The Action Planning Process

The Action Planning Process
2009 Superintendents’ Summer Institute Elizabeth A. Jankowski Research Assistant Center on Teaching & Learning Professional Development and Outreach College of Education This presentation is meant to delivered alongside use of the Action Planning Workbook and other accompanying documents. They will be referred to throughout the training. Big Idea: The process of Action Planning is used to examine Reading First assessment data and to create Action Plans to improve School-Level Reading First implementation in response to that data.

Session Goals Provide a method for analyzing school achievement data at a more detailed level. Provide a method of matching actions to data at a schoolwide level or grade level. Examine a Schoolwide Plan to organize these changes.

Key Concepts and Vocabulary
Action Planning: typically done at the school level. results in an Action Plan written by the school leadership team. allocates resources including the budget, schedule, assignment of personnel, school-wide assessments, role of the coach, etc. Action Planning is a process through which a school leadership team makes schoolwide plans to improve the performance of targeted groups of students who are not making adequate progress in a Reading First implementation. The process is done just one or two times a year and involves examination of targeted groups of students rather than the student population as a whole (means or medians) or individual students. As these plans are drawn, resources may need to allocated and/or reallocated based upon the needs of groups of students within a particular school.

Action Planning: ideally takes place in early summer so that arrangements for use of new materials or additional professional development can be made. should be adjusted when mid-year data comes out. Action Planning needs to be conducted at a time that allows arrangements for use of new materials, professional development, scheduling, etc. Waiting until the new school year is about to begin will not allow enough time for these changes to take place.

The Action Plan: is a specific step-by-step plan to improve student achievement. is developed in response to grade and group level data rather than individual student data. is developed by determining the possible cause(s) of inadequate grade level and/or group performance The Action Plan itself is a very specific plan detailing specific changes that the leadership teams believes is necessary in order to improve student achievement. It should be developed only after a problem analysis has been conducted to determine the probable cause(s) of inadequate student progress.

Action Plans vs. Instructional Plans
Action Plan: Changing the System An improvement plan based upon data and an analysis of the schoolwide instructional system Adjusted in response to data 1-2 times a year Instructional Plan: Working Within the System A plan for small groups or individual students whose needs are not fully met by the schoolwide system Adjusted frequently in response to data as needed This slide illustrates the differences between an Action Plan and an Instructional Plan. An Action Plan works at making changes at the Systems Level. This is usually one time per year, with follow-up adjustments made 1-2 times per year. An Instructional Plan, on the other hand, focuses on individual students or small groups of students whose progress monitoring data indicate instruction is not meeting their particular needs.

Steps in the Action Planning Process
Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data Analyze Data to Determine Groups that Did Not Make Adequate Progress Prioritize Creation of Action Plans Create Action Plans The Action Planning process includes several major steps. The process begins with gathering data to determine which groups have or have not made adequate progress. The school leadership team analyzes this data to determine which particular groups of students are not making adequate progress and therefore need a written action plan. After these groups are identified, the school leadership team establishes the order in which action plans will be written. The process of creating action plans for these identified groups is then set into motion.

Key Concepts and Vocabulary “Adequate Progress” Defined
A term used to describe students’ movement along the achievement continuum. Grade Level (GL): Students who meet grade level expectations in RF progress monitoring assessments, outcome assessments, and in-program assessments. Some Risk (SR): Students who come into a grade somewhat below grade level. High Risk (HR): Students who enter a grade level significantly behind. These students have not learned many of the prerequisite skills assumed by the grade level comprehensive reading program.

“Adequate Progress” Defined
All Grades Starting Year at Grade Level: Must remain at Grade Level status All Grades Starting Year at Some Risk Must move to Grade Level status by end of year Grades K-1 High Risk: Grades 2-3+ High Risk: Must move to Grade Level or Some Risk status by end of year In order for students to be considered as having made “adequate progress,” the above criteria are used.

“Adequate Progress” Summarized
High Risk K-1 Some Risk At or Above Grade Level High Risk 2-3 FALL WINTER SPRING Y - Grade Level Y - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level N - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level Y - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level Y - Some Risk N - High Risk Here is a chart that summarizes adequate progress: • Students starting the school year at Grade Level must remain at Grade Level status at the end of the school year in order to be considered as having made adequate progress. • Students starting the school year at Some Risk must move to Grade Level status by the end of the school year in order to be considered as having made adequate progress. • K-1 students starting the school year at High Risk must improve to Some Risk status by winter and Grade Level status by the end of the school year in order to have made adequate progress. • Grade 2/3 students starting the school year at High Risk must improve to Grade Level or Some Risk status by the end of the year in order to have made adequate progress. For schools that analyze progress at mid-year, the criteria suggested for High Risk and Some Risk students are only broad guidelines. It is important for leadership teams to look at what percentage of students are currently above or below their aim lines in order to determine the overall impact of instruction for these groups of students at mid-year. Y - Grade Level Y - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level N - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level N - Some Risk N - High Risk Y - Grade Level N - Some Risk N - High Risk

