Sullivan East High School Library Media Center
4180 Weaver Pike
Bluff City, TN 37620
423-354-1900
December 4, 2014
Grant Proposal submitted to:
Barnes and Noble
Bridging the Gap With Hi-Lo Books
December 4, 2014
Vicki Sharp, Sullivan County Education Representative
Barnes and Noble
3030 Franklin Terrace
Johnson City, TN 37604
RE: Bridging the Gap With Hi-Lo Books
Dear Ms. Sharp:
The Sullivan East High School Library Media Center is pleased to submit this proposal
for your review. We look forward to your partnership in our efforts to serve the study
body of Bluff City, TN in Sullivan County.
Our much needed project, Bridging the Gap With Hi-Lo Books, is a partnership among
Sullivan East High School, its feeder schools, and Thomas Memorial Public Library. In
short, the proposal aims to target the needs of struggling and reluctant readers through
a collection of High-Interest, Low-Reading Level books that will support the newly
implemented Response To Intervention (RtI) program designed to assist and empower
freshman and sophomore students who are not reading at grade level.
Unfortunately, 61.6% of the students at SEHS receive free or reduced lunches
because their household incomes are at or below the poverty line, and of the school’s
260 freshmen students, 77 or 29.6% have been identified as reading significantly below
grade level. The overwhelming majority of these struggling readers come from the
poorest families. The SEHS Library Media Center recognizes that these students have
a crucial need, one that affects their entire high school career and beyond; thus, the
primary goal of the grant project is to improve the reading levels of these students.
Besides meeting this need, the grant project includes the following goals as well:
 To cultivate relationships with feeder schools, parents, and community
agencies to promote reading in the home and outside of academe so that
students will be life-long readers.
 To form a strategic partnership with Barnes and Noble so that the school
may obtain the necessary resources (100 Hi-Lo books) to support the
needs of the target group.
 To develop a dynamic Response to Intervention (RtI) program between
teachers, administration, students, and the Library Media Center to ensure
that the Hi-Lo collection is utilized and to ensure the future sustainability of
the project.
The Sullivan East High School Library Media Center is committed to the success of this
project. Our request to Barnes and Noble is for $3,000. Using qualitative and
quantitative research methods, the SEHS Library Media Center has gathered input from
stakeholders and the target group to design a project that demonstrates good
stewardship of resources and meets the needs of its users.
The mission of SEHS (2014) reads, “Sullivan East High School, through the combine
efforts and resources of its faculty, students, parents, and community, is committed to
achieving individual excellence in the education of its students to prepare them to be
successful in the Twenty-First Century.” In order to fulfill this mission, the school must
prepare all of its students to read and think critically about various information sources.
The SEHS Library Media Center is a viable grant candidate because of its commitment
to serve its users, particularly those most disadvantaged. The ability to read is critical to
a child’s success in school, life-long earning potential and their ability to contribute to
the nation’s economy and its security. Clearly, without solid reading skills, students will
continue to function at a disadvantage the rest of their lives.
Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to working together to build a
better community. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests
for additional information.
Sincerely,
Janet Glover, Library Media Specialist
Sullivan East High School Library Media Center
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Proposal Summary…………..…………... 1
II. Organizational Overview…………….….. 3
III. Statement of Needs………………….…... 6
IV. Project Description…………….…...…….. 8
V. Approach/Methodology……………………12
VI. Budget Request…………………………….16
VII. Evaluation Process…………………………17
VIII. Appendix……………………………............20
1
PROPOSAL SUMMARY
December 2, 2014
Sullivan East High School Library Media Center
4180 Weaver Pike
Bluff City, TN 37620
Library Director:
Janet Glover
Telephone: 423-354-1900 Email: janet.glover@sullivank12.net
Grant Coordinators:
Janet Glover, SEHS Library Media Specialist
Mandi Aubrey, SEHS Library Media Volunteer
Telephone: 423-330-2448 Email: mandiaubrey78@gmail.com
Charles Corwin, SEHS Principal
Telephone: 423-354-1900 Email: charles.corwin@sullivank12.net
Project Title: Bridging the Gap With Hi-Lo Books
Project Description: This project aims to target the needs of struggling and reluctant
readers through a collection of High-Interest, Low-Reading Level books that will support
the newly implemented Response To Intervention (RtI) program designed to assist and
empower freshman and sophomore students who are not reading at grade level.
Amount Requested: $3,000
Project Funding From Other Sources:
$1,000—Sullivan County Department of Education
$250.00 –In-kind from Bristol Herald Courier
Total Project Budget: $4,250.00
Project Budget Time Period: January 1, 2015- August 1, 2017
Grant Abstract:
The SEHS Library Media Center serves 935 students from Sullivan County, TN.
