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School Literacy Plan

Shay Jacobson, Carmen Wilson, and Dani-Nicole Crawford

Department of Education and Counseling

Longwood University

READ 680: Developing Literacy Leaders

Dr. Tammy Parlier

July 8, 2023
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School Literacy Plan

Literacy Need

Chesapeake City Public Schools is a division located in Chesapeake, VA. This area is

mostly suburban, with pockets of rural communities in the southeastern region of the city. Nearly

40,000 students are enrolled in the city’s thirty one elementary schools, thirteen middle schools,

and ten high schools. The demographic breakdown of this division is as follows: 51% male, 49%

female; 47% white, 32% black, 9% hispanic, 7% two or more races, 2% Asian or Pacific

Islander, less than 1% Native American and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Students

from low-income families account for 37% of the population, and 2% of students are English

language learners. Xxx Elementary School is located in a community that includes rural and

suburban areas. The demographic makeup of the school is 76% white, 8% hispanic, 6% two or

more races, 6% Asian or Pacific Islander, 4% black, and less than 1% Native American and

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Less than 18% of the students qualify for free and

reduced lunches. The gender breakdown is 48% female and 52% male. The percentage of

students receiving special education services is 23%.

The data collected from Xxx Elementary School includes third, fourth, and fifth grade

SOL scores in two major categories: word analysis with information sources and comprehension

of printed materials. Fifty-three third graders, sixty-two fourth graders, and fifty-six fifth graders

took the Virginia Department of Education’s Reading Standards of Learning assessment in the

spring of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon close analysis of the data, identifying the author’s

purpose and main idea and details showed the largest deficits across the three upper grade levels.

While looking at the data, the skill of identifying the author's purpose was the lowest in both

fourth and fifth grades and the second lowest score in third grade followed by important details
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focusing on the main idea. Third grade data shows that 88% of students in the school and 87% of

students in the district could identify the main idea; however, they struggled with supporting

details with only 44% in the school and 47% in the district showed mastery in this skill. In fourth

grade it shows that 69% in the school and 56% in the district mastered the skills of analyzing the

author’s purpose and 89% in school and 77% in district could identify the main idea and

important details. Fifth grade results show that 87% in school and 83% in district can identify the

author’s purpose, and in the objective of important details and main idea 82% in school and 84%

in district showed proficiency. This data demonstrates an inconsistency across grade levels on the

main idea and the author’s purpose with supporting details and is a literacy need for this

particular school.

The goal of every reading program is creating skilled readers. Language comprehension,

the upper strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope, includes identifying the main idea and

supporting details. Likewise, literacy knowledge, one of the strands of the Reading Rope, is an

important component of reading comprehension that includes an understanding of the author's

purpose. Additionally, according to the Virginia Department of Education’s Reading Progression

Chart, the skill of identifying the main idea is taught in first grade; supporting detail standards

are taught in second grade and then are followed by identifying the author's purpose in third

grade. Therefore, the focus of the literacy plan will be instruction focused to promote

consistency amongst strategies that can be used to focus on identifying the main idea and

author’s purpose by utilizing supporting details.

Possible Solutions

IXL Learning
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IXL Learning is a digital platform for grades K-12 that has curriculum skills in all areas

of reading, science, math, and social studies. By using IXL it provides real-time diagnostics, and

gives individualized guidance so educators can target specific learning goals based on each

student.. Therefore it can be used to support personalized learning plans with the basis of this

school on the main idea and author’s purpose by utilizing supporting details with questions

pertaining to that particular standard. This would help address the literacy needs at this school by

creating consistency with each grade level instruction amongst grade levels. It would require all

teachers to utilize the same technology and questions and give students the same opportunities

with technology based learning. The only thing that this would require would be a subscription to

IXL and students to have access to a technology based device.

ReadWorks

ReadWorks is a resource that is driven by cognitive science and supports the science of

reading. This resource provides different reading passages that focus on specific skill sets and

topics and gives question sets to build on comprehension and vocabulary. It has a variety of text

for K-12th grade and has an easy search to make it easy to find specific content skills for

students to work on based on passages. This could be utilized at this school to provide specific

passages based on the main idea, author’s purpose and supporting details to give students

supporting reading passages to help find those necessary standards to work on. All students

would need would be access to a technology device or the teacher having a subscription could

print off the passages as well. A subscription either class, or district wide would be more

reasonable and give a much more variety of passages but there is an opportunity to download

free passages without a subscription to readworks.

