Coffee Chats (In-Person or Virtual)

If you have questions or want to talk about ANYTHING related to literacy, books, the VLA, MyView...you have two options to imbibe and discuss. :) 

1) Come visit me at Cure on the following dates and times. 

July 11 from 9:00-10:30 a.m.

July 15 from 3:00-4:30 p.m.

July 23 from 11:00-12:30 p.m.

2) Jump on a zoom to chat at the following dates and times. 

July 1 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. 

July 18 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. 

July 24 from 8:00-9:00 a.m.

Division Literacy Plan for 24-25 SY

Each division has to submit a literacy plan to VDOE describing our vision, our professional learning plan, what curriculum was chosen, what we will assess, how we will monitor progress, and how we will involve families. Read to find out what was approved by our school board. 

Growth Mindset & Professional Learning Goal

 

We really do learn from mistakes. I could share countless personal examples, but this time, I will share one from my daughter. I have told her (theory) and from practice (doing it with her) that she needs to wear sunscreen. She made a mistake of not applying it one day. She ended up with 2nd degree sunburns on her face. Guess what she learned? #mistakesmatter 

This is why we have this goal as we embark on our VLA adventure. 

Start now and take our questionnaire! 

MyView Learning Letter #14-Rigor

MyView will be rigorous. Our standards expect it, especially with text complexity and making sure all students have access to grade-level text regardless of reading level. 

Now, we don't want our students to feel like the ones pictured above and that the rigor is so HEAVY they won't feel success. That is why we have to come up beside them and provide scaffolds, like a ladder, to help them do some of the lifting until they are strong enough to do it on their own. That doesn't happen overnight, but it has. to. happen for kids to learn. You can't always be the one doing all the rigorous work. 

Here is how curriculum gets "watered down" and isn't as rigorous, paraphrased by yours truly from this recording on curriculum reform. When I say teachers, I may or may not be talking about you. That is for you to decide. I am just stating the facts I learned from this recording. Trust me, there is no judgement as I type these words because they are just as hard for me to face as well. I have been there, done that, and worked harder than my students too many times to count. 

1) Teachers have a belief that the kids "can't do it". Yep, that is harsh. It starts with you. (Anyone else think of Haim G. Ginott right now?!)

2) Because of this belief, teachers start to shift away from the core instruction that is rigorous and do the cognitive lift, or thinking, for the students. Who has ever filled out a graphic organizer "with" the kids and it wasn't the direct instruction time? You would totally see my hand raised! 

3) Over time, this keeps happening and teachers keep simplifying the tasks which lowers the grade level and rigor to where what is being taught isn't aligned to the standards anymore. 

4) The results? Students do not perform well on tests. 

I know this is not what any of us wants. So, over the course of the year, we will learn about those scaffolds and how we can support our students with the heavy lifting and thinking until they can do it on their own. 

MyView Learning Letter #13- Teacher Autonomy

One of the many concerns teachers have about adopting a new curriculum is that they feel they will lose their autonomy in what is taught and will become "robots" teaching from a scripted curriculum. How do I know? Because I am that teacher. I fought Reading First and having to use that basal so hard because "my way" was better. Well, I was young and I have learned. Maya Angelou said it best, 

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Boy have I felt this in my bones. Here's what I have learned and will continue to learn: 

1) Autonomy means the quality or state of being self-governing. While there will be a systematic and explicit pacing to follow, which you already do, you are still in charge of what that looks like in your classroom. You will have govern what the lesson looks like in your classroom based on the students in your care. More about this in #5. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teacher-autonomy-isnt-dead-heres-how-to-achieve-it/2023/09

2)  I was not explicit in my teaching and sometimes am still not! I learned this after a coaching round at Westside this year. Following a scripted curriculum helps me be explicit which is how kids learn best.  https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-explicit-instruction

3) "HQIM (high quality instructional materials) Does Not Mean a Loss of Teacher Autonomy". This was taken from the VDOE's VLA Implementation Playbook  on page 25. "Many teachers fear a loss of autonomy when new curriculum is introduced. These fears are understandable for HQIM does require teachers to use their materials to ground all of their daily instructional experiences. That said, teachers will now be able to focus on how to engage their students in that content in the daily HQIM. As teachers become more versed with the daily lesson plans within the HQIM, teachers should be encouraged to think deeply about how to ensure students not only engage fully in that learning, but that students own the learning within the daily lesson." Having a plethora of the quality instructional materials means you get to focus on the delivery (internalizing and adapting) of the lessons rather than creating them. There is no planning and thinking about what to do, you get to plan the HOW. 