A Title 1 public school, 61.6% of the student body receives free or reduced lunches
2
because their household incomes are at or below the poverty line. Of the school’s 260
freshmen, 77 or 29.6% have been identified as reading significantly below grade level
with the bulk of these students hailing from disadvantaged situations. In order to help
these students improve their reading levels, and thus increase their chances of
graduating high school and attending college, the SEHS Library Media Center has
partnered with Barnes and Noble and Thomas Memorial Public Library to provide a HiLo books collection to support RtI programming, summer reading initiatives, and a
community-wide book fair to promote reading and positive relationships in the larger
context. Through these combined efforts, SEHS aims to increase reading levels of
struggling students by 2 grade levels, document a 15% increase in summer gate counts
at Thomas Memorial, and host a book fair with 1,000 people in attendance. Both
qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods will document the effectiveness of these
goals, including surveys, interviews, and formal assessment. Barnes and Noble, a
perfect partner for this project and its primary funder, serves its mission of building a
better future for the nation’s children by helping this disadvantaged population bridge
the gap. Once the Hi-Lo books collection is acquired and implemented into the RtI
programs, and since Sullivan County has agreed to provide the yearly stipend for
summer reading programs, this project will meet its goals of targeting the needs of
struggling and at-risk students, promoting reading throughout the larger community, and
demonstrating sustainability and good stewardship of resources.
3
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
The Sullivan East High School Library (http://galesites.com/k12/tel_k_sulleast)
is located at 4180 Weaver Pike, Bluff City, Tennessee. SEHS is a Title 1 public school
that serves a district in Sullivan County and enrolls students from small area
communities such as Bluff City, Piney Flats, and Hickory Tree. SEHS is one of four high
schools that make up the Sullivan County School System (http://www.sullivank12.net/).
Built in 1968, SEHS is currently ranked 166 out of 345 public high schools in the State
of Tennessee (US News & World Report 2013).
According to American Fact Finder (2012), the largest community in the SEHS
district is Bluff City, with a population of 1,733 and whose demographics constitute 98%
White/Caucasians and 2% minority races such as Black, Latino/Hispanic, or American
Indian/Alaskan Native. Over 50% of households in Bluff City earn less than $35,000 per
year and just under 15% of the population hold bachelor’s degrees or higher (American
Fact Finder 2012).
The demographics of the SEHS student body largely mirror the figures
presented above. A total of 935 students attend SEHS, 457 female and 478 male, with
less than 2% of the population representing minorities such as Black, Latino/Hispanic,
or American Indian/Alaskan Native (Power School Report 2014). According to Sarah
Akard (Personal Communication 2014) 61.6% of the students at SEHS receive free or
reduced lunches because their household incomes are at or below the poverty line. Of
the school’s 260 freshmen students, 77 or 29.6% have been identified as reading
significantly below grade level (“Explore Assessment Scores” 2013).
The SEHS Library Media Center (http://galesites.com/k12/tel_k_sulleast)
employs one full-time librarian to serve the needs of its 935 students, while the teacher
to student ratio remains 14:1 (US News & World Report 2014). The library offers
operational hours of 7:00a.m. until 3:30p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to inhouse materials, the library offers remote, online access to a host of Gale databases
and the Tennessee Electronic Library. The library media center provides resources for
4
students, teachers, administration, and parents associated with Sullivan East High
School.
The mission of SEHS (2014) reads, “Sullivan East High School, through the
combine efforts and resources of its faculty, students, parents, and community, is
committed to achieving individual excellence in the education of its students to prepare
them to be successful in the Twenty-First Century.” In order to fulfill this mission, the
school must prepare all of its students to read and think critically about various
information sources. According to the Explore Assessment (an early ACT performance
predictor) administered in the fall of 2013, SEHS currently has 77 or 29.6% of its
freshmen class reading well below grade-level, and in nearly half of the cases, at a third
grade level. In order to assist these students and help them attain grade-level reading
skills, the teachers and administration of SEHS have implemented a Response to
Intervention (RtI) program beginning the 2014 academic year.
A growing body of research demonstrates the effectiveness of Response to
Intervention (RtI) programs in improving student performance (Gersten et al. 2009;
National Implementation Research Network 2011). As a result RtI is gaining support
among educators and legislators throughout the United States. According to Robins and
Antrim (2012) RtI meets the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to
provide research-based instruction and interventions that help all students achieve
