Reading First ProgramSpecific Professional Development

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Reading First Program-Specific Professional
Development
Eastern Regional Reading First Technical
Assistance Center Florida Center for Reading
Research Florida State University Sheryl
Turner www.fcrr.org October 2004
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Audience for This Presentation
__________________________________________
This presentation is for state level personnel
who arrange for program specific professional
development for instructional staffs.
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Purpose of PSPD Guidelines
__________________________________________
These guidelines were developed for two reasons

• to assist Reading First district and school
  leaders to negotiate with PD providers to develop
  a comprehensive PD package
• to assist districts and schools to develop the
  capacity to provide their own program-specific
  professional development

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Traditional Program-Specific Professional
Development
__________________________________________
Characteristics of traditional program-specific
training

• one or two day training in summer
• little on-going training or implementation
  support
• cursory and unrelated to scientifically based
  reading research

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Need for Improved Program-Specific PD
__________________________________________
REASONS

• Poor NAEP reading scores
• Public demand for improved reading achievement
• Increased adoption of programs informed by SBRR
• Need for high implementation fidelity
• Multiple components needed to effectively teach
  at-risk students

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SBRR Training and PSPD
__________________________________________

• SBRR training and PSPD training are not the same.
• SBRR training should precede PSPD training.

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Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR)
__________________________________________
SBRR Training is

• training on the importance of the 5 essential
  components of reading

• phonics
• phonemic awareness
• fluency
• vocabulary
• comprehension

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Program-Specific Professional Development (PSPD)
__________________________________________
PSPD is

• training for Reading First teachers on how to
  implement the specific instructional materials
  they will use
• training for coaches on how to support teachers
  on the implementation of specific instructional
  materials
• training for building principals and curriculum
  directors on the implementation fidelity and
  sustainability of specific instructional
  materials

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High Quality Professional Development
__________________________________________

• addresses the five essential components
• comprehensive
• field-tested
• research-based

Program

• experience teaching the program
• experience training the program
• deep knowledge of program structure and
  implementation

Trainers
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Cost of PSPD
__________________________________________
Publishers generally provide some professional
development upon purchase of a program. This
level of PD, however, may be inadequate because
the PD

• is not comprehensive
• doesnt address struggling readers

Reading First funds can be used for PD!
Districts may need to obtain more comprehensive
PD.
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Comprehensive Professional Development Outline
__________________________________________

• Initial professional development
• On-going professional development
• PD for coaches
• PD for administering and interpreting assessments
• PD for teaching at-risk readers
• PD for administrators
• A PD plan to build capacity for sustainability

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• Initial
• Program-Specific
• Professional
• Development

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1.A - The Goals of Initial Professional
Development
__________________________________________

• Familiarize teachers with the components of the
  materials
• Introduce teachers to the scope and sequence of
  the program
• Prepare teachers for the first 3-4 weeks of
  teaching
• Enable teachers to effectively teach the first 20
  lessons of the program

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1.B - Train in Actual Materials Teachers Will Use
__________________________________________
Teachers need professional development in the
actual material(s) they will be using in their
classroom.
In order to know what materials teachers will
need and where to place students in those
materials, placement testing must be done.
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1.C - Provide Modeling and Practice on Critical
Teaching Strategies
__________________________________________
Teachers must be able to effectively use newly
learned skills in the classroom. Thus, they
will need

• priority skills clearly articulated
• models of effective implementation
• sufficient practice with feedback to master
  priority skills
• training activities that focus on practicing and
  role-playing these skills

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• STEP 1 Use of the Comprehensive Core Reading
  Program
• CCRP Harcourt Trophies

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What does whole group instruction look like?

• WHOLE GROUP
• CCRP Harcourt Trophies

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What does small group instruction look like?

• SMALL GROUP
• CCRP Harcourt Trophies

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Examples of Critical Teaching Skills
__________________________________________

• Appropriate error correction techniques
• Focusing student attention
• Explicit presentation

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1.D - Provide Sufficient Time for Initial
Professional Development
__________________________________________
Initial professional development should be

• held just prior to the beginning of the school
  year
• approximately 30 hours long
• focused on lessons for the beginning of the
  school year

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1.E - Present Rationale for Program Design
__________________________________________
Teachers need to know

• why particular skills are taught at particular
  grade levels
• the scope and sequence of those skills
• how skills at one grade level fit into the total
  K-3 program
• how the programs design relates to
  scientifically based reading research (SBRR)

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1.F - Provide Guidance in Constructing Daily
Lessons
__________________________________________
Teachers need to know

• the purpose of each part of the lesson
• the essential components to be taught
• the priority skills to be taught
• effective strategies for delivering the content,
  e.g., group size, ability levels, etc.

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1.F - Provide Guidance in Constructing Daily
Lessons
__________________________________________
Some programs include more activities than can be
presented within a daily lesson. Teachers need
to know how to prioritize which exercises to
include.
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Constructing Daily Lessons
__________________________________________
Trainers model, then walk teachers through the
lesson structures.

