document is included with your summary of the document is included with your materials. Full document available at www.fcrr.orgmaterials. Full document available at www.fcrr.org

3. A new document that explains how classroom teachers 3. A new document that explains how classroom teachers should be providing differentiated in their classrooms to should be providing differentiated in their classrooms to meet the needs of more students-at www.fcrr.orgmeet the needs of more students-at www.fcrr.org

providing leadership in reading first schools: essential elements dr. joseph k. torgesen florida...

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