Supporting SmallGroup, Differentiated Instruction:

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Supporting Small-Group, Differentiated
Instruction Strategies for Coaches Michael
McKenna University of Virginia Sharon
Walpole University of Delaware
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Todays Goal

• Consider specific strategies literacy coaches can
  use to
• Schedule instruction
• Facilitate differentiation
• Use observation effectively

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Three-Tiered Instruction
Tier 3 Intervention
Tier 2 Needs-Based Instruction
Tier 1 Whole-Group Instruction
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What can you do to understand each tier?

• Go through the manuals
• Make lesson plan templates focus, time,
  materials, groupings
• Research web-based sources
• Curriculum reviews
• ERRFTAC handbooks
• Go through the manuals

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Given These GoalsTodays Questions

• What data do we already have?
• What additional data do we need?
• How can we differentiate realistically and in an
  organized way with research-based strategies
  during needs-based groups?

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Step 1 Schedule core instruction.
What parts of the core do you think teachers
should do in whole-group and small-group
instruction? Are parts of the core best used
for student practice in literacy work stations?
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http//curry.edschool.virginia.edu/reading/project
s/garf/
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How consistent is Tier One instruction across
your classrooms at each grade level? How
comfortable are teachers with Tier One?
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Step 2 Support Tier Two instruction. Meeting
the needs of readers at risk requires careful use
of data to identify needs and wise use of
resources to meet those needs.
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• Once teachers form and manage needs-based groups,
  what additional roadblocks do they face in
• providing needs-based
• differentiated instruction?

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General philosophy of small-group,
differentiated instruction Small-group
instruction is costly in terms of teacher time
and effort we have to make it realistic for
teachers and effective for literacy
acceleration. Small-group instruction during the
block must be more explicit, include more
opportunities for individuals to respond, and
provide for more immediate feedback. Small-group
instruction must be data-based, organized and
systematic.
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How are the three tiers envisioned in your
Reading First project? How are teachers doing
with Tier Two? What data do you use to inform
Tier Two?
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www.guilford.com
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• We will show you a general model we call the
  Cognitive Model of Reading Assessment.
• Think about how this model could be helpful.
• Think of examples in your own settings.

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Phonological Awareness
Decoding
Sight Word Knowledge
Fluency Context
Automatic Word Recognition
Language Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Strategic Knowledge
General Purposes for Reading
Specific Purposes for Reading
Knowledge of Strategies for Reading
Print Concepts
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Phonological Awareness
Decoding
Sight Word Knowledge
Fluency Context
Automatic Word Recognition
Vocabulary
Language Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Background Knowledge
Knowledge of Structure
Strategic Knowledge
General Purposes for Reading
Specific Purposes for Reading
Knowledge of Strategies for Reading
Print Concepts
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How can we use the cognitive model of assessment
inside Reading First?
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Screening Test
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Screening Test
Serious difficulty?
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Screening Test
No
Serious difficulty?
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Screening Test
No
Serious difficulty?
Classroom measures
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Screening Test
No
Yes
Serious difficulty?
Classroom measures
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Screening Test
No
Yes
Serious difficulty?
Detective Work
Classroom measures
Progress monitoring
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Step 3 Plan for intensive intervention (Tier
3) Once youve tried Tier One and Tier Two in
combination, progress monitoring data may
indicate that more is needed.
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An 8-Step Guide to Small-Group, Differentiated
Instruction
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1. Use screening test data to identify areas of
high risk.
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1. Use screening test data to identify areas of
high risk.

• A screening test tells the overall status of a
  broad area.
• Screening tests are usually quick to administer.
• By themselves, screening tests are not helpful
  for planning.
• Examples
• Phonemic Awareness ISF, PSF
• Phonics NWF
• Fluency ORF
• Vocabulary PPVT-IV
• Comprehension Gray Oral Reading Test, Woodcock

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1. Use screening test data to identify areas of
high risk.
Example Fall Grade 2
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1. Use screening test data to identify areas of
high risk.
Example Fall Grade 2
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1. Use screening test data to identify areas of
high risk.
Example Fall Grade 2
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
Example Fall Grade 2
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
Example Fall Grade 2
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
Example Fall Grade 2
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
Example Fall Grade 2
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2. Use additional screening data to confirm
target areas.
What diagnostic data have you used to inform
differentiated instruction?
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3. Use diagnostic data to pinpoint instructional
needs.

• Diagnostic assessments are both formal and
  informal.
• They are any assessment that reveals skill
  deficits.
• Examples
• Informal Phonics Inventory (e.g., McKenna/Stahl)
• Spelling Inventory (e.g., Bear et al.)
• Sight Word Inventory (e.g., Fry or Dolch)
• Phonemic Awareness Inventories (e.g.,
  Stahl/Murray)
• Core Assessments

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3. Use diagnostic data to pinpoint instructional
needs.
Why are there no diagnostic tests for
vocabulary? Because there are no subskills.
In a sense, each new word we learn is a separate
skill. If we wanted to create a diagnostic
vocabulary test, we would need to start with an
agreed-upon list of important words. Our test
would aim at identifying which words a child
didnt know  which words to teach. The sheer
number of important words has prevented the
creation of such tests.
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3. Use diagnostic data to pinpoint instructional
needs.
Why are there no diagnostic tests for
comprehension? Unlike vocabulary, there are
traditional subskills in comprehension.
Examples include recognizing an explicit sequence
or inferring a causal relationship. However,
attempts to create tests for these skills have
failed because they are so interrelated.
Stahl suggests that when a screening test of
reading comprehension reveals a problem that
cannot be traced to decoding, the best approach
is to assess oral language, listening vocabulary
and general knowledge to pinpoint causes.
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4. Locate materials and/or craft strategies that
address those needs.