• Detail time for whole lesson
• Detail time for each component

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Differentiating Instruction
__________________________________________
Teachers need to know which tasks are appropriate
for which students at what point in time

• Above grade level
• At grade level
• Below grade level
• Significantly below
• grade level

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1.G - Practice Incorporating Effective
Instruction Techniques into Daily Lessons
__________________________________________
Principles of effective instruction

• Maximizing student opportunities to respond
• Immediate teacher feedback
• Brisk pacing
• Progress monitoring/classroom based assessment
• Effective corrective procedure
• Sufficient review and reteaching to mastery

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1.H - Designing Instruction for Struggling
Students
__________________________________________
Altering instructional variables

• Extra instructional time
• Grouping
• Instructional materials
• Program placement
• Correction procedures
• Modeling and explicit instruction
• Opportunities to respond

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1.I - Practice Techniques to Facilitate Student
On-Task Behavior
__________________________________________

• Students working with teacher
• State expectations clearly
• Provide models of desired behaviors
• Provide immediate feedback

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1.I - Practice Techniques to Facilitate Student
On-Task Behavior
__________________________________________

• Students working independently
• Design appropriate independent tasks
• Design appropriate cooperative tasks
• Teach children routines, e.g., obtaining help,
• going to restroom, turning in completed
• work, activities for fast finishers

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1.J - Schedule Extra Professional Development for
Teachers Who Miss Initial PD
__________________________________________
Professional development for instructional staff
who were absent during the initial sessions

• Schedule as early as possible
• Schedule before school year
• begins
• Videotape the initial PD as a
• back up plan

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1.K - Explain the Role of Coaches to Teachers
__________________________________________
Teachers will be more comfortable if they
understand

• the goal of coaching support for the school
  and district
• the reading outcomes and goals for the
  academic year
• the coaches role
• how coaches and teachers will interact

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2. On-Going Program-Specific Professional Developm
ent
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2.A - The Goal of On-Going Professional
Development
__________________________________________
The goal of on-going professional development is
to fully prepare teachers throughout the school
year to teach upcoming new content and strategies
prior to presenting them to students.
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2.B - Schedule Adequate On-Going PD Time
__________________________________________
On-going professional development includes
in-service sessions in which teachers

• learn new strategies and content
• practice presenting new strategies and
• content
• learn to use data to inform instruction

Schedule 20-30 hours during the school year for
on-going professional development
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2.C - Allow for Flexible Training Options
__________________________________________
PD sessions that can be chunked into small
parts will allow flexible scheduling.

• Length of training
• 1-2 hours
• A half day
• A whole day

• Time of day
• Before school
• During school
• After school

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2.C - Allow for Flexible Training Options
__________________________________________

• Teams of substitute teachers can free up regular
  teachers for in-service during the school day

• Hired for day, but rotate through
  classrooms on 1-2 hour schedule
• Use core of reliable substitutes who
  receive PD on program, too.

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2.D - Have Coaches Run Additional Weekly Practice
Sessions If Possible
__________________________________________
Reading First coaches with adequate support can
facilitate additional practice sessions of 45
minutes to 1 hour to

• practice presenting new lessons
• introduce new teaching formats
• discuss management and imple-
• mentation concerns

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2.E - Provide Access to Assistance
__________________________________________
Teachers and coaches with questions and concerns
will need someone to contact such as

• district trainer
• program expert

• answer questions
• observe a difficult to-teach
• lesson or student
• provide guidance and model
• locate relevant material and resources

This person will
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2.F - Instruction and Practice Using Data to
Inform Instruction
__________________________________________
Teachers will need data utilization professional
development for both

• program-specific assessments
• out-of-program assessments

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2.G - Provide Teachers with Coaching Support in
the Classroom
__________________________________________
Teachers learning a new reading program can
benefit from in-class coaching from experienced
coaches.
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Services From External PSPD Consultant
__________________________________________

• Work with coaches and administrators to organize
  instruction
• Assist coaches and principals in monitoring
  classroom implementation
• Provide in-class coaching and modeling in schools
  with inexperienced coaches
• Conduct classroom consultations in class-rooms
  where coaches have encountered problems
• Teach staff to analyze data and plan instruction

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Unequal Resources To Meet The Unequal Needs of
Students
__________________________________________
Schools with a high percentage of students at
risk in grades 1-3 will need a great deal of
help.
The number of days of in-classroom support needed
to produce sustainable changes in teachers
behavior has been traditionally underestimated.
Provide ample support from an external
program-specific expert when the school-based
coach is inexperienced with the reading program
or is inexperienced in the coaching role.
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3. Program-Specific Professional Development for
Coaches
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3.A - Coaches Training Prior to Start of School
__________________________________________
The coach will need the following summer PD prior
to core implementation

• SBRR PD received by teachers
• core program PD received by
• teachers
• general coaches PD
• additional PD on program content

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3.B - Train Coaches in Content of All Levels of
Materials
__________________________________________
Coaches will need to become expert in all levels
of the K-3 core program. Coaches who arent
expert with the core program will need to

• receive PD in all grade levels of the program
• teach reading lessons at each grade level every
  day for one month
• continue to drop in and teach in all grade levels
  throughout the year

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3.C - Provide Coaches Frequent Applications
Oriented In-Services
__________________________________________
New coaches will need frequent in-service PD on
situations they will encounter.

