Changes in Instruction:  What will teachers do to ensure students learn and develop the learning behaviors identified in the first column?  (Be sure that the instructional practices you identify will address every student learning behavior and connect to the Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards.)  Include all Changes in Instruction from the School Improvement Action Plan Template that this activity/series will impact.

Identify strengths and weaknesses in literacy instruction across all content areas.

Understand how to create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how children learn and develop critical thinking/literacy strategies.

Understand how to create learning experiences that reflect an understanding of central concepts, structures, and tools of inquiry of the discipline they teach.

Emphasize oral and written communication through instructional use of discussion, listening and responding to ideas of others, and group interaction.

Understand how to create and utilize formative assessment to adjust instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Professional Development (PD) in support of Changing Instruction: For each change in instructional practice, detail the PD that will support making those changes. Include:

1.        Describe the PD.

2.        Who will facilitate the PD?

3.        When the PD is scheduled to take place.

4.        How will the professional development implementation be monitored?

Collaboration and Support: For each major PD program, describe how teachers will be provided opportunities for ongoing collaboration and discussion regarding their PD and putting it into practice.

Resources, School and District: What school-wide and district supports and resources will be necessary to implement the PD? Indicate the source of funds for each program of PD. (e. g., Article 31, Title I, etc.).

Evaluating Results/Reporting to Families and Community:

1.        What evidence will the school use to draw conclusions about the impact and effectiveness of each major PD program? 

2.        Who will be responsible for organizing the evaluation? 

3.        When will the evaluation activities take place and when will they be completed?

 1.  Conduct Literacy Walks as part of self-study to assess the level of proficiency of students and teachers in the following:

• Use of before, during, and after critical thinking/reading strategies to analyze & interpret print and non-print sources (text, photographs, video, etc.) across the curriculum.

• Ability to facilitate accountable talk in student dominated discussion.

• Ability to provide instructional supports and formative assessments to increase opportunities to use writing to learn to monitor comprehension and differentiate instruction across all content areas.  

2.  The administrative staff and members of the literacy team who have been specifically trained in research-based best practices in reading and writing strategies.

3.  January, Literacy Walk-1; March, Literacy Walk-2; May, Literacy Walk-3

4.  The administrative staff and members of the literacy team will produce a report and present it to the entire faculty.  The findings of the report will be used to plan professional development. 

The Literacy Action Team will meet bi-monthly to monitor progress.

Teams will use CPT to analyze student work and map it back to instructional strategies.

Article 31 Funds-$2, 250.00

1. The action team will develop a survey to determine the effectiveness of the professional development designed in response to the literacy walk reports.

2. The Literacy Action Team and administrative staff.

3. At the conclusion of the professional development activities (May 2008).