Petals to Reading Success:
Helping Students Grow
April 1, 2015
http://gtnpd45.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project
A Race to the Top Initiative
NC Department of Public Instruction
Educator Effectiveness Division
Petals to Reading Success:
Helping Students Grow
Yasmeen Robbins & Aliena Maples
Cumberland County Schools
Cumberland Road Elementary & Stoney Point Elementary
Internet Log in information from Hotel
http://gtnpd45.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project
Norms for Participation
• Minimize outside distractions.
• Be attentive and participate in all activities.
• Mute your mic when not talking.
• Use the chat bar to ask questions or make
comments.
• Share your ideas with colleagues.
Outcomes
• Understand how reading response journals
increase reading comprehension
• Understand and be able to apply effective
strategies to help engage parents in the Read
to Achieve (RtA) process
• Recreate the strategies and interventions
untilized in action research projects to help
students and parents with 3rd grade reading
proficiency
What is the Governor’s
Teacher Network?
• A talented group of 450 outstanding teachers were
selected from 1400 applicants for 2014-15.
• Teachers identify instructional needs, create innovative
digital instructional resources and design professional
development to support key Race to the Top initiatives in
Home Base.
• Network Teachers continue their current educator roles
in their schools and districts and serve in one of two
pathways.
What is the
Governor’s Teacher Network?
Pathway 1 Teachers: Professional Development
• Identify problems of practice around instructional
needs and conduct action research projects in their
schools.
• Investigate and analyze the effectiveness of strategies
and practices on student learning.
• Create professional development sessions and
materials to be posted in Schoolnet and the
Professional Development System in Home Base.
Action Research
Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and
other educators to find solutions for critical,
challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and
schools.
Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher,
2014
What is Action Research?
Classroom and school research conducted by
teachers to:
•Positively impact student outcomes
•Identify and promote effective instructional
practices
•Create opportunities for teachers to become
reflective practitioners
•Share research results with other educators
Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014
Petals to Reading Success:
Helping Students Grow
Yasmeen Robbins
Instructional Coach, Cumberland County Schools
Internet Log in information from Hotel
http://gtnpd48.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project
The Connection between
Reading and Writing
Reading
Reading
Writing
Scope of Work
In 2010 NC adopts
Common Core state
standards as its
standard course of
study for ELA and
Mathematics
Ensures that
students
understand what
they read and can
effectively talk
and WRITE about
it
mClass Reading 3D
is adopted as a
state-wide formative
diagnostic
assessment for all
K-3 teachers
Measures
students oral and
Written
Comprehension
Scope of Work
Scope of Work
 K-3 students oral comprehension was
much higher than their written
comprehension
 Many students were falling below
proficiency level due to the written
assessment
 Students would benefit from written
response instruction and practice.
Intervention
“Students need opportunities to ask and answer
real questions of their about their reading and
writing”
“Response journals provide and opportunity for
students to respond and interpret their reading
personally”
Design:
What is a Reading Response
Journal?
Composition Notebook
Format:
(*varies depending on teacher)
1 page per entry
Prompted response or generated response
Content:
Table of contents
Pages numbered
Date/ Title/ Author of Text
Implementation Model
Dependence
Independence
Model

Teacher models
Explain
demonstra
te
Think
aloud

Shared
Practice
Teacher
coaches
explicitly as
teacher and
student practice
together

