Laying the Foundation + Alabama Reading Initiative + Alabama State Department of Education = Increased Student Achievement

Laying the Foundation Implementation Pilot

ARI has been given the gift of supporting a pilot program that has been offered to our region.  A key goal of PLAN 2020 is for schools in Alabama to increase the number of students who meet college readiness benchmarks in core subject areas.  To support this vision, a partnership between the Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama Reading Initiative, and A+ College Ready has been formed to support a pilot program with 8^th grade English teachers across the state.  The assumption of the pilot is that when Laying the Foundation infused courses, designed by teams of Alabama teachers, are aligned with a scope and sequence and implemented faithfully by teachers who are supported by ARI and given the resources they need to be successful, the number of students who increase their college readiness score in the subject area taught will increase significantly in one year. 

To test this assumption, the number of students in each 8^th grade English class achieving the college readiness benchmark score on ASPIRE 2014 administration while they were in grade 7 will be compared to the number of students achieving the college readiness benchmark score on the Aspire test given to the same cohort of students in 8th grade in the Spring of 2015.  Changes in the number of students reaching the college readiness benchmark in the 8^th grade class will be tracked, as well as overall student score increases.  We are excited to have the opportunity to support as many as four schools in region 4!

What is the common yardstick for education?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

NAEP, or the National Assessment of Educational Progress, produces the Nation’s Report Card, to inform the public about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. NAEP has two major goals: to compare student achievement in states and other jurisdictions and to track changes in achievement of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders over time in mathematics, reading, writing, science, and other content domains.  Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time.

 

NAEP assessments are approaching schools soon.  It may be important to note NAEP reading, math, and science are given every two years and our next administration will be Spring 2015. As you are thinking of things to consider to prepare for NAEP, please do not hesitate to contact ARI.
 

Upcoming Opportunity...

ARI Region 4 is excited to offer an opportunity for professional learning to the literacy coaches/instructional partners in our region!

Region 4 Coach Internship

The internship will be an opportunity to practice our coaching skills within classrooms with standards-based lessons being planned and implemented by the coaches. We are preparing to offer the revised internship this spring to all coaches within our region, new and veteran.

Mark your calendars, the internship will take place April 6-10, 2015 in two central locations within the region (the Tuscaloosa area). Each will be a full day of learning. In order to receive STI-PD credit, we ask that participants attend and engage in all five days. If you are interested in this powerful learning opportunity, please make sure to contact your ARI representative or district to reserve your spot!

Can you believe it's December?

Wow, can you believe we are bringing 2014 to a close in less than a month? In region 4, we have had a great semester of learning and growing together. Just to mention a few of our projects we've been working on: Vocabulary PLGs, Formative Assessment PLGs, Standards-based Instruction PLGs, Quality Questioning PLGs, CCRS Quarterly Meetings, Laying the Foundation 8th Grade Pilot Project, and Co-teaching PLGs. As regional staff, we had the opportunity to come together to learn about our revised and improved Foundations for Beginning Reading Modules (check us out below). When we stop to think about all we are doing for the teachers and students in Alabama, we cannot help but think of all our positive efforts. 

Isn't this the season for celebrating joy? When you stop and reflect on your first semester, what joy comes to mind? We would love to hear from you! 

Follow us on Instagram-ariregion4. You may even see yourself or your school! Don't forget to follow us on Facebook as well. If you have an image or a quote you would like for us to share, email the picture/quote to your ARI contact and we will post for you!

Collaboration and 7 Habits...Imagine That!

Happy October bloggers!

This month we are celebrating not one, but four of our schools in Tuscaloosa County!  The cluster of Maxwell Elementary, Big Sandy Elementary, Englewood Elementary, and Duncanville Middle schools are collaborating in a professional learning group of administrators, instructional coaches, math teachers, and special education teachers to implement questioning strategies from the Walsh and Sattes book, Thinking Through Quality Questioning:  Deepening Student Engagement.  

Author, Jackie Walsh, kicked off the book study and challenged participants to plan for standards based instruction with the expectation of higher level student questioning that will result in conceptual understanding.  Participants will meet four times during the 2014-2015 school year.  

 

Duncanville Middle School Entrance

This collaboration is the vision of Duncanville Middle School principal, Kaye Ridgway.  Duncanville Middle School is a “Leader in Me” school and is practicing Habit 6 of Steven Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.”  They are synergizing by working as a team of schools to improve student achievement and prepare future graduates.  The elementary schools are feeder schools to Duncanville Middle and have taken “ownership” of their students’ future learning.

Way to go, Mrs. Ridgway and the other schools participating in this Tuscaloosa County project!  Your students will all Think WIN-WIN!