IReady
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IReady is a collection of resources that engages students in K-12, motivates students to

specific skill building, provides scaffold support that meet the specific needs of the students, and

it creates a personal pathway of instruction for each student based on their needs for the

particular standard being taught. This would be a great resource for this school because it will

provide each student with specific skill building on the content that is needed but at their own

pace and their own personal pathway. This is a great differentiation tool for students to utilize

and understand via their own pathway. The only thing needed from the district would be a

subscription to Iready and students would need to have access to some sort of technology device.

Navigating Nonfiction

Navigating Nonfiction is both a useful tool and resource that is a teacher friendly toolkit

of different strategies for addressing challenges of nonfiction. It provides explicit teaching

models and think aloud opportunities for teachers to use with explicit instruction, It instructs

students on specific reading knowledge and research based strategies of nonfiction text, and

helps increase the comprehension of nonfiction through writing. This would be a great tool for

this particular school to have based on the data because this resource helps prepare students for

standardized testing. It also provides high interest content for students and gives them engaging

activities to ensure that they are acquiring the skills and strategies that are needed to approach

those difficult content skills. The significant price tag of $400.00 for one teacher guide and a

grade level pack of thirty books makes this option less financially feasible when considering the

offerings of other programs. Therefore school districts might be turned off on the price due to

individual grade levels versus a whole set.

Scholastic Kids
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Scholastic Kids is a valuable resource to find a variety of books for students to explore

and read to engage them in their learning process. It also provides a fun opportunity for students

to play games in a free interactive world that celebrates different stories through book based

games. This would be a great resource to have and it would provide the school with fun books

for reading out loud and independent reading time. This is a completely free to use resource with

no subscriptions or in-app purchases so students would just need a technology device to access it.

Students can also look up books off the scholastic website and potentially see if they may have

any books in the school library.

Intelligent Tutoring for the Structure Strategy

This web-based program targets students in grades K-8 and focuses on the

comprehension of nonfiction based texts by focusing on scaffolding strategies to help students

understand and apply text structures (organizational patterns), main idea, inference, and other

nonfiction skills. Lessons are individually paced, and immediate feedback is provided. What

Works Clearinghouse states that ITSS should be used during class to supplement learning twice a

week for about 30 minutes throughout the school year. Teachers will need training that costs

between $2,500 and $8,000 per session (two sessions are required) as well as 4-6 days of

in-school coaching. Although this can be expensive based on the number of staff that need

training, the ITSS program can be accessed at no cost.

Solution

Description

For students to understand and comprehend the genre of nonfiction, certain skills are

needed to obtain proficiency. Navigating Nonfiction supports students' needs in becoming

proficient readers of nonfiction text. This program explicitly teaches students how to utilize
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research-based strategies in nonfiction reading knowledge which directly supports the

development of the upper strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Additionally, it provides

explicit and systematic instruction that follows a logical scope and sequence for students in first

through fifth grades. The scope and sequence also creates the vertical alignment which is critical

for instruction that will provide much-needed consistency among these grade levels in content

areas. Navigating Nonfiction also provides reading standards as well as common core standards

that give direct correlation to what is being taught. The program allows for rich vocabulary

instruction which helps create a common language among grade levels. Finally, each unit lesson

has a structured daily routine and activities which will allow for consistency with

implementation of the program.

Justification Statement

Based on Xxx Elementary School’s data and instructional observations, it is evident that a

research-based program to teach skills including identifying the author's purpose and main idea

and details is needed. As key pieces in the strands of the language comprehension Scaborough’s

Reading Rope, students must be able to establish an author’s purpose of a text while also

determining the main idea of a text. Navigating Nonfiction provides students with the literary

experiences they need to gain literacy knowledge and become proficient readers of nonfiction

along with the development of strong explicit and implicit comprehension skills. The scope and

sequence provided by Navigating Nonfiction also helps establish vertical alignment by creating a

common language and enabling grade levels to build upon the skills of the author's purpose and

main idea as a natural progression to reinforce learning. In an effort to give students the

necessary foundation and subsequent building upon those skills, it is imperative that building

administrators and teachers follow a research-based literacy program with fidelity; this is
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something that Xxx Elementary School has been lacking in the past and would greatly benefit

from moving forward.