• PD by a program expert
• PD at least once per month
• Spend at least 50 of PD time practicing and
  role-playing coaching behaviors
• Provide positive and negative examples

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3.D - Provide In-School Mentoring for Coaches
__________________________________________
Ideally, PD for new coaches will include
mentoring by a veteran coach including

• observation of new coaches working with teachers
  in classrooms
• guidance on how to perform various non-classroom
  tasks such as

• planning interventions
• facilitating team meetings
• interpreting test results

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3.E - Provide Structured Support Packages for
Presentations by Coaches
__________________________________________
For giving in-service presentations, coaches will
also need highly structured PD packages that
include

• presentation slides
• detailed speakers notes
• activity schedules and materials list

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4. Administering and Using Assessments
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4.A - Providing Professional Development on
Administering and Recording Data
__________________________________________
Staff will need PD to administer and record data
for

• program-specific assessments created by
  publishers or by districts
• out-of-program progress- monitoring such as
  TPRI or DIBELS

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4.B - Provide Training on Using Data to Inform
Instruction
__________________________________________
In-Program Data
Instructional Decision
Out-of-Program Data
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Using Data to Inform Instruction
__________________________________________
The staff will need practice on the cycle of

• assessing instruction
• planning to modify instruction
• implementing the modified instruction
• assessing modified instruction

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5. At-Risk Readers
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5.A - Provide PD on Placing Students at Their
Instructional Level
__________________________________________
Teacher will need PD in differentiating
instruction so all students will be taught at
their approximate instructional level.

• Benchmark
• Strategic
• Intensive

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5.B - Provide PD on Using Supplemental Instruction
__________________________________________
Teachers will need PD instructing students who
need supplemental help.

• Benchmark
• Strategic
• Intensive

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5.C - Practice PD on Using Intervention Programs
__________________________________________
Teachers will need PD for instructing students
who need intervention help.

• Benchmark
• Strategic
• Intensive

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5.D - Provide PD on Effective Instruction
Techniques
__________________________________________
Teachers will need PD on techniques of effective
instruction such as

• Many opportunities to respond
• Adequate review
• Strategic integration of skills
• Immediate corrective feedback
• Scaffolding during initial instruction
• Appropriate pacing

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5.E - Ask Publishers for Data on the Program
__________________________________________
Publishers should provide

• data on how successful the program has been with
  at-risk students
• suggestions for how to use the program with
  struggling students

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6. Program-Specific Professional Development for
Administrators
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6.A - Provide Principals with Strategic
Information on Their Reading Program
__________________________________________
Principals need strategic information on the
program so they can

• Observe in the classroom knowledgeably
• Be supportive of teachers
• Ensure the program will be implemented with
  integrity
• Back up coaches suggestions

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6.B - Provide Principals PD on How to Interpret
Data and Use It to Inform Instruction
__________________________________________
Principals will need PD on assessment including
advanced assessment PD so they can

• actively participate in grade level team meetings
• interpret grade level data to make grade level
  recommendations
• interpret school level data to make school level
  recommendations

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6.C - Provide Superintendents PD on Using the
Data Management System with Their Program
__________________________________________
Superintendents will need to receive PD on
interpreting data so they can promote the
following commitments

• Each student is expected to make significant
  progress
• Data will be watched at all levels of the
  district
• Changes will be made in classes and schools if
  progress is not made.

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7. A Plan to Build Capacity for Sustainability
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7.A - Reasons Why a Plan for Sustainability is
Necessary
__________________________________________

• Veteran teachers leave the district
• State standards change
• Teachers drift away from scientifically based
  reading instruction

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7.B - Plan for and Provide Training for New
Teachers
__________________________________________
New teachers will need

• the same intensive PD package used during the
  initial implementation
• the on-going PD package
• coaching from either the building coach or an
  expert teacher at the same grade level

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7.C - Provide Continuing Staff PD
__________________________________________
Veteran teachers will need

• continued observation and feedback from the site
  coach
• refresher PD on the program
• PD on improvements of the program by the
  publishers
• PD on new findings from SBRR
• PD on new SBRR instructional techniques

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7.D - Continue to Look At and Respond to the Data
__________________________________________
The staff needs to continue the cycle of

• Assessing instruction
• Planning to modify instruction
• Implementing the modified instruction
• Assessing modified instruction

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CONTACT INFORMATION

• Eastern Regional Reading First
• Technical Assistance Center
• (ERRFTAC)
• 227 North Bronough Street, Suite 3200
• Tallahassee, FL 32301
• 850-645-1922
• sturner_at_fcrr.org