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Gunnison High School

Reading Leadership Team
2017-2018
 Description

The Gunnison High School Reading Leadership Team (RLT) will collaborate with district
administrators and school staff to make data-driven decisions that allow for the efficient
implementation and utilization of effective, research-based reading programs that meet students'
growing literacy needs and ensure their success.

Rationale

The numbers say it all. Just 36 percent of fourth-graders and 34 percent of eighth-graders
performed at or above “proficient” in reading skills on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) in 2015. (Nations Report Card, 2015). Some data that hits a little closer to home is
that which shows how Gunnison High School’s percentage of “Proficient/Advanced” readers has
fallen from 70.33 percent in 2012, to 61.35 percent in 2014, according to CSAP data (SchoolView,
2017). The number of students in need of efficient and effective reading intervention is growing and
all indicators point towards that trend continuing.
Reading is an essential life skill that every student not only needs, but deserves. From their
earliest experiences in education and throughout each stage of their adult lives, students’ success will
depend upon their ability to read and comprehend written language. The general assumption that
students already know how to read upon entering high school has been exposed and it is now up to
educators at the secondary level to receive training in teaching what were previously considered
“early literacy” issues.
Gunnison High School (GHS) has identified the growing need for literacy intervention at the
secondary level and responded appropriately by forming a Reading Leadership Team (RLT) in
December of 2016. Prior to the inception of the RLT, GHS was without specific, data-driven
approaches to meeting the literacy needs of its students, outside of what occurs in grade-level
grouped ELA classrooms. While a common solution to this problem has been to introduce the position
of a “reading coach” on campuses, it is not currently feasible for the Gunnison Watershed RE1J
School District to make such a monetary investment at this time. It is the agenda of the RLT and its
members to serve in the roles of a “reading coach” by delegating those responsibilities amongst its
members and taking deliberate steps towards implementation of effective reading programs.

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 Goals

The Reading Leadership Team will set out to continually accomplish the following objectives:

1. Ensure that all students not meeting grade level reading expectations are identified and
prescribed to the appropriate level of reading intervention.

2. Communicate and collaborate with district administrators and school staff in order to create an
effective network of support that fosters struggling readers’ incremental achievements.

3. Model research-based practices and strategies, while also providing coaching of those strategies,
in order to augment the skills of other teachers and supporting staff members.

4. Utilize reading assessments, progress monitoring reports and other reading data in order to
ensure that progress is being made towards each student reaching their individual reading goals.

5. Identify and secure opportunities for teachers and staff to undergo professional development that
is specific to teaching literacy and reading intervention strategies.

Duties

The Reading Leadership Team will delegate the following responsibilities to its members as it
sees fit, allowing for each member to uphold all prior responsibilities at Gunnison High School:

• Attendance at all regular RLT meetings, once
every two weeks, as allowed by school schedule.
• Attendance at all RLT Data Meetings, once each
month, as allowed by school schedule.
• Collaboration with Andy Hanks (Principal) and
Sarah Macort (School Counselor) to oversee
student groupings and scheduling.
• Face-to-face meetings with grade level teachers
for data analysis, progress monitoring, goal
setting, teaching strategies, planning, modeling
and coaching.
• Small group meetings with Special Education
Department members and grade-level ELA
teachers to oversee intensive reading intervention
programs and progress.
• Small group meetings with English Language
Learner specialist and grade level teachers to
oversee intensive reading intervention programs
for second-language learners.
• Regular communication with the campus
community regarding the implementation, status
and achievements of school reading programs.
• Implementation of staff-wide professional
development opportunities that seek to integrate
all content area teachers into reading program
processes.
• Regular communication with students’ support
systems (i.e. parent/guardians) regarding
implementation, status, and progress of school
reading programs.

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Routine*

Members of the Reading Leadership Team will meet once every two weeks throughout the
school year for a regular session meeting, as the school schedule allows. In addition, data meetings
will be held once each month, which may require for in-service time to be taken by team members.
Additional small group meetings with ELA teachers could take place during planning periods and
opportunity time, as the new schedule allows.
Possible “flooding periods” for students undergoing intensive reading interventions – listed
below as a “Literacy Block” — has been suggested as one solution to future scheduling conflicts.

Daily Routine*

Following are theoretical daily plans for a Reading Leadership Team member. Examples for
both “A” and “B/C” days have been provided:

Monday, Tuesday and Friday

Time Event Purpose
7:45-8:15 a.m. Collaborative Planning; Small/ RLT regular sessions; data
Large Group Meetings meetings; literacy block instructor
planning; staff meetings.
10:35-11:25 a.m. Literacy Block Modeling, Coaching, Direct
Instruction and Literacy Intervention
11:30 a.m.-3:40 p.m. Regular Duties Literacy Intervention in Core
Support and ELA classes
Planning Periods Planning/Collaboration Time Literacy block instructor planning;
other content area planning.

Wednesday
Time Event Purpose
7:45-8:15 a.m. Small Group Meetings RLT regular sessions; data
meetings; literacy block instructor
planning.
8:30-9:20 a.m. Regular Duties Literacy Intervention in Core
Support and ELA classes
10:20-11:50 a.m. Literacy Block Modeling, Coaching, Direct
Instruction and Literacy Intervention
2:50 - 3:40 p.m. Regular Duties; Planning/ Literacy Intervention in Core
Collaboration Time Support and ELA classes; Literacy
block instructor planning; other
content area planning.

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Ethical Framework

All members of our learning community will work collaboratively and have the courage,
competence, and commitment to take ownership of their development, face challenges and find
solutions.
Learning community includes students, staff, parents and community members. Together our
work will focus on creating a balance between intellectual, physical, social and emotional
development with the goal that every student will be college and career ready.

We believe in shared responsibility for success in which:

• All individuals are valuable and should be treated with dignity and respect.
• Every individual can learn and should be challenged.
• Grit, curiosity, perseverance, integrity and purpose are critical for success.
• A quality education promotes life-time opportunity.
• Success looks different for every individual.
• Students must be prepared for post-secondary options with essential foundational
knowledge and skills including creativity, critical thinking, communication,
collaboration and citizenship.
• We must be relentlessly innovative to expand learning opportunities.
• A safe, supportive and healthy environment is critical for learning.
• Collaboration promotes positive relationships and shared leadership.
• Effective feedback leads to continuous improvement.
• Achievement hinges on staff effectiveness and student ownership.
• We must be fiscally responsible and create sustainable systems.
• Efficient and effective operations support student success.
• On going communication and collaboration with students, staff, parents and
community is essential to our mission.