4) This section is taken from UFLI Foundation's Teacher's Manual about Implementation Guidance. "Implementation fidelity refers to the degree to which a program is implemented as designed. If the program is not implemented as designed, it may not achieve the intended student outcomes." (page 35) 

When I read this, I think back to countless of situations where we are not getting the student results we have wanted and many times, the company will say, "Well, you haven't been using it the way it was designed." Oh. You're right. 

Here is another quote from UFLI. "Attaining implementation fidelity should not mean that your lessons are stilted or robotic. Quite the contrary! As noted throughout this handbook, brisk lesson pacing and high student engagement are essential elements of every lesson. The key is keeping the lesson fun and supportive of students' needs. The best way to ensure student success is providing as many opportunities to respond as you possibly can during the lesson. Varying those practice opportunities keeps it interesting for studnets but varying it too much can take up valuable instructional time as you explain each new activity. It is fine to put your own stamp on the lesson, to personalize it to fit your teacher style as long as you accomplish the lesson goals." (page 36)

5) In The Broken Logic of "Sold a Story": A Personal Response to "The Science of Reading" by Thomas Newkirk found here (second link), section 11 says it best! "Science and Being Scientific I recently came across a comment from a parent, I've lost the source, but the gist was: even though the Science of Reading programs restricted teacher decision-making, they were firmly based on science. And according to the parent, that was a good trade off. Publishers are lining up with scripted, paced, structured, explicit programs that are advertised as based on the science of reading. There is a paradox here: "science" is viewed as a set of established truths that teachers implement, without being scientific themselves. That is, without the expectation that they monitor the results of their own teaching, and adjust that teaching based on what they see. In these systems they are not acting, or allowed to act, with the agency Tolstoy advocated: "the best method would be the one which would answer best to the difficulties incurred by the pupil, that is not a method but an art and talent." The problem here is that science is viewed as coercive, and producing results so certain, so conclusive that the only ethical position for practitioners is to accept and implement these truths. The issue, we are told, has been settled, the question of best practice answered. Yet the very nature of science is to be unsettled, to restlessly challenge received wisdom, and to constantly test out conventional wisdom in the cauldron of our own experience and professional work." (page 25) 

You must be scientific and not just teach the lesson scripted without paying attention to your own teaching and how the students are learning. You will need to look at the students in your class and figure out how to scaffold the lesson to make sure your students learn it. I go back to what the authors in UFLI said, personalize it to fit you and your studnets AS LONG AS YOU ACCOMPLISH THE LESSON GOALS. 

I know these 5 notes will not change your thinking immediately. I do hope that they have caused you to pause and reflect. That's the start. :) 

If you have strong feelings and beliefs about this topic, please reach out! I would love to chat because I have them, too! 

Helpful Links to Prepare for the VLA

VLP - VALUE Series - Professional development for reading specialists and teachers on science of reading topics, best practices, and VALLSS. 

Readings - Articles and web pages for educators on teaching within the science of reading framework.

Recordings - Video recordings related to the VLA and evidence-based literacy instruction.

Short Videos - Short videos related to evidence-based literacy instruction.

Webinars - Recorded longer webinars from VDOE regarding VLA and evidence-based literacy instruction.

#isleREAD#isleWRITE Update

 

Your favorite ELA hub just got an update! :) Click here to see updated information about 

* our new curriculum, myView Literacy (HQIM)

* our new ELA standards

* new assessments for the next school year 

* updates regarding the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA)

* new information about reading intervention and student reading plans (SRP)

* professional learning opportunities and requirements

* information about Dyslexia

* and more! 