grade-level expectations (1). RtI is supported with federal funds from the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (2004). It aligns with the requirements for federal Race to
the Top grant funding (U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2011). The goal of RtI is to increase learning
for all students and to identify those students who need additional, more intensive
instruction (Fuchs and Deshler 2007, 131).
SEHS has determined that building an RtI class period into the academic day will
provide students with additional strategic support (Glover, Personal Communication,
2014). Students identified as reading below grade-level benefit from one-on-one tutoring
that focuses on building phonemic awareness, vocabulary, word identification, and selfmonitoring activities. It is important that the teachers and administration of SEHS target
this group of students to help meet their needs. According to the Literacy Foundation
5
Project Foundation (2014), “There is a correlation between illiteracy and income at least
in individual economic terms, in that literacy has payoffs and is a worthwhile investment.
As the literacy rate doubles, so doubles the per capita income.” The economic status of
the students targeted for RtI programs at SEHS substantiate this phenomenon. The
bulk of the under-performing readers at SEHS include students from disadvantaged
situations.
School librarians are searching for ways to participate in Response to
Intervention programs. Robins and Antrim (2012) suggest:
The need for traditional library services and resources continues in schools with
RtI. However, school librarians may expand their roles as they participate in the
processes required to implement RtI successfully. Little is available in the
research literature about the role of school librarians in RtI schools. A scattering
of articles urge school librarians to seek out training to build expertise on RtI and
the resources that support it (Cox 2010; Gavigan and Kurtts 2010; Harris 2006;
―Response to Intervention‖ 2011; Vandenbroek 2010). For the implementation
process, the articles advise librarians to reinforce classroom learning when
students are in the library, provide enrichment for students, and differentiate
instruction through the use of technology. Librarians are encouraged to use
personal learning networks to support and encourage teachers. (2)
The librarian at SEHS is no exception. She would like to see the SEHS Library Media
Center reinforce the school’s RtI programs so that students will enjoy reading while
improving their literacy through the development of a Hi-Lo books collection.
Clearly, SEHS has a documented need and ample research suggests that one
way to meet this need is through RtI programs. The administration and staff of SEHS
are highly committed to these students and are qualified to implement the program. The
school’s principal, librarian, and English faculty all hold master-level degrees from
accredited universities and on average, possess 10 years or more experience in the
field of education. The library’s limited budget of $14,000 per year is already inadequate
for all the technology and resources needed to serve the needs of 935 students; the
funds from this grant will certainly provide a service that otherwise could not be
delivered.
6
STATEMENT OF NEEDS
The condition of the struggling/reluctant readers identified in the Explore
Assessments certainly gives rise to need. The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2014)
maintains, “Millions of American children get to fourth grade without learning to read
proficiently, and that puts them on the high school dropout track. The ability to read is
critical to a child’s success in school, life-long earning potential and their ability to
contribute to the nation’s economy and its security.” Clearly, without solid reading skills,
students will continue to function at a disadvantage the rest of their lives. Poor reading
skills and economic disadvantages combine to create a most difficult situation for this
target group to overcome; that is precisely why this grant project focuses on them.
Unfortunately, the SEHS Library Media Center does not have adequate
resources for supporting struggling readers, such as High-Interest, Low-Reading Level
books. The overwhelming majority of the targeted students come from disadvantaged
households, which means that they often lack transportation to public libraries that
actually possess the best resources. Sadly, many students report feeling embarrassed
about seeking help because of the stigma surrounding learning disabilities. Often, these
students did not benefit from early intervention at school or at home.
The SEHS Library Media Center can help the struggling/reluctant readers by
partnering with teachers to support and reinforce the classroom instruction. The library
media center is located in the school itself, so students have immediate access to the
facility and its resources. The librarian also has years of experience as a Reading/
English teacher, so her skill set is uniquely tailored for supporting information literacy. In
short, it is the school arena or library media center arena that serves as the setting
where intervention for struggling readers is most likely to occur.
According to Scholastic (2014), “Providing students with books matched to their
instructional and independent reading levels accelerates their reading development and