Twelve Status Groups Quiz Kindergarten Some Risk
1. Kindergarten High Risk Kindergarten Some Risk Kindergarten Grade Level First Grade High Risk First Grade Some Risk First Grade Grade Level Second Grade High Risk Second Grade Some Risk Third Grade High Risk Third Grade Some Risk Third Grade Grade Level This slide illustrated the recommendation that a school divide its students into twelve groups for examining group data.

Step 1: Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data
Collect School Level Data From Each Grade Level: The percent and number of students who made adequate progress (Grade Level, Some Risk, High Risk). The percent and number of students performing at grade level in the end-of-year progress monitoring measurement and end-of-year state outcome assessment. The Action Planning process begins with an analysis of student performance during the previous school year or most current time period. The purpose of the analysis is to identify particular groups of students for whom an Action Plan is needed because the group as a whole did not to make adequate progress. For some progress monitoring assessments, e.g. DIBELS, the calculation and aggregation of data is done automatically. You will use the “Effectiveness of Instruction” reports. The National RF Technical Assistance Center has constructed an electronic system through which progress monitoring data can be entered into an Excel spreadsheet. This data input will result in a chart showing the extent that adequate progress has been made from the beginning of year to mid-yer and from the beginning of year to end-of-year.

Goal: Completion of Summary of School Data
Form A (Summary of School Data) can be used to record adequate progress data for a school. The small boxes within the form can be used to record the number as well as percent of students who made adequate progress for each risk group at each grade level. Note that the form also includes columns to record end-of-year progress monitoring data as well as end-of-year comprehension outcome data. This end-of-year data can be combined with adequate progress data to give a succinct picture of each grade level’s overall achievement. Directions for completing the adequate progress section of Form A Summary of School Data: In each box write a fraction showing the number of students making adequate progress. The denominator of the fraction is the number of students in the designated grade level that began the school year or time period at the risk level indicated. The numerator is the number of students who made adequate progress according to the guidelines previously defined. In each box, write the percentage of students making adequate progress next to the raw numbers.

Example: Summary of School Data
XYZ Elementary /25/09 Form A (Summary of School Data) can be used to record adequate progress data for a school. The small boxes within the form can be used to record the number as well as percent of students who made adequate progress for each risk group at each grade level. Note that the form also includes columns to record end-of-year progress monitoring data as well as end-of-year comprehension outcome data. This end-of-year data can be combined with adequate progress data to give a succinct picture of each grade level’s overall achievement. Directions for completing the adequate progress section of Form A Summary of School Data: In each box write a fraction showing the number of students making adequate progress. The denominator of the fraction is the number of students in the designated grade level that began the school year or time period at the risk level indicated. The numerator is the number of students who made adequate progress according to the guidelines previously defined. In each box, write the percentage of students making adequate progress next to the raw numbers.

Example: Summary of State Data
% Number % # % # 67% 375/ % 611/ % /799 23% 28/ % / % /1843 % # % # 41% 106/ % 292/ % 1204/1278 34% 112/ % 349/ % /1042

Step 1: Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data
Where do I get this data? DIBELS: Summary of Effectiveness Reports Any other assessment that is administered at least three times a year to all students can be used with the assistance of Excel The Action Planning process begins with an analysis of student performance during the previous school year or most current time period. The purpose of the analysis is to identify particular groups of students for whom an Action Plan is needed because the group as a whole did not to make adequate progress. For some progress monitoring assessments, e.g. DIBELS, the calculation and aggregation of data is done automatically. You will use the “Effectiveness of Instruction” reports. The National RF Technical Assistance Center has constructed an electronic system through which progress monitoring data can be entered into an Excel spreadsheet. This data input will result in a chart showing the extent that adequate progress has been made from the beginning of year to mid-yer and from the beginning of year to end-of-year.

Handout

Data Farming Option DIBELS Data Excel

Other Data: Can Be Used Example
Excel (3) = Grade Level Input Cutoff Scores (2) = Some Risk (1) = High Risk

Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data Analyze Data to Determine Groups that Did Not Make Adequate Progress Transition Slide

Step 2: Analyze Groups to Determine Groups Not Making Adequate Progress
Analyze data to determine areas of strength and concern among groups. Groups of students not making adequate progress. Grade levels with too small a percentage reaching grade level reading performance (outcome data). When the Summary of School Data table is completed, the leadership team examines the fraction and percent in each box to determine if a sufficient number of students in each group made adequate progress. The team also examine overall outcome data for each grade level to determine whether specific grade levels had too small a percentage of students reaching grade level reading performance.