Methods, Materials, Techniques, and Strategies

Required Materials Teacher Guide based on Grade Level

Student Text based on Grade Level

Optional Materials Whiteboards

Graphic Organizers
Lesson Slides

Included Materials 30 weeks of instruction: 10 scaffolded

instructional units of 3 weeks each (Grades
2–5) 15 scaffolded instructional units of 2
weeks each (Grade 1)
High Interest Articles
Nonfiction Posters

Graphic Organizers Provide visual and interactive support for

comprehension

Writing frames Help students internalize nonfiction text

structures and support their reading
comprehension in learning

Nonfiction Posters A visual classroom reference for the five

nonfiction structures

Instructional Routine Pages Helps with scope and sequencing of lessons

Process of Implementation

With the focus of author’s purpose and main idea with supporting details being the

school’s top priority, instructional fidelity across first through fifth grade will be vital. To create

accountability of the implementation of the program, the reading specialist will work with grade

levels and administration to make sure the program is being utilized with fidelity by providing

consistency and motivating teachers to use the program. Teachers will receive professional
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development and the required materials to prepare and plan for the necessary tools prior to the

start of the school year. The plan will include a 120 minute literacy block of instruction in each

1st-5th grade classroom utilizing the Navigating Nonfiction program. The literacy block will

consist of the following components: 45 minutes of Navigating Nonfiction Reading Program, 30

minutes of language arts/standards instruction, and 45 minutes of differentiation. The 45-minute

differentiation block will include tier 2/tier 3 intervention, literacy centers, and independent work

based on activities that support the main idea and author’s purpose of passages.

Professional Development Plan

Description of Plan

All first through fifth grade teachers, special education teachers, reading specialists,

instructional coaches, and building administration will be required to participate in professional

development sessions that pertain to the new program. Each department chair from the grade

level, instructional coaches and reading specialists will receive the training over the summer

before the start of the new school year. The training for teachers will be conducted during

contract hours. The reading specialist, instructional coaches, and grade level chairs will assist

during the whole group training as leaders for teachers in groups and help answer questions that

some may have. An overview of the program, the scope and sequence, and a guide for questions

as well as materials given for each grade level will be presented at the first professional

development session. Based on grade levels, each grade will look at the first unit/lesson to

review and work together to utilize strategies to help make the lessons efficient. As each group is

practicing, the reading specialist and grade level lead teachers will move from group to group

and provide any guidance and feedback and answer questions as needed. There will be a few
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follow up professional development sessions that are conducted throughout the school year on

teacher workdays to provide additional training and support.

Training and Supplementary Materials

The first training will occur for only reading specialists, grade level chairs, and

instructional coaches during the summer prior to the start of the school year. The first training for

teachers, special education teachers, administrators and any other staff that work in the building

will begin during pre-service week, the first week back for teachers. Teachers will be provided

with all resources and materials with Navigating Nonfiction. The supplemental materials include

their teacher master copy, student text based on grade levels, instructional routines, and

nonfiction posters. The purpose of the initial session is to provide teachers with an overview of

the program, demonstrate a lesson and provide materials, and allow opportunity for practice to

understand how a lesson of the program works. Since this is a new program to the building ,

additional training, coaching, and lesson demonstrations will be provided by the reading

specialist and grade level lead teachers on teacher workdays throughout the school year.

Motivation for Change

Without having a solid foundation of a reading program within the school, it was

important to provide a program that could help with some of the reading deficits that were being

seen based on the data provided. Xxx Elementary School needs a positive change and this

program provides a fresh start towards student academic success. By setting a positive tone and

sharing research based explanations on why this program would be beneficial to the school,

teachers and staff will feel motivated and empowered to teach the nonfiction skills of author’s

purpose and main idea. Teacher’s time will also be considered through the implementation of this

program by ensuring that all materials are made readily available, and professional development
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will be during school hours when they are required to be in the building. Ongoing support will be

available at all times for any questions or concerns that other staff members may have and will

be answered in a timely manner with a positive attitude.

Reading Specialist role before, during, and after Implementation:

Before: The literacy coaches will familiarize themselves with the selected program prior

to implementation. They will create the rubric the teachers will use to monitor student progress.

Coaches will also create an action plan for the teachers to follow during the school year. They

will create a presentation for the staff that outlines the need, information about the program,

training, justification for the program, and data tracking and monitoring. Coaches will also

distribute the materials and provide the necessary professional development for this program

During: As the school literacy coaches, presence at weekly PLC meetings is imperative.