Guided
Practice
Practice
strategy with
coaching from
teacher

Independent
Practice
Students apply

Students transfer
Middle of Year Reading 3D Proficiency Data
Far Below
Below
Proficient
Above Proficient
8
TRC proficiency Level
0
5
5
10
2
15
20
Student Writing Attitude Survey
9
8
Number of Students
8
7
6
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
6
4
33
3
3
2
2
3 3
2
2
1
1
5
2
1
0
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Questions 4
Survey Question
Question 5
not at all
a little
some
a lot
a whole lot
Student Writing Attitude Survey
9
8
Number of Students
8
7
6
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
6
4
33
3
3
2
2
3 3
2
2
1
1
5
2
1
0
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Questions 9
Survey Question
Question 10
not at all
a little
some
a lot
a whole lot
Petals to Reading Success:
Helping Students Grow
Aliena Maples
Stoney Point Elementary, Cumberland County Schools
Internet Log in information from Hotel
http://gtnpd45.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project
Building on the Home/School
Partnership for Reading Success
• In July 2012, North Carolina General Assembly
signed House Bill 950, specifically, the
Excellent Public Schools Act into law.
• Read to Achieve (RtA) legislation is a
component of this Bill
• K-3 legislation: states every 3rd grade student
must be proficient in reading to be considered
promotable to 4th grade
Building on the Home/School
Partnership for Reading Success
Identified area of need: parents & caregivers not
always knowledgeable or prepared to support
their struggling 3rd grade reader
Scope of Work
• Engaging parents/caregivers in the RtA process to
help close the achievement gap for 3rd grade struggling
readers and increase reading proficiency
•To develop a Pathway to Proficiency for our struggling
3rd grade readers
•Increasing reading proficiency by engaging parents in
the Read to Achieve (RtA) process by parental
coaching, website resources and tangible resources
provided at school-level meetings.
Where do you start?
•Identify 3rd grade struggling readers through:
Beginning of Grade ELA State Assessment (Level I & II)
Beginning of Year Reading 3D Assessment Data (red –
intensive & yellow – strategic)
First 9 weeks Local ELA Benchmark Data
Previously retained students
Where do you start?
•Compile Resources & Strategies for use at home:
http://www.rta4parentsnc.com/ Develop an easily
accessible website for parents to go for resources
Generate tangible resources for parents to take-away from
School-level meetings
Data sheet to display individual student data
Key ring with questions addressing specific ELA Standards
Revised Blooms Taxonomy Question Stems
Writing Interventions
List of Cumberland County approved educational websites
Printed Reading Passages Sample Set from NCDPI Livebinder
Parent Pre-Survey
Question #1 – When I listen to my child read I feel that he/she reads adequately for
his/her grade level.
SOMETIMES
2
NO
13
YES
10
0
2
4
6
Parent
8
10
12
14
Parent Pre-Survey
13
Number of Students
11
10
10
10
9
6
6
9
6
4
3
2
1
QUESTION 2
1
QUESTION 3
Rarely
0
QUESTION 4
Sometimes
Usually
QUESTION 5
Always
Parent Pre-Survey
14
Number of Students
12
10
10
7
7
6
5
5
5
5
5
4
3
3
2
QUESTION 6
QUESTION 7
Rarely
QUESTION 8
Sometimes
Usually
QUESTION 9
Always
Parent Pre-Survey
Question #10 – I understand the North Carolina Read to Achieve Law (RtA) and its
potential impact on my child.
Parents
8%
27%
I don't understand
I am not sure
I understand some
42%
I understand completely
23%
Parent Pre-Survey
Question #11 – I would like to know more about North Carolina Read to Achieve (RtA)
Law and its potential impact on my child.
Parents
NO
0
YES
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Question #12 – I would like to know more about reading strategies/interventions that
will help my child.
Parents
NO
0
YES
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Student Pre-Survey
13
Number of Students
11
10
9
8
7
6
6
7
6
6
5
5
6
5
4
3
3
3
2
QUESTION 1
QUESTION 2
Rarely
QUESTION 3
Sometimes
Usually
QUESTION 4
Always
QUESTION 5
Student Pre-Survey
Number of Students
17
13
10
8
8
8
8
7
5
4
3
2
2
QUESTION 6
2
QUESTION 7
Rarely
1
QUESTION 8
Sometimes
Usually
2
QUESTION 9
Always
Discussion
•What does your current school have in place to
support parents/caregivers of struggling 3rd grade
readers?
References
•List your references from your research and
resources.
Feedback
Insert link to
feedback form
to evaluate
effectiveness of
presentation.
http://goo.gl/forms/nuhwNC6pyV
Questions ?
Conclusion of Presentation
•Thank you for your participation.
Contact Information:
Name: Aliena Maples
School/District: Stoney Point Elementary School
Cumberland County Schools
Phone: (910) 424-3945
Email: alienamaples@ccs.k12.nc.us
Website:
http://gtnpd45.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project