No set expectations for making these decisions. Useful Guidelines: “Grade Level” Students: Nearly all students at each grade level should remain at grade level throughout the school year. “Some Risk” Students: Large majority of Some Risk students should move to “Grade Level” status by the end of the school year. There are no set expectations indicating the percent of students who should made adequate progress within each group at each grade level. However, if a school expects to increase the percentage of students reaching proficiency levels on outcome measures, leadership personnel should expect a large majority of students to improve their performance throughout the school year. Above are some guidelines for adequate progress expectations.

“High Risk” Students: K/1 - Data shows schools providing instruction with enough intensity can move a large majority of “High Risk” K-1 students to Grade Level in one year. 2/3 - Students may be very far behind at beginning of year. Reasonable to assume they will need two years of work to catch up to grade level. Additional guidelines for adequate progress expectations. The reason for the difference between High Risk K-1 and High Risk 2-3 adequate progress guidelines is that students in second and third grade may be very far behind at the beginning of the school year, and it is reasonable to assume that many of these students will need two years of work to catch up to grade level. On the other hand, we now have enough data to show that schools providing instruction with enough intensity can move a large majority of their High Risk K-1 students to Grade Level status in one year. Some state departments of education have set state Reading First adequate progress goals that individual schools are expected to achieve. For example, one Reading First state director requires 60% while another requires 70% of all K-3 students to make adequate progress in order to receive continuation funding; another state requires that 50% of students within a school make adequate progress in three of four grade levels K-3. If a leadership team is unsure if their Reading First state office has an expectation for adequate progress, the team should contact their state Reading First director.

Summary of State Data 67% 375/561 82% 611/747 95% 761/799
% Number % # % # 67% 375/ % 611/ % /799 23% 28/ % / % /1843 % # % # 41% 106/ % 292/ % 1204/1278 34% 112/ % 349/ % /1042

Analyzing Student Achievement Data

Practice Example: Summary of School Data
XYZ Elementary /15/09 Form A (Summary of School Data) can be used to record adequate progress data for a school. The small boxes within the form can be used to record the number as well as percent of students who made adequate progress for each risk group at each grade level. Note that the form also includes columns to record end-of-year progress monitoring data as well as end-of-year comprehension outcome data. This end-of-year data can be combined with adequate progress data to give a succinct picture of each grade level’s overall achievement. Directions for completing the adequate progress section of Form A Summary of School Data: In each box write a fraction showing the number of students making adequate progress. The denominator of the fraction is the number of students in the designated grade level that began the school year or time period at the risk level indicated. The numerator is the number of students who made adequate progress according to the guidelines previously defined. In each box, write the percentage of students making adequate progress next to the raw numbers.

Analyze Groups to Determine Groups Not Making Adequate Progress
Action Planning: Groups Needing Action Plans Once leadership teams determine group(s) needing action plans, Form B Identifying and Prioritizing Groups for Action Planning should be used to record this information. A check should be placed in the appropriate box(es) at the top of the form for each group identified as needing a written action plan. This process is illustrated above.

Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data Analyze Data to Determine Groups that Did Not Make Adequate Progress Prioritize Creation of Action Plans Transition Slide

Step 3: Prioritize Creation of Action Plans
Record order in which group action plans will be written. Begin with groups that have most children. Place emphasis on all Grade 1 groups. Place emphasis on second and third grade groups at High Risk. In some cases, two groups can be combined into one action plan if common features are noted. In Step 3, the school leadership team prioritizes the order for creating Action Plans for the groups identified in Step 2. A school creates written action plans for every group of students that did not make adequate progress, with the goal of bringing all students to grade level performance. As not all action plans can be written and implemented at the same time, the leadership team will need to prioritize the order in which action plans will be developed.

Prioritizing Groups for Action Planning
Action Planning: Prioritization List The bottom half of Form B Identifying and Prioritizing Groups for Action Planning for recording the order in which group action plans will be written. This process is illustrated above.

Gather and Display Adequate Progress Data Analyze Data to Determine Groups that Did Not Make Adequate Progress Prioritize Creation of Action Plans Create Action Plans Transition Slide

Problem Solving Process
Create Action Plans 1 Define the Problem What is the problem? 6 2 Evaluate How well did the Action Plan work? Conduct Problem Analysis Why is it happening? Problem Solving Process 5 3 Implement the Plan How will we ensure all steps in the Action Plan have been implemented? The work on creating action plans begins with creating an Action Plan for the first group listed on the prioritized list. Other action plans should be created and implemented as soon as possible, but not so fast as to overwhelm a staff. A problem solving process is used to create each group action plan. The process involves a number of steps as illustrated above. Briefly discuss each step in the Problem Solving Process along with the questions the leadership team needs to have answered at each step of the process. Determine the Goal How well do we want our students to perform? 4 Develop the Plan What will we do about it?

