Strengthening the Core
Ensuring Effective & Consistent
Tier 1 Core Reading Instruction
Kim Maher
Ryan McWilliams
Manhattan School District 114
Anna McDonald School
 Located in Manhattan, Illinois
 375 students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade
 5-6 sections of each grade level
Quick Fact Snapshot:
 Guided Reading instructional practices
adopted in 07-08 school year to be
implemented 08-09 school year.
 90 minute reading blocks in all classrooms
 Harcourt Storytown basal series adopted in
2008-2009 school year
Baseline ISAT Reading Data
100
90
80
70
78
83
74
86
81
72
60
50
2007
40
2008
30
20
10
0
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
Making it Happen
 Leadership Perspective
 Surveying the scene 6 years ago
 Vision - the need for consistency
 Culture of Change - building capacity & bringing
the right people together
 Maximizing personnel to support staff
 Shared Leadership - Reading Committee & the
autonomy of committee to drive decisions
 Constant and continuous collaboration,
evaluation, & enhancement
 Keeping the vision alive by simply asking questions
Starting Point
 Basal Reading Series
 Purchased for all classroom, resource, and
support teachers
 Abundance of new, unfamiliar materials
 Minimal professional development
 Reading Curriculum Committee
 Representative from each grade level, reading
support, and resource
 Goal of supporting colleagues through
instructional changes
2009
Curriculum
09-10 School Year
 Curriculum
Maps
 Curriculum
Calendars
Problem
 Curriculum maps
 Curriculum calendar
 Materials still not used effectively
 Unsuccessful instructional planning
 Inconsistent pacing across grade levels
 Varied interpretations of “the checks”
 Reading Curriculum Committee work begins…
The Weekly 6
 A simple list of 6 major reading concepts we felt
needed to be addressed every single week of
the 30 week series, in every single classroom.
 All instructional planning from the basal would
focus on “The Weekly 6”
 Storytown Lesson Vocabulary Words
 Lesson Focus Skill & Comprehension Strategy
 Making Connections
 Genre Study
 Extended Response
The Outcome
 The Weekly 6 was presented to staff during the
09-10 school year
 Grade levels spent more time interpreting,
problem solving for time management, and
typical struggles were encountered
 For the first time, ALL grade levels were on track
to provide every student with the full 30 week
reading curriculum
 Improved overall consistency
Enter RtI
 Implementing RtI
 Professional Learning
A strong and consistent, Tier 1, core
curriculum is the foundation of an
effective RtI process.
 We weren’t done yet…
Strengthening Tier 1
 While we said we taught the same thing and
now value the same essential concepts, it was
evident that our instruction was not consistent
enough to represent a strong Tier 1 Core
Reading Curriculum.
 Call for action from Administrator and Reading
Curriculum Committee
Strengthen the Core
 Survey Staff
 Grade level discussion
 Compile teacher input
 Committee review of data
Strengthen the Core
 Edit “The Weekly 6”
 Identified and added “non-negotiables”
 Clarified concept descriptors
 Included assessment guidelines
 Recognized need for additional direction in
reading extended response instruction
 Development of school-wide anchor posters and
instructional tools to supplement Storytown
1. Storytown Lesson Vocabulary Words
- Lesson vocabulary words must be posted weekly.
- All students have a cumulative Robust Vocabulary folder.
- Vocabulary words are introduced on the first day of the week and
addressed daily.
- Implemented by use of basal activities and story, leveled readers,
centers.
- Vocabulary words are assessed weekly.
Strengthen the Core
 Core Reading Curriculum
 Introduced August 2010
 Staff professional development



Fluency
Making Connections
Extended Response
Assessing the Core
 Focus remained on consistent, effective Tier 1
Instruction in all areas
 Administrator surveyed staff about Reading,
Math, and Writing Curriculum
 Committees met to assess and discuss feedback
from staff.
Strengthen the Core,
AGAIN!
 Identified more specific areas of need
 Staff review of instructional survey feedback
 Committee identification of additional professional
development needed
 Core Curriculum Implementation and Instructional
Practices
 Reading Extended Response
 Gradual Release of Responsibility
Core
Reading
Curriculum
Implementation Outcome
Percentage of Students Meeting/Exceeding on ISAT
100
93
90
88
80
78
70
74 76
83 81 82
87 85
86
86 89
82
72
60
2007
50
2008
40
2009
30
2010
2011
20
10
0
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
Implementation Outcome
Percentage of Students Meeting/Exceeding on ISAT
100
90
80
70
89
78
80
87
80
60
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
50
40
30
20
10
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Implementation Outcome
Percentage of 3rd - 5th Grade Students
Earning a Score of 3 or 4 on ISAT Reading Extended Response
100
90
63
80
35
70
60
50
5th Grade
26
40
30
43
39
3rd Grade
11
20
10
18
20
23
0
2009
2010
4th Grade
2011
Sustaining the Core
 Continuing grade level discussion
 In-house professional development
 “Spicing up the Weekly 6”
 Small group instruction round table
 Time management & instructional planning
Benefits of a Strong Core
 Well-focused, reflective grade level instructional
conversations
 Consistency and transparency in reading
instruction
 Basis for effective RtI decision-making
 Well-defined expectations for new teachers
 More reliable benchmark & ISAT data
Questioning YOUR Core
 Does our Tier 1 Core Reading Curriculum meet the





needs of 80% of our students?
Does reading instruction look similar in all classrooms
in the building?
Do our teachers have a clear understanding of
pacing, instructional practices, and non-negotiable
material to be covered?
Are our reading materials used effectively by all
teachers? What else do we need?
Are all of our teachers comfortable with what is
expected of them and their reading block?
Is there continued conversation about reading?
Start Tomorrow
 Survey, Reflect, Discuss!
 Leadership
 Administrator Role
 Teacher Leaders
 Staff Buy-In
 Resources Needed
 Staff-developed
 Purchased
 Professional Development
Questions?
 Kim Maher
Anna McDonald School Reading Support
kmaher@manhattan114.org
 Ryan McWilliams
Anna McDonald School Principal
rmcwilliams@manhattan114.org