• Read impartial reviews of commercial products.
• ERRFTAC Reports
• Check for SBRR that investigates product
  effectiveness.
• Learn as much as you can about the products you
  have.
• Learn about research-based instructional
  techniques.
• Examples of sources
• NRP Report
• Academy content

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5. Decide who will conduct the instruction.

• Your most skillful teachers should be doing the
  most demanding instruction.
• Persuade them of the importance of this task
• Work to gain their creative support.
• Demonstrate respect for their knowledge.
• Share leadership with them.
• Conference with them often, focusing on children.

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6. Schedule the instruction inside and outside
the block.

• Schedule efficiently across classrooms and grade
  levels.
• Work to maximize the availability of
  specialists.
• Work with the principal to the extent possible
  to ensure that specials and lunch schedules
  accommodate intervention sessions.
• Stay in touch with specialists to ensure that
  the schedule is working.

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7. Monitor progress.

• Commercial programs may have their own
  assessment systems.
• Rely on DIBELS progress monitoring assessments.
• Dont forget to use the results!
• Make them the focus of conferences.
• Aggregate them across teachers to evaluate the
  overall impact of your intervention program in
  each area.
• DIBELS reports can help you do this.

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8. Terminate the intervention once it has
succeeded.

• Intervention instruction should not be a life
  sentence.
• Progress monitoring can let you know when an
  intervention has worked.
• Progress monitoring can also tell you when it is
  time to try something else.
• Above all, we do not want to repeat the past
  mistake of creating near-permanent groupings
  that rob children of the chance to excel by
  wasting their time.

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8-Step Intervention Strategy

• Use screening test data to identify areas of high
  risk.
• Use additional screening data to confirm target
  areas.
• Use diagnostic data to pinpoint instructional
  needs.
• Locate materials and/or craft strategies that
  address those needs.
• Decide who will conduct the instruction.
• Schedule the instruction inside and outside the
  block.
• Monitor progress.
• Terminate the intervention once it has succeeded.

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What would you have to do to enact this
model? What barriers do you envision?
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Step 4 Use formative observations. You have to
know what teachers are doing in order to make
inferences about what is working in your school.
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Two types of observations
Why?

• Walk-through brief visit to see whether a
  practice is being implemented or not
• Full observation extended visit to understand
  the full context and quality of the practice
  across the instructional block

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Observe to learn
Why?

• Observe for yourself, so you can have a deeper
  understanding of teaching and learning in your
  building
• In general, what do we do very well?
• In general, what are we struggling with?
• How can we build knowledge and practice in this
  area?

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From a design standpoint
Why?

• Literacy coaches are charged with supporting
  research-based reform efforts they collect
  student data to measure the success of their
  programs
• It does not make sense to measure program effects
  without measuring treatment fidelity
• It does not make sense to measure treatment
  fidelity without observing the treatment
• It does not make sense to document treatment
  fidelity without trying to improve it

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Before your observation
Before

• Give teachers a chance to explore the theory and
  watch a demonstration
• Give teachers a chance to create or edit an
  observation format
• Give teachers a chance to create an observation
  timeline

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Consider scheduled observations
Before

• Catching a teacher off-guard is a waste of your
  observation time
• Consider observing all teachers each marking
  period
• Walk-throughs will be unscheduled observations
  should catch teachers doing their very best work

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Establish a climate for observation
Before

• Be clear that you are a teacher, not a principal
• Never link PD to evaluation
• Never make your observations public
• Have a pre-observation meeting
• Review confidentiality agreement
• Ask the teacher what s/he wants you to see
• Tell exactly how the observation will be
  conducted, reviewing the format

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Be focused!
During

• Say what you will do and then do what you said
  you would!
• Be unobtrusive dont disrupt instruction
• Take or type notes on your observation form
• Focus your attention on what is happening, not on
  your recommendations
• Think of questions to ask the teacher to help you
  to understand his or her work better

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Analyze the observation
After

• Think about the entire lesson
• Reflect on what you learned about children, about
  teaching, and about reading from watching
• Make positive comments
• But they have to be sincere
• Include suggestions
• But they have to be specific
• Offer to help

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Give feedback
After

• Make the feedback specific to the target that you
  set beforehand and specific to the lesson that
  you observed
• Be genuine about positive things that you learned
  by watching
• Be specific about something that youd like the
  teacher to consider improving, and offer choices
  about how you can help

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Plan to differentiate
After

• Each teacher has a different weakI shouldnt
  say weakness, but something that they need to
  work on. The important thing is going in there
  and finding out what each teacher needs and being
  able to talk with them. And trying to develop a
  relationship with them so they wont think of me
  as the enemy.

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Sharing an observation
After

• Give the teacher a chance to read your comments
  before you meet
• Make it quick!
• Schedule a safe and informal time and place to
  talk about it
• Provide choices and support for the teacher as
  she/he explores next steps
• Avoid keeping any documentation.

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What can you do personally to make observation a
more integral and effective tool in your school?
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Putting It All Together How can an LC
promote differentiated instruction?
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Ensure that classroom schedules allow for
small-group instruction
Help teachers use assessments to determine
needs, form small groups, and monitor progress at
Tier Two
Help teachers progress toward Tier Three
intervention
Observe and conference to ensure that
small-group differentiation is occurring and that
it is effective