Action Plan Components

Create Action Plans Define the Problem: Problem is defined as the difference between what is expected and the actual performance. (Data-Based Definition) 1 The initial step in using the problem solving process in creating action plans is to identify and then define the problem. In the problem solving process, a problem is defined numerically as the difference between what is expected and the actual performance. Data gathered from Steps 1-3 will be useful in defining the problem.

Create Action Plans Example Definition From One School: “90% of our first grade students at Grade Level status at the beginning of the school year were expected to remain at Grade Level by the end of the school year; only 67% of these students remained at Grade Level status. The difference between performance and expectation is 23%. Problem Definition is recorded on the Action Plan for Targeted Group. Here is an example of problem definition: A particular school may expect that 90% of their first graders who started the year at Grade Level remain at Grade Level status at the end of the year. Adequate progress data for that school shows that only 60% of these first graders remained at Grade Level at the end of the year. The difference between expectation and performance is 30 percentage points. The definition of the problem is recorded on the front page of Form C Action Plan for Targeted Group as illustrated above.

Create Action Plans Key Points: Problem should be defined relative to adequate progress data. Need to know expectation before the problem can be defined. Severity of the difference between expectation and performance should indicate the intensity of the changes needed in the action plan. There are many ways to define problems. Please remember that in this process, the problem definition is stated relative to adequate progress data. In order to create a data-based definition of the problem, the team must reflect on what the original expectation was for the targeted group. If no expectation was previously stated, the team must definite what a reasonable expectation would have been for the targeted group.

Create Action Plans Conduct Problem Analysis Process of gathering relevant information about the critical components of a school’s Reading First plan and implementation of that plan in order to evaluate the underlying cause(s) of the identified problem. Will result in answering why the problem is occurring. 2 Problem analysis is the process of gathering relevant information about the critical components of a school’s Reading First plan and implementation of that plan in order to determine the underlying cause(s) of the identified problem. These critical components will be discussed in upcoming slides. Conducting a problem analysis is a key step in the problem solving process. If a leadership team can determine why a problem is occurring, the chances of creating a successful action plan are greatly increased. The time spent on this analysis should provide sufficient information to indicate that an action plan has a good probability of being successful once it is implemented.

Create Action Plans Tools to assist with Problem Analysis: Oregon Literacy Framework and Self-Assessment Tool Center on Teaching and Learning Professional Development and Outreach Other tools that may help determine cause of the problem. The process of analyzing problems begins with an analysis of a school’s Reading First plan for the targeted group of students and the implementation of that plan to determine where adjustment(s) need to be made. There are specific tools and strategies that can be used to do this problem analysis. One set of documents that may be helpful include the Grade Level Implementation Questions. These are sets of accompanying documents to the Practices Handbook for grades K, 1, and 2/3. Each of these documents contains questions that a leadership team should consider when conducting a problem analysis at a specific grade level. All questions are related to implementation of a school’s Reading First plan in each of the eight critical components. Beneath each of the questions asked within the documents are criteria that help further define each question. If the answer to a specific question about the school’s Reading First plan or implementation of that plan is unknown, it is important not to guess at a response. Rather, the team should take the time to obtain the answers to these questions through discussions with school personnel and observations within classrooms. Other tools may also be available to help with the problem analysis. The key in using any of these tools is determining why a problem is occurring.

Conduct Problem Analysis: Critical Components to Analyze
Assessment and Data Utilization Practices Instructional Programs and Materials Instructional Delivery Schoolwide Organization District and School Leadership Professional Development Commitment This slide lists eight critical components which are part of a school’s Reading First Plan. When conducting a problem analysis, the team should gather relevant data in the school’s plan and implementation of the plan in each of these areas.

Bridging the Adult Learning Gap
Practices from “Challenged” Schools Making Significant Gains SBRR Increased Student Achievement

Using the Best of What We Know
SBRR Practices Assessment and Data Utilization Instructional Programs and Materials Instructional Delivery School Organization and Support District and School Leadership Professional Development Commitment √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Assessment and Data Utilization
School goals for reading are clearly defined and anchored to the essential components of reading instruction for each grade. School has a master plan for its assessments including a schedule for administering screening, progress monitoring (formative) and outcome (summative) assessments at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year. Assessments are administered more frequently to students below grade level. Assessments include program-embedded assessments as well as general skill progress monitoring assessments. The program specific-embedded assessments are particularly important when using intervention materials. Children who are behind are likely to progress at different rates. It is important to make timely adjustments in grouping when a student can progress faster or is in a group progressing too fast for the student.

