Organizing Data at a School-Level

Today's post is brought to you by Heather Zimmerman.

Do we have enough data?  What data should classroom teachers look at?  Which data should grade-level teams use?  Are we data rich and information poor?  

This school years these questions started to pop up, as there was a new focus on data.  With staff writing SLOs and the SLD rule, we found ourselves evaluating what data we collect and how we use this data.

In order to help with this process, my school created a Google doc spreadsheet and shared it with: the dean of students, the instructional support teacher, the literacy coach, the school psychologist, and the principal.  Before we met as a group, we added all assessments we used to the spreadsheet to see what we could come with.  

Here is how the spreadsheet is formatted:

School Data

Assessment

Grade Level

Literacy

Math

Behavior

Other

Frequency of Administration

Then as a group we met and started to sort the data on a whiteboard.  After much discussion we started to discuss different ways that would be useful to group the data.  

Here are a few ways we began to sort:

Assessment Types

Assessment Type	Summative (annually or longer)	Benchmarks and Screeners (2-4 times per year)	Diagnostic	Progress monitoring	Ongoing	Other
Description	Useful for system-level analysis and outcome measurement	Designed to be administered at check-points throughout the year; help to identify students meeting/not meeting pre-determined targets	Useful for in-depth analysis; target sub-skills in need of intervention	Sensitive to small changes in skill level; many alternate forms allow for frequent administration (weekly)		Provide context for academic/ behavioral data

After sorting this data, we decided to adjourn, so we could have time to process the data.  The goal is to come back together to discuss questions we have regarding the data.

Here are some questions we plan to address:

1. Do we have any gaps in data?  Where are these gaps? (Consider the needs of each team.)
2. Do we have any overlaps in data?  Are  there any assessments that collect certain data that the other does not?  Is there an assessment we do not need then?
3. What are our next steps in the data sort?

Through this process, as a group, we are able to see what sort of data is collected in the district.  We do not want to over-assess our students and therefore want to make sure all assessments have a clear purpose that helps student learning.

Ah - ssessment

Today's post is brought to you by Barb. (Use the tag at the bottom of this post to access other Literacy Booth posts about assessment.)

Ah - ssessment. Something that has been occupying a lot of my thoughts and energy lately. 

There are, undoubtedly, many, many important questions swirling about assessment - both formative and summative. 

Unfortunately, I can't offer answers to all of those important questions. Instead, I will share a resource that reflects some of what I believe to be important about assessment. 

Let me introduce you to DPI's work around performance tasks. 

Why do I value this work? 

• It results in an assessment in any content area that utilizes literacy in an authentic, meaningful, and engaging way. 
• It could create an assessment that could be used to measure the outcome of an SLO (student learning objective).
• It reflects the type of performance tasks students will be asked to complete on Smarter Balanced.
• It could be used to create common assessments.

Begin by checking out this list of criteria for designing performance tasks:

Next, use this sentence frame for creating a disciplinary literacy-based performance task.

What Are You Reading? (April Edition)

She's reading Pete the Cat.

Causes & Cures in the Classroom:

Getting to the Root of academic and Behavior Problems

by Margaret Searle (being read by Bobbi)

What I love about this book is the quick flow charts to get at identifying the root cause of a problem.  One flow chart dissects possible root causes of reading comprehension difficulties.  I have used the flow charts to begin collaborative discussions during a team coaching session.

Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better

by Doug Lemov (being read by Bobbi)

This book was given to me by a recent acquaintance I made at a CCSS meeting - an amazing literacy coordinator from Appleton, WI.

The Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain 

by Maryanne Wolf (being read by Jaimie)

This book offers some wonderful insight into the reading brain and has given me many things to ponder, wonder, and think about.  A great professional book that is written almost in the form of a novel.

Reading Power 

by Adrienne Gear (being read by Jaimie)

This book promotes the use of effective strategies for teaching reading comprehension, specifically focusing on what students do while they are reading.

Self-Directed Writers

by Leah Mermelstein (being read by Julie)

This book gives teachers strategies on how to have a successful writing workshop by creating writers who are self-directed. Her explicit strategies include:

• creating an appropriate physical environment
• scaffolding instruction with shared and interactive writing
• planning units, focus lessons, conferences, and shares that are aimed at helping students become self-directed

Close Reading and Writing From Sources

by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey (being read by Andrea)

Interventions that Work

by Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos (being read by Heather)

Dorn and Soffos offer literacy-based interventions that fit into a RtI model.

"Developing Phonemic Awareness in Young Children"

by Hallie Kay Yopp (being read by Heather)

An article that provides a variety of activities for young readers.

"Fluency: Bridge Between Decoding and Reading Comprehension"

by John J. Pikulski and David J. Chard (being read by Heather)

An article that highlights components for an effective program that includes fluency.

"Saving the 'P' Word: Nine Guidelines for Exemplary Phonics Instruction"

by Steven A. Stahl (being read by Heather)

An article that provides an overview of phonics, why it is important, and effective strategies.

Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners - the SIOP Model

by Jana Echevarria, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short (being read by Heather)

A book that provides information on effective lesson plan models for English Language Learners.

Educational Leadership (EL)

from Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (being read by Carrie)

I continue to love by professional subscription to Educational Leadership. The articles provide a quick read for the months when getting through a full book seems impossible, and the topics are current and timely. For example, the March issue on assessment provides great opportunities for staff development and learning, with a text that was accessible and relevant.

Using Metacognitive Think-Alouds for Explicit Instruction

Today's post is brought to you by Bobbi Campbell.