ensures that they will grow as learners. Struggling readers respond well to high-interest
books with content that their on-level peers are reading, but are targeted to their reading
levels. Libraries must provide access to high-interest books containing vocabulary
appropriate to students with below-level reading skills.” Shannon Maughan (2012)
7
quips, “Hi-lo books, when well-matched with readers, completely change the way I can
interact with students. The books give students positive reading identities and offer
hope for a literate life. Once a student is turned on to reading, the possibilities for
education are limitless."
The SEHS Library Media Center hopes to offer this target group the benefits
mentioned above. Literacy skills apply to all academic disciplines and students will
benefit across the board as their reading levels improve. Another benefit of the Hi-Lo
books collection is that students will learn to read for pleasure and for reading’s sake.
Kirsch et. al (2000) suggest that reading for pleasure is more important for children’s
educational success than their family’s socio-economic status and cite overwhelming
evidence that literacy has a significant relationship with a person’s happiness and
success (10).
Partnerships with Thomas Memorial Public Library and Barnes and Noble will
also help meet this critical need for the target group. Allington and McGil-Franzen
(2013) maintain:
Summer reading loss accounts for roughly 80% of the reading achievement
gap between more and less economically advantaged children. By the time
both groups of children are nearing graduation from high school, the rich/poor
reading achievement gap is 4 years wide, with children from low-income
families performing at the same level as middle-class children in the 8th grade!
(ix)
The partnership with Thomas Memorial Library will ensure that the SEHS Library Media
Center will have a space to continue RtI programs throughout the summer when the
school is closed to help decrease summer reading loss. Barnes and Noble serve as an
excellent partner as a funder because they specialize in books, curriculum, and
electronics for reading in the 21st Century. Together, Thomas Memorial, Barnes and
Noble, and SEHS staff and faculty can meet the needs of this at-risk group.
8
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Through various assessments such as the Explore test and STAR reading
reports, Sullivan East High School (https://sehs-scde-tn.schoolloop.com/) has identified
an important and pressing need in its student body. Of the school’s 260 freshmen
students, 77 or 29.6% have been identified as reading significantly below grade level
(Explore Assessment Scores 2013). In order to address this critical need, the school
implemented a Response to Intervention (RtI) plan to target underperforming students
and provide them with additional instruction and support (Glover, Personal
Communication, 2014). An additional class period has been added to the end of each
school day, and students now spend this time working with teachers and peers to
improve their reading skills. Instructional activities include tutoring, guided discussion
and reading groups, and exercises that deal with word recognition, phonemic
awareness, utilizing context clues to decipher meaning, reading comprehension, etc.
The administration and faculty hope that this RtI program will meet the needs of the
struggling readers by helping them achieve to grade-level standards as documented by
benchmark assessments such as STAR reports, ACT prep tests, and overall success in
each academic discipline.
The SEHS Media Center (http://galesites.com/k12/tel_k_sulleast) and its full-time
librarian desires to participate in this RtI program and recognizes a need in its collection
to support the curriculum, and thus, the at-risk students (SEHS Library Media Center,
Collection Analysis, 2014). Namely, the Library Media Center lacks Hi-Lo books, or
High-Interest, Low-Reading Level books for struggling/reluctant readers. In order to
obtain a collection of Hi-Lo books, ensure their usage, and thus help meet the needs of
the 77 underperforming readers, the Library Media Center has outlined a Service Plan
to identify and meet critical needs, goals, and objectives, and has also recognized
methods for evaluating the service. Through the combined efforts of the SEHS Library
Media Center, Thomas Memorial Public Library, and Barnes and Noble, SEHS aims to
increase reading levels of struggling students by 2 grade levels, document a 15%
increase in summer gate counts at Thomas Memorial, and host a book fair with 1,000
people in attendance.
9
The first step in the Service Plan involves acquiring a collection of 100 print and
electronic Hi-Lo books through a partnership with Barnes and Noble, a company known
for its growing support of public schools and its national and regional educational
partnerships (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/BN-educational-partnersorganizations/379000209/). The Orca Soundings Resource Guide and the SEHS
English/Language Arts Common Core Standards will serve as the primary resources for
determining which books will comprise the collection (Geye and Reynolds, 2009). The
grade level for all Orca Soundings titles falls between grade 2.0 and grade 4.5, while the
interest level and determined age-appropriate content relates to ages 12+ (Geye and