A beginning-of-year assessment process is in place to determine: which students are in need of additional reading instruction beyond the core program and what instruction students need to fill in missing skill gaps. A diagnostic process/tools are in place to assist with this process. Grade-Level Team Meetings Adjustments in instruction need to be made in a timely manner, especially for children who are performing below grade level. Informal meetings are held weekly between coach and teachers for students who are far behind.

Staff have been trained to use data in meaningful ways. Decision rules are in place to guide instructional decision making. Grade-Level Team Meetings: are held on a regular basis focus on data result in specific instructional plans for individuals and groups designed to improve their rate of progress Grade-Level Team Meetings Adjustments in instruction need to be made in a timely manner, especially for children who are performing below grade level. Informal meetings are held weekly between coach and teachers for students who are far behind.

Instructional Programs and Materials
The comprehensive reading program is evidence-based, and is sufficiently explicit and systematic. Teachers prioritize essential reading content and provide extra practice opportunities on skills being taught to students at the some risk and high risk levels. Supplemental materials are used to address areas of grade level instruction that require strengthening including language skills and concepts. The lessons in most comprehensive reading programs typically include more content than can be presented during a daily reading period. Teachers working with at-risk students must be sure to include daily teaching of the more critical skills. This is an important part of the overall effort to make instruction sufficiently systematic. A description of critical skills to be taught appears in the Practices Handbook. The level of explicitness of instruction for at risk children must be high. The language and clarity of instruction of used in teacher presentation materials in some comprehensive programs is often not sufficiently high. Teachers must be prepared to modify presentations to ensure that all words used are words that are understood by students and that presentations of new skills are clear. Supplemental Materials - Language and vocabulary. Many at risk children enter school with relatively little knowledge of foundational language skills and concepts. Comprehensive core reading programs generally do not provide sufficiently systematic and explicit instruction of these foundational language skills. The use of a supplemental program to teach these foundational language and vocabulary skills beginning in kindergarten can be a very important part of sufficiently preparing children for later success.

Instructional Programs and Materials
Intervention plans include criteria for which students receive which materials, when, how often, and how long. Intervention materials are sufficiently explicit and systematic and are implemented with sufficient intensity to accelerate performance of students who are behind. Pacing guides are used to ensure sufficient content is being covered in core and intervention programs and materials. Intervention Materials - Intervention materials are used to teach skills from earlier grades that children have not learned sufficiently. The use of intervention materials needs to be carefully planned so that the progress of children who are behind can be accelerated. Children who are behind need to make more than one year’s progress if they are to catch up. There are two ways in which intervention materials are used: 1. Intervention materials are used in addition to the comprehensive grade-level reading program. The intervention materials are used to teach skill gaps from earlier grades. 2. Intervention materials can be used to replace the comprehensive reading program when children clearly do not benefit from instruction in comprehensive grade-level reading program materials. There are sets of materials referred to as intervention-core programs that provide highly explicit and systematic teaching of the more critical skills in each of the five areas of reading instruction. Generally, when children who are significantly behind are placed in an intervention core program, it will take them at least one to two years in that program to catch up. As a general rule, do not pull children from these programs until they can successfully participate in grade-level instruction Schools that have been successful have not used a wide range of intervention programs, but instead have selected a strong program(s) and focused on the high quality use of these program(s).

Effective Instructional Delivery
Teacher Modeling Explicit Instruction Meaningful Interactions with Language Multiple Opportunities for Practice Providing Corrective Feedback Encouraging Student Effort

School Organization and Support
The school is organized to deliver appropriate instruction for each student. The schoolwide schedule allows for differentiated instruction. Resources (paraeducators, sped. ed., Title 1, etc.) are prioritized during critical instructional times. Each teacher has the means to provide each student with the necessary quantity and quality of instruction. School organization and support refers to the manner in which the school is organized for reading instruction. This includes ensuring adequate time is available to all students who will need differentiated amount of instructional time. It also includes maximizing available resources (including personnel) during critical instructional times so that each student’s instructional needs can be met.

School Organization and Support
School’s Schedule Allows Sufficient Time for: Initial instruction in the comprehensive reading program, Preteaching or reteaching of skills for students who need it, and Systematic intervention instruction to fill in gaps from previous grades. Time for initial teaching of core program: Quite often. more than 90 minutes is needed for the reading period. The larger the range of students in a class, the more time that is likely to be needed to teach the comprehensive reading program and do the necessary preteaching or reteaching of grade-level skills. If grade-level instruction is being presented and there are significant number of children who are behind, preteaching or reteaching of the grade level skills will be needed for these students. Arrangements should be made to provide these children with daily preteaching or reteaching of grade level skills on which they are struggling. There may be a need for several groups of small-group extra teaching. Time for systematic intervention teaching should be provided to accelerate students progress. The sooner students can catch up, the better. See suggestions for specific time allotments in the Practices Handbook.