Coaches first need to ensure classroom teachers are aware of the expectations of a professional

learning community. For one, focus must be placed on what students need to learn, how teachers

will know that students have mastered the objectives, and what will be done for those who

require intervention. It is important coaches model a culture of collaboration across all grade

levels. Along with the administrative team, coaches will also conduct walkthroughs and

observations and be available to answer questions and provide ongoing support.

After: Following a school year of implementation, coaches will analyze data from the

spring reading Standards of Learning assessment and complete the rubric created for the school’s

literacy plan. After sharing the data provided from these tools with administrators and staff,

coaches will continue to provide support at PLC meetings. Additionally, coaches will work with

building administrators and grade level chairs to create and provide professional development

moving forward into the next school year.

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Timeline for Implementation

End of 22/23 2 weeks Before 1st Week Back September- November-

School Year the 23/24 for teachers October End of the
School Year year
Begins

Materials Grade level Deliver Implement the Continued

received for chairs, reading materials to program for professional
reading specialists, and teachers whole group development
specialists, instructional instruction. sessions,
instructional coaches will be modeling, and
coaches, and given training on (ongoing PLC co-teaching
grade level new program meetings) will be
representatives provided as
for summer needed
planning
(ongoing PLC
meetings)

Creation of Provide Professional Instructional

Rubric to professional development walkthroughs
monitor student development for sessions, to observe
progress and teachers, modeling, and program in
creation of administration, opportunities for action
action plan and other staff co-teaching will
members on the be provided as
program. needed.

Assessment Plan
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The QRI– Qualitative Reading Inventory– provides leveled reading assessments for

teachers to administer to students in an effort to track student progress. Teachers can give

expository or narrative passages and ask students explicit and implicit questions. The

text-implicit questions are related to the passages that the students read; answers to these

questions “cannot be inferred solely from background knowledge” (Kilpatrick, 2015). Data from

this assessment would allow teachers the opportunity to track students’ ability to identify the

author's purpose and main idea and details.

References

Kilpatrick, David. (2015). Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading

Difficulties. Wiley.

Scanlon, D. M., Anderson, K. W., & Sweeney, J. (2017). Early intervention for reading

difficulties: The interactive strategies approach. Guilford Publications.

http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB08963152

The Reading League. (2021). Science of reading: Defining guide.

https://www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-the-science-of-reading/

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ABC Elementary School Literacy Plan

Evaluation Rubric

Name(s):
Category 4 3 2 1 Score

Identify Main Idea Identify the Main Does not correctly

States the main
Idea clearly with identify the main idea of
idea in a clear and Identify the Main Idea
concise way. some the text. No evidence
understanding. provided.

Note Clues and Able to identify 3

Able to identify 2 or Unable to identify any
Supporting Details or more clues to Able to identify at least
more clues to support
support each one clue to support each clues to support the
each author's purpose
author's purpose author's purpose in the main idea/ author’s
in the text with little
or main idea in text clearly purpose within the text.
error
the text clearly

Explain Explains valuable

reasons for Explain the main
author's purpose idea and author’s States an idea that could
Explains main idea
and is specific and purpose but with be the main idea or
relevant way using
and author’s purpose
limited supporting author’s purpose but is
details from the but not clearly
details within the not correct.
text to support text.
answers

Identify Author’s State the author's

Purpose purpose for
writing in a clear Identify’s author's
Does not or incorrectly
and concise way. purpose with some Identify the author’s
(Entertain, Inform,
identify the author’s
evidence to back it purpose.
or persuade). purpose.
up.
Using evidence
from the text.

Sustainability Strategies
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Strategy #1: The reading specialist will lead PLC meetings with each grade level on a
monthly basis. The information and data presented will guide discussions based on the
needs seen through classroom assessments, instructional walks, and vertical collaboration.
Information from the rubric will also guide the direction of discussion based on necessary
tier 2 and 3 interventions. PLC meetings will ensure continuity amongst the grade level and
ensure the literacy plan is followed with fidelity.

Strategy #2: The reading specialist will provide professional development to the K-5
classroom teachers. Professional development topics covered will be on enrichment
strategies, intervention strategies and tracking, instructional (whole and small group)
ideas, approaches to comprehension assessment, and progress monitoring.