Reynolds, 2009, 1). The titles follow the Fry Readability Formula
(http://go.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Fry_Readability_Formula.pdf), and
include works written by award winning authors. The grade level of the titles certainly
targets the needs of the 77 at-risk students identified in this proposal, since the majority
of the students demonstrate a third grade reading level (Explore Assessment, 2013).
Orca Book Publishers (2014) advocate a mission of “Reaching more readers” and offer
ample effective resources for reaching reluctant readers.
Step two in the Service Plan involves the full-time librarian hosting an
informational session with stakeholders such as teachers, administration, volunteers of
SEHS, and the staff of Thomas Memorial Public Library to collectively strategize the
usage and outcomes of the new collection. The goals of this session include the
following: (1) Introducing stakeholders to the Hi-Lo books collection and the theory
behind their design; (2) Educating stakeholders about the ways in which these
resources compliment Common Core Standards and collaboratively designing lesson
plans that utilize the collection; (3) Demonstrating to stakeholders how these resources
can integrate with the existing RtI program such as peer tutoring sessions, reading
groups, etc.; (4) Gathering feedback from stakeholders to ensure collaboration; (5)
Developing summer reading activities to promote the on-going usage of the collection
during summer months to prevent reading loss; (6) Identifying evaluation methods to
gage the effectiveness of the collection from both teacher and student perspectives.
10
The third step in the Service Plan involves event-planning to promote the new
collection. Key stakeholders, the full-time librarian, and volunteers will host a
community-wide book fair in the Sullivan East High School Library Media Center. Items
for sale in the book fair will include various Hi-Lo titles, as well as other popular titles as
identified and suggested by Barnes and Noble, the book fair’s supplier
(http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bookfairs/index.asp). Area feeder schools, friends and
families of students, the public library, and other non-profit entities such as Big Brothers
Big Sisters and Girls’ Inc. will be invited to attend the event and encouraged to
participate in, or partner with, after-school activities sponsored by the Library Media
Center to promote reading. As a special treat, Malcolm Mitchell, the Georgia Bulldog’s
star receiver will serve as the keynote speaker to kick-off the event. His speech will
chronicle his story from struggling reader to avid reader through his own determination
to read more and his chance encounter with a women’s book club in a Barnes and
Noble. Media outlets will cover the event and disseminate the story throughout the
region/state.
The final stage in the Service Plan involves evaluation. The 77 at-risk students
will be given STAR assessments by the guidance department at two points: the midway
point and the end of the semester. The STAR assessment was chosen as the formal
method of evaluation because it is a short computer test that determines reading level in
a manner of minutes and delivers accurate data in a timely fashion (Renaissance
Learning, 2014). STAR also occupies a space on the National Center on Intense
Intervention’s (2014) recommended tools chart, which means that the assessment
program enjoys a high ranking from the American Institute for Research. At the end of
the semester, the male and female students who have read the most books will each
receive a free Nook curtesy of Barnes and Noble. In addition to these awards, the male
and female who demonstrate the most improvement in their reading scores will each
receive a free Nook curtesy of Barnes and Noble. Besides the quantitative results of the
formal STAR assessment, the Library Media Center will distribute surveys to both
students and stakeholders to gather feedback and host informal focus groups to discuss
the strengths and weaknesses of the collection and its integration with the RtI program,
11
so both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to obtain data regarding the
effectiveness of the project. The results of these evaluation methods will be
incorporated into future programming decisions and overall implementation of the
project.
The project will enjoy future years of sustainability since once the collection is
acquired and integrated into the school’s curriculum, the Sullivan County Department of
Education will provide the stipend for the library media specialist to continue the
summer reading initiatives at Thomas Memorial. On-going classroom instruction will
also help ensure the utilization of the new collection, thus benefiting the at-risk students.
12
APPROACH/METHODOLOGY
The grant project will begin in January of 2015. Prior to that start date, the Library
Media Specialist will work with the Guidance Counselor, administration, and English
teachers of SEHS to identify the target group of students and determine which RtI
periods would work best for the integration of the new collection with classroom
instruction. In addition to identifying the target group, the Library Media Center
possesses an implementation plan for addressing how and when the objectives of the
grant project will be achieved. The following list outlines the roles and responsibilities of
the grant contributors:

Janet Glover, Library Media Specialist, SEHS. Glover will direct the grant
project and act as the primary contact person for SEHS with its partnering
agencies. Glover will lead faculty meetings regarding the new collection and
RtI programs and will also lead the evaluation process.

Mandi Aubrey, Volunteer, SEHS Library Media Center. Aubrey will assist
Glover as necessary with the completion of various duties related to the
project.

Charles Corwin, Principal, SEHS. Corwin will serve as the primary contact
person for members of the media and will ensure that the project complies
with all policies and procedures of Sullivan County.

Kim Carrier, Guidance, SEHS. Carrier will oversee all formal assessments
and will work closely with Glover with analyzing and communicating the
results of tests and surveys.

Sherry Cornett, English Teacher, SEHS. Cornett will work with Glover to
incorporate the new collection into RtI class periods. Cornett will also serve as
the lead teacher representative for the project.

Casey Martin, English Teacher, SEHS. Martin will work with Glover to
incorporate the new collection into RtI class periods. Martin will also serve as
the primary contact person for students with disabilities.
13

Angela Taylor, Thomas Memorial Public Library. Taylor will ensure that the
public library promotes the new collection at SEHS and will coordinate afterschool reading groups with SEHS and its feeder schools in the area.

Vicki Sharp, Barnes and Noble Education Representative for Sullivan County.
Sharp will serve as the liaison between SEHS and the corporate offices of
Barnes and Noble. Sharp will ensure that the partnership between SEHS and
Barnes and Noble meets all requirements as outlined between the funding
agreements.

Malcolm Mitchell, University of Georgia. Mitchell will serve as the keynote
speaker for the community-wide book fair.

Mark Dutton, Bristol Herald Courier. Dutton will serve as the primary media
contact for promoting the project to the Tri-Cities region. Barnes and Noble
will receive ample recognition as the project’s funder. A feature article and
television air time will be devoted to covering the event and crediting Barnes
and Noble for their contributions.
All contributors to the project have agreed to adhere to the following timeline in
regards to meeting the goals and objectives of the grant.

January: The partnership with Barnes and Noble will be solidified during this
month to ensure the acquisition of 100 new print and electronic resources for the
Hi-Lo collection, and the various materials needed for the community-wide book
fair. The Library Media Specialist will also determine the titles for this collection
as per Orca Soundings guidelines, teacher recommendation, and Common Core
Standards.

February: This month will be devoted to processing the new collection and then
strategizing ways for it to be incorporated into RtI class periods. The library
media specialist will also work on the partnership with Thomas Memorial Library
to determine how to conduct summer reading groups.

March: The new collection will be fully integrated into RtI periods by this time.
English teachers will use the new collection on a weekly basis in various
14
capacities (i.e. formal instruction, tutoring, read-a-louds, pleasure/free time
reading, etc.). The Library Media Specialist and Library Volunteer will conduct
weekly book talks, create displays, and utilize social media to promote the new
collection as well.

April: The Library Media Specialist will conduct the initial strategizing of the
community-wide book fair to be held in the fall of 2015 including booking the
main speaker and notifying press/media of event. Relationships will be cultivated
with various community agencies involved with the event.

May: Gather informal feedback regarding the new collection and its usage in
RtI class periods. Make adjustments/modifications as necessary as per student
and teacher needs/requests.

June: Continue working with partnering agencies regarding the book fair event.
Assemble summer reading groups at Thomas Memorial public library to ensure
the utilization of the collection and to encourage reading throughout the summer.

July-August: Maintain summer reading programs, gather feedback regarding
the collection and the summer reading groups.