School Organization and Support Grade Level Students
At least 90 minutes in the Comprehensive Reading Program Small group instruction as needed for any skills not mastered as indicated on in-program tests Instruction for higher level vocabulary and comprehension instruction or perhaps work on standards for higher grades. Students receive instruction depending on their needs. Many schools schedule more than 90 minutes for the initial reading block of instruction. Grade level students generally receive at least 90 minutes of instruction in the comprehensive reading program. These students also receive some small group instruction for any skills not mastered in the program as indicated on in-program assessments. Schools also recognize the need to challenge their high performing students who have mastered grade level skills and are very fluent with these skills. They provide those students with enrichment so that students can move to higher levels of reading skills. Sometimes schools work with high performing students on standards from the next grade.

School Organization and Support Low Grade Level and Some Risk Students
Initial Instruction in Comprehensive Reading Program Whole or Small Group At least 90 and up to 150 minutes Preteaching and/or Reteaching of Grade Level Skills Within or outside reading block 15-30 minutes for each group needing extra teaching Systematic Intervention Instruction Focused on assessed gaps in skills 30-60 minutes outside reading block Preteaching and/or Reteaching: It is important to plan adequate time for reteaching and/or preteaching. If there are a significant number of children who are struggling with grade-level materials, there will be several groups that need preteaching and/or reteaching. A daily period of minutes needs to be provided for each of these groups.

School Organization and Support High Risk Students
Option A - Grade Level Comprehensive Reading Program Initial Instruction in Comprehensive Reading Program Whole or Small Group At least 90 and up to 150 minutes Preteaching or Reteaching of Skills Within or outside reading block 15-30 minutes Systematic Intervention Instruction Focused on assessed gaps in skills At least 60 minutes outside reading block It is important to remember that all children who are taught in grade level materials need to be provided the instruction to enable them to be at grade-level standards by the end of the school year. The overall program must provide sufficient instruction on skill gaps and and on current content to make the overall goal a reality. Programming for these students is different from Some Risk students. They are likely to need a great deal more small group instruction. Extra personnel will likely be needed.

School Organization and Support High Risk Students
Option B - Intervention Core Reading Program Sufficient Small Group Instruction to Reach Grade Level as Soon as Possible Two minute small group sessions on phonics and text reading At least 30 minutes daily of explicit language instruction for low-level language students. Comprehension and Vocabulary Instruction (30–60 minutes) Sufficient time for use of an intervention core reading program needs to be provided to bring children to grade level status as soon as possible. In first grade, children who are placed in intervention core programs will often have to cover both kindergarten and first-grade content in one year. This can be possible when at least two full instructional periods are provided daily for teaching the program. An extra period to review the content is likely to be needed by some children. In second and third grade, the three periods, two for instruction in the program and a third for review, can result in accelerated progress towards grade-level performance. The instruction has to be highly coordinated and aligned; each person teaching the child must have knowledge of the overall plan and their responsibility within the plan.

District and School Leadership
The principal attends professional development opportunities, examines student performance data regularly, and visits classrooms (planned walk-throughs on a regular basis) to support effective implementation of reading programs and materials. The principal is knowledgeable about scientifically-based reading research as well as the comprehensive reading program and intervention materials used in the school. The principal develops sufficient knowledge with the reading programs and intervention materials used in the school so that during classroom visits, he or she can evaluate how effectively a teacher is implementing programs and intervention materials. The principal becomes knowledgeable with the assessments used in the school, including administering assessments and recording data, interpreting the data reports, and taking action to solve problems indicated by data reports. The principal is also an active member of grade level team meetings, working with staff to solve problems and surmount barriers to improvement of student achievement.

District and School Leadership
District leaders examine students’ performance data regularly and encourage actions that will lead to better achievement. School leadership personnel ensure that concurrent instruction (Title, Special Ed., ELL, etc.) is coordinated with and complementary to general classroom reading instruction. District and school leaders protect instructional time and organize resources and personnel to support high-quality reading instruction. The principal develops sufficient knowledge with the reading programs and intervention materials used in the school so that during classroom visits, he or she can evaluate how effectively a teacher is implementing programs and intervention materials. The principal becomes knowledgeable with the assessments used in the school, including administering assessments and recording data, interpreting the data reports, and taking action to solve problems indicated by data reports. The principal is also an active member of grade level team meetings, working with staff to solve problems and surmount barriers to improvement of student achievement.

