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Explore By Role: Teacher

• What skills do teachers of reading and spelling need to know?

  If asked to name a single root cause for poor student success in schools today, it would most likely be poor reading skills.  We all understand how important reading is, but understanding how to do a better job with our students who struggle is more difficult.  Looking at those five all-important essential components of reading is a start.  However it’s also important to appreciate that without good foundation skills, the best comprehension instruction can still fail to produce good readers.  Once the foundational skills of phonological awareness and phonics are in place your students can increase their vocabulary learning and utilize all of the comprehension strategies they’ve been learning along the way. 
  
  Download a graphic showing a Phonological Awareness and Phonics continuum that can help you plan instruction. 
  
  
  
  

• What’s the difference between the terms research-based and evidence-based?

  Following release of the National Reading Panel Report teachers heard about the term scientifically-based reading research. Now the term evidence-based is heard more often. Research-based, or research-validated, programs are those where the program incorporates teaching strategies that have been researched in studies that are high quality and demonstrate significantly better outcomes than a comparison condition. 
  
  On the other hand, evidence-based programs have data showing that students made progress when taught with the materials. Schools should look to see if the program has been effective with students with a similar demographic profile. Publishers often share data in the form of case studies. Download this case study.

   

• Why am I asked to do all this assessing?

  The amount of assessing in today’s classrooms seems overwhelming to many teachers.  It may be helpful to look at the four types of assessment and evaluate where each assessment in your building fits.  Most schools today use a universal screener (such as DIBELS or AIMSweb) to identify students who may be in need of additional support. Once students who need additional help are identified, it’s important to use a diagnostic tool to determine exactly which skills are deficit and need intervention. This saves valuable time and insures that teachers focus on the lowest deficit skill and don’t waste time reteaching what the student already knows.
  
  Once intervention is occurring, it’s important to know if the instruction is actually helping.  Progress monitoring over regular time intervals will accomplish this. The final type of assessment, outcome measures, which include state tests can provide an overall judgment of progress at the end of a specific period. 
  
  Download this sample diagnostic screening tool.
  

  
  
  
  

• How can I make the best use of the instructional coach in my building?

  While the role of a literacy coach can look a little different in various buildings, the coach is there to support the literacy initiatives in the school.Buildings where there is good communication and a spirit of collaboration among professionals not only have a more appealing culture but achievement is better. Studies are clear that watching instructional strategies modeled in the classroom is the professional activity that has the greatest impact on teacher effectiveness.Invite your reading coach into the classroom to model lessons for you.
  
  Following that, invite the coach to return to observe you teach a lesson and to provide you feedback on how to improve it. Ask for help in assessing student needs and the teaching strategies to meet those needs.Let your coach know of professional development topics you feel would improve your literacy practices.In short, open your door to the expertise available from your building coach.You and your students will benefit.

  Download a graphic showing a Phonological Awareness and Phonics continuum that can help you plan instruction.
  
  
  
  

• How can I support my principal?

  Changing the way a school system works is a daunting task.  Yet many principals must lead major changes to make necessary gains in student achievement.  Success is more likely when the commitment to make this change is shared by all the building staff.  Providing support for your principal can take many forms. 
  
  First and foremost, let your principal know that you share the same concerns and are willing to become a part of a school-based team to guide this new initiative. Although change is hard, shared concerns and common goals certainly make the process easier.  Encourage your principal to use a leadership team to recognize and celebrate successes as well as encourage problem solving to get you over some of the implementation bumps. Principals need objective information and feedback in order to guide the change process. 
  
  Download this article to share with your principal.
  
  
  
  
  

• How do I know which instructional materials are effective?

  Educators continually face the challenge in knowing which materials to recommend for purchase. Because budgets are tight it’s more important than ever not to buy a program and then be disappointed that they don’t work. What should teachers look for when selecting materials? It’s good to see if you can get a sample lesson to teach.
  
  That’s a help, but perhaps one of the most important things is to see if there’s evidence that the program has worked with students whose demographic characteristics are similar to your students. Look for case studies that include specifics about the students in the study and data from an independent assessment (not created by the program publisher).
  
  Download this case study involving 95 Percent Group instructional materials.