August: Strategize with teachers and administration regarding the start-up of
RtI programs. Begin promoting the community-wide book fair event.

September: Host the community-wide book fair in conjunction with Bluff City’s
annual festival.

October-November: Gather feedback about new collection, RtI programming,
book fair event. Gather data from formal and informal assessments to measure
desired outcomes. Record observations and results from evaluation process.

December: Present findings to administration and key stakeholders such as
community agencies, media, and Barnes and Noble. Plan for next year.
15
Activity
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Sept
Oct
Nov
X
X
Dec
Identify target group prior to
January, 2015
Partner with Barnes and Noble to
acquire 100 print/electronic Hi-Lo
books
Incorporate new materials into
collection
Incorporate new materials into RtI
programs, curriculum, and summer
reading programs
Plan for book fair; cultivate
relationships with public library,
Barnes and Noble, media, etc.
Gather initial feedback about RtI
programs and the new collection;
make modifications for next fall
Conduct summer reading program at
Thomas Memorial Public Library (2
afternoons per week throughout June,
July, and first half of August)
Gather feedback about summer
reading program
Begin new RtI program for incoming
students
Begin promoting book fair
Host community-wide book fair
Gather feedback about book fair and
activities thus far; conduct
assessments to measure student
performance
Present findings to school
administration and key stakeholders
Plan for next year
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
16
BUDGET REQUEST
PERSONNEL
Position
Library Media
Specialst
Salary
$1,000 stipend
from Sullivan
County Department
of Education
$1,000
TOTAL
PERSONNEL
COSTS
NON-PERSONNEL
CATEGORIES
Marketing
In-Kind advertising from Bristol
Herald Courier and WCYB
TOTAL
AMOUNT
AMOUNT FUNDED
AMOUNT
REQUESTED
$250.00
$0.00
$1,300
$1,300
$1,300
$400.00
$400.00
$400.00
$250.00
Equipment
100 print/electronic Hi-Lo Books
Technology
4 Nook Tablets
Supplies
Curriculum guides, displays, lesson
planning materials
$500.00
$500.00
$500.00
Travel Expenses for Guest
Speaker
$600.00
$600.00
$600.00
Printing and Copying
$200.00
$200.00
$200.00
$3,250
$1,000
$4,250
$250.00
$1,000
$1,250
$3,000
$0.00
$3,000
TOTAL NON-PERSONNEL COSTS:
TOTAL PERSONNEL COSTS:
TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET:
17
EVALUATION PROCESS
The project will include various qualitative and quantitative methods of
evaluation. The months of October and November 2015 will serve as the window
for gathering feedback and data about the project. The Library Media Specialist
and Library Volunteer will conduct 10 focus groups of 5-6 students and teachers
to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Hi-Lo collection and its
incorporation into the RtI program. Discussion will be open ended and feedback
will be recorded by the Library Volunteer. An online survey will be available
during this time period as well to gather additional feedback from students and
teachers. The survey will be available through the Library Media Center website;
responses will be anonymous and the survey will adopt the Likert Scale Model.
Print copies of the survey will be available in-house as well. During this time, the
Library Media Specialist will also gather feedback from Thomas Memorial Library
and the summer reading groups to assess the effectiveness and perception of
that component as well.
The Library Media Specialist and SEHS Guidance Counselor will
administer STAR tests for the 77 target students to see if their reading levels
have improved. The SEHS Guidance Counselor will be responsible for collecting
the results and making them available in the Power School Report for teachers
and administrators. Once the results of the STAR tests, online/print surveys, and
focus groups have been compiled and analyzed by the Library Media Specialist,
Library Volunteer, and Guidance Counselor, the team will meet with the School
Principal to organize a staff meeting with the RtI teachers. This meeting will take
place before the end of term so that teachers, administrators, and staff can plan
for next year, making adjustments and changes as necessary for the further
implementation of the project. Finally, the results of the grant project will be
communicated to the grant funder in a power point presentation by the library
media specialist so that they understand their impact on the target group.
18
