Today the team met to plan out the journey for the coming term. Given the set of beliefs and understandings that provide a foundation for our work, we need to develop a shared understanding of these cores beliefs:
• All students can achieve high standards given the right time and support.
• All teachers can teach to high standards given the right assistance.
• High expectations and early intervention are essential.
• Teachers need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do. (Hill and Crévola 1999)
These beliefs raised a number of questions:
• If we believe all children can learn, what standards are we aspiring to? Do we have a sound understanding of the achievement standards of the WA Curriculum? What is age appropriate achievement look like? What time and support to we give students? How do we facilitate this in our Literacy blocks?
• How can we assist teachers to teach to high standards? How can we differentiate their professional learning needs?
• What interventions do we currently use? Does the data tell us if these are effective? If not, what do we consider? What interventions are other schools using?
• Can teachers articulate what and why they teach a particular way? Does their Literacy block support their beliefs?
From this discussion we developed the following timeline:
31st May PLC Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Understand the elements of effective teaching and learning using the gradual release of responsibility model.
2. Identify literacy teaching processes and the level of responsibility they entail for teachers and students.
Success Criteria:
1. Incorporate the gradual release of responsibility into classroom teaching.
2. Ability to articulate reasons behind literacy teaching practices.
3rd June Staff Development Day
Learning Intention:
1. Analyse current assessment practices.
2. Using Informal Prose Inventories to assess reading.
3. Create a Data Wall of reading achievement.
Success Criteria:
1. Use a variety of assessment data in Literacy to form intentional teaching focus groups.
2. Collection of data using the Informal Prose Inventory (10 students by the end of term).
3. Creation of a Data Wall of reading achievement from P-6 in Staff Lounge.
7th June PLC Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Continue designing and finalising components of the Data Wall to record students reading ability from P-6.
Success Criteria:
1. Completion of data wall by end of term.
14th June Cluster Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Revisiting the GRR model.
2. Determining a Framework for Modelled Reading in each cluster.
3. Devise a planning model to demonstrate Modelled reading.
Success Criteria:
1. Each cluster will have a documented structure for Modelled Reading which will be added to the Teacher Information File.
2. Planning in Term 3 will explicitly articulate the modelled reading component in the Literacy program.
21st June Staff Meeting - presented by the Student Engagement Team
Learning Intention:
1. To introduce the school Case Management Process.
2. Begin the referral process for a student to a case management meeting.
Success Criteria:
1. Teachers commence pre-referral checklist for case management.
2. All teachers attend a case management meeting by the end of Term 3.
28th June PLC Meeting
Review of the Term
• All students can achieve high standards given the right time and support.
• All teachers can teach to high standards given the right assistance.
• High expectations and early intervention are essential.
• Teachers need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do. (Hill and Crévola 1999)
These beliefs raised a number of questions:
• If we believe all children can learn, what standards are we aspiring to? Do we have a sound understanding of the achievement standards of the WA Curriculum? What is age appropriate achievement look like? What time and support to we give students? How do we facilitate this in our Literacy blocks?
• How can we assist teachers to teach to high standards? How can we differentiate their professional learning needs?
• What interventions do we currently use? Does the data tell us if these are effective? If not, what do we consider? What interventions are other schools using?
• Can teachers articulate what and why they teach a particular way? Does their Literacy block support their beliefs?
From this discussion we developed the following timeline:
31st May PLC Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Understand the elements of effective teaching and learning using the gradual release of responsibility model.
2. Identify literacy teaching processes and the level of responsibility they entail for teachers and students.
Success Criteria:
1. Incorporate the gradual release of responsibility into classroom teaching.
2. Ability to articulate reasons behind literacy teaching practices.
3rd June Staff Development Day
Learning Intention:
1. Analyse current assessment practices.
2. Using Informal Prose Inventories to assess reading.
3. Create a Data Wall of reading achievement.
Success Criteria:
1. Use a variety of assessment data in Literacy to form intentional teaching focus groups.
2. Collection of data using the Informal Prose Inventory (10 students by the end of term).
3. Creation of a Data Wall of reading achievement from P-6 in Staff Lounge.
7th June PLC Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Continue designing and finalising components of the Data Wall to record students reading ability from P-6.
Success Criteria:
1. Completion of data wall by end of term.
14th June Cluster Meeting
Learning Intention:
1. Revisiting the GRR model.
2. Determining a Framework for Modelled Reading in each cluster.
3. Devise a planning model to demonstrate Modelled reading.
Success Criteria:
1. Each cluster will have a documented structure for Modelled Reading which will be added to the Teacher Information File.
2. Planning in Term 3 will explicitly articulate the modelled reading component in the Literacy program.
21st June Staff Meeting - presented by the Student Engagement Team
Learning Intention:
1. To introduce the school Case Management Process.
2. Begin the referral process for a student to a case management meeting.
Success Criteria:
1. Teachers commence pre-referral checklist for case management.
2. All teachers attend a case management meeting by the end of Term 3.
28th June PLC Meeting
Review of the Term