Coaching A reading coach or reading coach designee is available to perform the following functions: The coach provides the teachers with in-classroom modeling and support as they teach their programs. The coach helps analyze data, create instructional plans, and helps ensure implementation of the plans. The coach receives adequate professional development to carry out all these responsibilities. During reading instruction--both initial reading instruction and extra reading instruction--coaches spend most of their time in classrooms, working with teachers as they provide instruction to students. The coach needs to become very knowledgeable about the assessments given in their school and the implications of student performance on these assessments. She or he helps create instructional plans for groups and individual students and follows up to ensure that instructional plans are well implemented in a timely manner and are effective.

Professional Development
All instructional staff have been provided with high-quality, deep training in the programs and materials they are using—comprehensive, supplemental, and intervention. Ongoing, in-classroom, job-embedded professional development is being provided for staff. Professional development is differentiated by position and need including administrators, classroom teachers, specialist teachers and paraeducators.

Professional Development
Training in effective teaching principles, data utilization, classroom management, etc., is provided on an ongoing basis as data indicates. Professional development is differentiated on an ongoing basis based upon the knowledge, skill and performance of individual school staff members. Teachers have opportunities to collaborate, observe others within their grade level and visit model demonstration sites as methods for improving reading instruction.

Commitment The school has developed an overall Schoolwide Reading Plan detailing schoolwide detailing schoolwide reading goals and specifying what the school will do to help support students at all levels along the achievement continuum. The school has developed a culture of shared responsibility in which staff work together to make important decisions regarding instruction for all students in the school within and across grade levels.

Back to the Action Plans . . .
Problem Solving Process Back to the Action Plans . . . After problem analysis, prioritize and summarize most probable cause(s) of inadequate progress on first page of Action Plan for Targeted Group. Example: “Materials and Instruction: All Some Risk second grade students work solely on independent fluency practice during their daily extra 30 minutes of reading instruction. These students need to receive teacher-led direct instruction during this time targeted on missing skill gaps.” The team should summarize the information they have gained by conducting the problem analysis on the first page of the Action Plan for Targeted Group. These probable cause(s) of inadequate progress then become the focus of the Action Plan. Read and have participants reflect on the example above.

Create Action Plans Determine the Goal Leadership Team sets goal for targeted group for the upcoming school year/period of time. Goal Statement Components: Specific group for whom the Action Plan is being written Time Frame Criterion 3 The leadership team now creates a goal for the upcoming period of time in which the new action plan will be in place. This goal statement should include: a) the specific group for whom the action plan is being created, b) the time frame, and c) the criterion. This goal is written on the front page of Form C Action Plan for Targeted Group.

Create Action Plans Example Goal: “By the end of the school year, 90% of our first grade students who started the year at Grade Level status will remain at Grade Level status.” Record Goal Statement on first page of Action Plan for Targeted Group. This is one example goal set for first grade, grade level students. For guidelines on setting adequate progress goals, the leadership team should refer to previous slides on expectations for adequate progress. Once again, this information should be recorded on the first page of Form C Action Plan for Targeted Group.

Create Action Plans Develop the Action Plan Actions to be taken are recorded on the Action Plan for Targeted Group. Steps for remedying the problem should have a direct link to the problem analysis. Any action listed must be specific, observable, and measurable. Sufficient detail is needed so that it is possible to determine when the action has been implemented. 4 The Action Plan itself is a written plan specifically describing the changes needed to solve the identified problem. There should be a clear link between the information obtained during the problem analysis and changes that will be made to the targeted group’s action plan. Once again, the Practices Handbook is one tool that can be very helpful in this process. The second page of Appendix C Action Plan for Targeted Group is used to record specific actions that will be made to the current plan for the targeted group (as shown on next slide).

Action Plan for Targeted Group
Ask participants to retrieve and look at the second page of Form C Action Plan for Targeted Group. Participants should follow along as the steps for completing the Action Plan follow: Column 1 – Area for Action Plan. This first column identifies critical components of the Action Plan. These areas are reflective of the sections in the Practices Handbook: Materials and Instruction, Time/Coverage/Mastery and Grouping, Assessment, Data Utilization, Professional Development, Schoolwide Organization and Support, School Leadership/Principal and Reading First Coach. Column 2 - Action to Be Taken. This column is for writing down specific, observable, measurable steps indicating what will be done differently in the upcoming period. Descriptions of new plans must be specific enough so that it is possible to determine when the action has been implemented. The form is available electronically so that the space for the describing the plan is limitless. Column 3 - Person Responsible. This column is used to indicate the person who is responsible for implementation each particular step in the Action Plan. Although a number of people may be involved in implementing a particular step in the plan, this designated individual oversees this action. Column 4 - Report on Progress of Implementation. This column can be used throughout the school year to report on progress of particular actions. Each time an action is actually taken on a specific step in the plan, the action and date should be recorded in the last column.