Making Sense of the Common Core State Standards:

After several coaching experiences at one building, the literacy leadership team decided that an area of focus should be modeling what a think aloud could look like, focusing on explicit modeling of metacognitive skills. We created a video and a script for use at a school to stimulate conversation about using explicit modeling to demonstrate metacognitive skills.

View the above video using GoogleDrive.

The following script supports the recorded focus lesson. It can be viewed using GoogleDrive.

Don't Fall Victim to the Other Vortex

Today's post is brought to you by Andrea Reichenberger.

We’ve been dealing with more than one Polar Vortex, an Alberta Clipper, and just that normal time of year when we start to feel that teacher slump.  It’s a vortex all of it’s own and it happens in November and it happens again in February.  (This year’s Wisconsin weather isn’t helping.) As a coach, I have made it a priority to find solace and strength in my network of fellow coaches in order to help the teacher’s through this phase.  

When you add the element of change (whether it is evolving curriculums, increased accountability, or changing instructional practices), every new task presented seems overwhelming to them.  We need to be careful, frustration is contagious and negativity spreads faster and wider than any other virus.  

So, what are the positives? Teachers in my school are beginning to visit the coaching suite more often than they have in the past.  Word is out that the coaches are here to help.  Not to mention that we always have Starburst (only the Fave Reds or the Very Berry) and Dove chocolates on hand as well as a really nice couch! Lately, teachers just want to talk through an idea they have in their head, ask questions or for a resource, and sometimes they need a safe place to vent their frustrations. That is okay.  We, as coaches, just need to keep ourselves from falling victim to that vortex. (As we don’t have a choice about the other!)  We try our best to stay positive and focus on the progress that we are making. A list is always a nice visual to help remind us!

• We have our first high school lab classroom set up with a visiting teacher already scheduled.
• Seventeen teachers are signed up for an early morning PD session we are offering entitled: Getting Started With Close Reading.
• Several teachers have chosen to focus on creating more student-centered classrooms and are working to incorporate the gradual release model into their instruction (AND they are excited about it!)

Close Reading- Resources

Today's post is brought to you by Heather Zimmerman.

This school year, most of the middle schools in my district are working on reading anchor standard one, which looks at reading closely.  I have spent a lot of time researching and learning this year.  I thought I would share some of the resources I found.  I hope you find these useful.

• Website (blog)- We started off the year during a professional development session looking at this great, easy to read blog.  It starts to look at close reading using a lot of examples.  It was a great way for all content areas to start exploring a bit more.  We used the idea of the bounce pass as topics for future sessions.
• http://www.teachingthecore.com/non-freaked-out-common-core-close-reading/
• Graphic Organizer I used- https://docs.google.com/a/oshkosh.k12.wi.us/document/d/1QSb_UleSxIbxY6jqgEw9CRO385wxBjRVDWrYDreomYo/edit

• Sectionals- During a 90-minute professional development session we had three sectionals that groups of teachers rotated through.  The speakers at each sectional were teachers in the building, which other teachers truly appreciated.  Here were the sectionals:
• Annotating strategy- At one school we talked about coding a text (?, !, etc.) and at another school we talked about BUCKS.  (Sorry I don’t know the original creator to give the appropriate credit to.)

B - Box out facts or key terms

U - Underline the essential question

C - Circle what I don't understand

K - Kick-out what isn't important

S - Start your response

• Videos- Thanks to Fisher and Frey, facilitators pulled out a video they wanted to share with the group and discuss.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FisherandFrey

• Lesson Planning Tool- There is an example of a lesson planning tool in Common Core: Unit by Unit By: Cheryl Becker Dobbertin.

• Setting a Purpose- We looked back at Cris Tovani’s, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?  Her style of writing is so inviting and her advice is so practical!

• Introducing Vocabulary-  The teachers brainstormed ideas on how they do this.  We created a workable document to add to.

• Close Reading with Literature- A group of literacy teachers and I are doing a book study using Notice and Note by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst.

• Text Dependent Questions- I collected ideas from Notice and Note, Common Core: Unit by Unit, and Fisher and Frey’s website- http://www.fisherandfrey.com/resources/

I will stop here with the overflow of information.  There is so much out there to look at and I hope this list gives you some ideas.  Feel free to comment and share any of your own!

What to Write?

Today's post is brought to you by Julie Schwartzbauer

The topic for this post was “Coaches Choice.”  That is exactly why it took me so long to write it! There are far too many things that I care about in the area of literacy to just pick one.  I put it off and put it off and then I attended the WSRA (Wisconsin State Reading Association) conference.

Wow!  Talk about information overload.  There were so many fabulous presenters there.  I think of many of the leading researchers in literacy as “Rock Stars,”  as I stand in line to get their autograph.   

I think the biggest “Rock Star” for me this year at the convention had to have been Lucy Calkins. It was the first time I had ever heard her present in person.  I truly felt honored.   

One of the main themes of the convention this year was students as writers.  I went to session after session gathering information on how to support my teachers in the teaching of writing. As I woke up Saturday morning, preparing to hear Lucy speak, I was feeling like I was ready to conquer writing.  I had a stack of new professional resources, and my brain was ready to explode with all of the new learning I had spent doing the last two days.

It was during Lucy’s presentation that I began to do some some self-reflection.  Lucy had us looking at various writing samples.  We were analyzing many of them and even verbally creating some of our own.  It was at this point that I realized I AM NOT A WRITER!  I went on to ponder that if I am not a writer, how am I supposed to teach a teacher or even a child how to write?  I walked away that day understanding the struggle our teachers go through when they are expected to teach children how to write and they themselves are not writers.  My goal, is to become a writer!  What’s your goal?