Goal
Outcome
Objective
1.Partner with
Barnes and
Noble as
primary grant
funder
Acquire 100
print and
electronic Hi-Lo
Books
Incorporate new
books into existing
collection to serve
user needs
2. Incorporate
new Hi-Lo
collection into
existing RtI
programs
Ensure that atrisk students
engage with
new collection
2x per week
At-risk group will
increase reading
ability by 2 grade
levels by the end of
the year
3. Develop
summer
reading groups
at Thomas
Memorial
Sustain
afternoon
reading groups
at public library
2 times a week
throughout
summer
Host a
communitywide book fair
Use the new
collection to promote
reading and fight
against summer
reading loss
4.Promote
reading and
relationships in
larger
community
context
Ensure that 1,000
people attend event t
Evaluation
Method
Utilize Orca
Soundings as
collection guide;
gather
formal/informal
feedback from
stakeholders and
target group about
new collection
Formal
assessments,
interviews, focus
groups, surveys,
teacher
observation
Interviews, gate
counts, surveys,
observation, focus
groups
Time Period
Observation,
registered
participant #’s
September
2015
January 1,
2015-March
2015
February
2015December
2015
June 2015August 2015
18
APPENDIX
Bibliography
Akard, S. (2014, September 29). “Title 1 Statistics.” Telephone interview with
SEHS volunteer. (A. Aubrey, Interviewer).
Allington, R. and Anne McGill. (2013). Summer Reading: Closing the Rich/Poor
Reading Achievement Gap. New York: Teachers College.
American Fact Finder. (2012). “Bluff City, Tennessee Community Facts.”
Retrieved from
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.
Annie Casey Foundation. (2014). “Early Warning! Why Reading by the end of
Third Grade Matters.” A Kids Count Special Report. Retrieved from
http://www.aecf.org/resources/early-warning-why-reading-by-the-end-ofthird-grade-matters/.
Brown, M. (2014). “College Football Player Joins Middle-Aged Women’s Book
Club.” Daily Caller. Retrieved from
http://dailycaller.com/2014/09/15/college-football-player-joins-middle-agewomens-book-club/.
Fuchs, D., and D. Deshler. (2007). ―What We Need to Know about
Responsiveness to Intervention (and Shouldn‘t Be Afraid to Ask). Learning
Disabilities Research & Practice 22 (2): 129–36.
Gersten, R. et. a. (2009). “Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response
to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention for Reading in the Primary
Grades.”
Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieve from
http://ies.ed.gov.
Geye, S. and J. Reynolds. (2009). Orca Soundings Resource Guide. Custer, WA:
Orca Publishers.
Glover, J. (2014, October 13). Various topics/issues relating to SEHS Library
Media Center. Interview with SEHS volunteer, SEHS Library Media
Center. (A. Aubrey,
19
Interviewer).
Kirsch, I. et. al. (2000). Reading for Change. Retrieved from
http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/programmeforinternationalstudentassess
mentpisa/33690904.pdf.
Literacy Project Foundation. (2014). “Staggering Illiteracy Statistics.” Retrieved
from http://literacyprojectfoundation.org/community/statistics/.
Maughan, S. (2012). “ALA 2012: What’s Up with Hi-Lo?” Publishers Weekly.
Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/bytopic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/52124-what-s-up-with-hi-loala-2012.html
National Center on Response to Intervention. (2010). Essential Components of
RtI: A Closer Look at Response to Intervention. Washington, DC: National
Center on Response to Intervention.
Scholastic. (2014). “About the High-Interest, Low Readability Gap.” Retrieved
from
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/classroombooks/highlow.asp.
Sullivan East High School. (2014). “Library Media Center.” Retrieved from
http://galesites.com/k12/tel_k_sulleast.
---. Explore Assessment. Bluff City, SEHS.
---. “Homepage.” Retrieved from https://sehs-scde-tn.schoolloop.com/.
---. “Mission Statement.” Retrieved from https://sehs-scdetn.schoolloop.com/mission.
---. Power School Report. Bluff City: SEHS.
---.Title Wise Collection Analysis. Bluff City: SEHS.
Robins, J. and P. Antrim. (2012). “School Librarians and Response to
Intervention.” School Library Research 15 (2): 1-16.
U.S. Department of Education. (2011). “Race to the Top Fund.” Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/faq.html.
20
US News & World Report. (2014). “Sullivan East High School.” Retrieved from
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-highschools/tennessee/districts/sullivan-county/sullivan-east-high-school18222.