What does specific mean?
Not specific: We will increase the time spent in providing instruction for students performing below grade level. Specific: We will increase the time provided for comprehensive reading instruction from 90 to 120 minutes in grades 1-3. Schedules will be drawn up by Building-Leadership Team with reading instruction as a priority. Schedule will be completed by August 1, 2010. This slide illustrates the importance of needing actions to be specific, observable and measurable. As stated previously, descriptions of new plans must be specific enough so that it is possible to determine when the action has been implemented. Presenter: Read slide orally and point out specificity of second example.

What does specific mean?
Not specific: Coach will mentor third grade teachers having difficulty. Specific: Coach and principal will identify and meet with third grade teachers having difficulty teaching the comprehensive reading program. Coach will provide side-by-side coaching to teachers three times per week for 30 minutes for a six-week period. Coach and teachers will meet one time per week for 30 minutes to discuss progress on identified issues. Once again, this slide illustrates the importance of needing actions to be specific, observable and measurable. As stated previously, descriptions of new plans must be specific enough so that it is possible to determine when the action has been implemented. Presenter: Read slide orally and point out specificity of second example.

Sample Action Plan for Targeted Group: Grade 3/Some Risk Students
* Coach Designee Grade 3 Teachers * Coach Designee Grade 3 Teachers Principal Ask participants to get out the sample action plan. This is one example of an Action Plan. It has been completed for a group of Some Risk third grade students at one school. Activity: Give participants time to look at the sample Action Plan. Obviously, there is much background that is not known about this group and the entire Action Planning process that occurred before this plan was completed. Ask participants to note the level of specificity within each step. Also notice that many of the critical components are affected by the addition of intervention materials for phonics instruction, i.e. “Materials and Instructional Practices” was not the only area that required action. Again, this is simply one sample. Other action plans may look very different based upon the results of the problem analysis, the status level of the group, and the grade level of the group. Principal Principal Coach Designee

Create Action Plans Implement the Plan The best laid Action Plans are meaningless unless the steps within the Action Plan are actually taken. “Person Responsible” should ensure step is actually implemented…and implemented as it was designed. 5 The Action Plan should be implemented as it was designed. The designated person in Column 3 is responsible for ensuring this happens. This person generally has two responsibilities: 1) Ensure that each designated step in the Action Plan actually takes place, and 2) Confirm that this step is put into action as it was designed. As the slide states, the best laid Action Plans will be meaningless unless the steps within the Action Plan are actually taken.

Create Action Plans Evaluate the Plan Leadership team gathers throughout year to evaluate data, discuss progress of the plan, and make changes as needed. Possible Outcomes: Goal Met. Plan continues. Goal not met, but achievement of targeted group improved. Make additional changes as needed. Little progress made with targeted group. Reanalyze problem to determine other needed changes. 6 The effectiveness of an Action Plan cannot be determined before its implementation. Therefore, the Action Plan should be monitored and then evaluated at the end of the goal period. The leadership team should gather at various times throughout the year to examine data and discuss progress on each of the steps within the Action Plan, handle issues as they arise, and make changes to the plan as needed. An Action Plan can be carefully and thoughtfully planned, but the ultimate test is if the Action Plan indeed increases student achievement. At the end of goal period, the leadership team should convene to formally evaluate the Action Plan. The team should reflect back on the original goal of the action plan as written on the first page of the Action Plan for Targeted Group. Possible outcomes include: The goal was met. The changes reflected in the Action Plan met a high number of students’ needs and should become part of the school’s overall Reading First plan. The goal was not met, but achievement of the targeted group improved. Make additional changes as needed to the targeted group’s Reading First plan and/or implementation of that plan. Data indicate little progress was made with the targeted group of students. Reanalyze the problem to determine other changes that might better address the problem.

Create Action Plans Repeat the Problem Solving Process for creating Action Plans for other groups identified in Steps 2 and 3 of Action Planning. Once the initial action plan is written, the leadership team should schedule time to create the additional action plans for groups identified in Steps 2 and 3 of the Action Planning process. The problem solving process is used to create these additional plans. Problem Solving Process

Contact Information Elizabeth Jankowski Dr. Stan Paine Research Assistant Director of Professional Development Center on Teaching and Learning Center on Teaching and Learning Professional Development Professional Development and Outreach and Outreach College of Education College of Education University of Oregon University of Oregon

The Action Planning Process

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The Action Planning Process

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