MyView Learning Letter #12-HQIM

  

As we begin to use MyView's high quality instructional materials, let's remember to stay KALM. Here is what we are going to Keep and Add. Here is what we are going to do Less or More of. 

1. Keep

1. UFLI, Heggerty

2. STAR 2-5

2. Add

1. VALLSS replaces PALS

2. Skill based assessments from MyView

3. Lexia (optional) K-5

1. will be used by intervention 

3. Less 

1. School Pace Leveling 

2. Conferencing 

3. Freckle 

4. Waterford 

4. More 

1. MyView Materials

1. Waiting - We will wait and hold on to these resources because we are not sure how they can be used, yet.

1. The Writing Revolution, Grammar Progression, SIM Strategy, Word Talk

MyView Learning Letter #11-Eight Things to Know for Next Year, Before You Leave for the Summer

 

MyView Learning Letter #10-Small Group

 

While there will be no more readers conferences, that format will help you because your small groups will be flexible based on data. The data you will use to make decisions about instruction will be based on VALLSS, STAR Reading, and other MyView Assessments.

Small Groups do not mean Guided Reading either. The groups will be fluid based on data so that students get exactly what they need instructionally. Throughout the year, you will learn more about small groups and how they will be build around systematic, explicit instruction and incorporate lots of student practice followed by progress monitoring to ensure the instruction is working!

In the meantime, MyView provides a lot of options for small group. We will learn more about these resources and plan for small group with reading coaches and SpEd Inclusion teachers during weekly planning sessions.

* The TE (Teacher's Edition) has small group lessons that will support core instruction for students who need extra for the week's skills. Think of this as differentiation for core instruction for all students.

* The My Intervention Book also supports core instruction and is grouped by skill. Think of this as a tier 1 or 2 intervention.

* The Reading Routines Book has lessons to remediate specific Foundational Reading skills such as phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. Think of this as a tier 2 or 3 intervention.

Beyond MyView, there are two resources we can use to supplement small group instruction.

* UFLI Foundations

* Instructional Protocols-VALLSS

VLA Roles and Responsibilities

I believe this. It's nice when people are clear with me so I know expectations! One way that I am trying to be as clear as possible is to be transparent with information. Like a student, I like to see what I am supposed to do before I have to do it. I like to see the rubric ahead of time to see how I am going to be evaluated. So, here are your responsibilities as a teacher before the VLA goes LIVE next school year! 

As you can see, you have responsibilities, but so do I. So does your Principal. So does your Reading Coach. It's helpful to see what everyone is supposed to be doing so we can "hold each other ABLE". This has a positive connotation rather than "hold each other accountable". #teamworkmakesthedreamwork

MyView Learning Letter #9-Planning and WalkThroughs

Change is hard. No matter what. And, there is always a flow in your response to the change.  

While you are gearing up for the change, you might be thinking, "What support will I get to help me navigate this change?"

As a division, we are doing all that we can to help manage the change and are planning to put supports in place for you. Phew! Right? 

VDOE has also provided some great supports for us to use. One of them is the Lesson Planning Cycle. I like to be clear and kind so that you know what to expect next year. 

There will be weekly planning sessions to learn more about the HQIM or curriculum (MyView). You will deliver those lessons to your studnets in your classroom. Non-evaluative walkthroughs will occur often and all year. Finally, feedback will be provided. Finally, while it's not represented in this image, there will be monthly PLC topics to learn more about how our new curriculum is designed with the science of reading. 

There will be training opportunities to learn how to implement our new MyView HQIM starting now, in August, and throughout the year. There will also be opportunities to plan with your school grade level teams on how to implement our new MyView HQIM. Plus, we are working on getting grade levels together mid year to do some collaborative planning. 

Finally, through the lesson planning cycle, walkthroughs, and feedback, coaching will happen just like it always has. We will have three main ways of coaching this year. The first will be more traditional based on the above mentioned cycle and/or training. The second will be more student centered coaching by using MyView's formative assessments or other data. And last, we will also do our best to honor teacher requests for coaching. Maybe you want to see something modeled or need a thinking partner.

The bottom line is, no matter what, we are here to support you through this change. You are not alone! :) 

To read more about the train, coach, plan pillars, click here.