ELEMENTARY LITERACY SUPPORT GUIDE: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

AUGUST ORIENTATION – 8/23/02

QUESTION	ANSWERS
READING
1. Will the specific reading strategies be included?	The Elementary Literacy Task Force made decisions about what was critical to include in the guide that would further describe the Core Understandings and Common Practices. We continually remind ourselves that we weren’t writing another textbook. So, the strategies that are listed support the teaching practices expected in all classrooms. Several building staffs have formed study groups or worked with their literacy coaches to learn more about specific strategies.
2. Under 3^rd grade expectations, what does “justifies stance on authenticity of text,” mean? What criteria do I use” How do I explain this to parents?	To justify the authenticity of a text, a reader will confirm the author’s reliability by checking other sources of information (non fiction text, research, etc.) Your criteria will be looking at the student’s written response (and oral) to a specific text and ability to question the author’s intent. Many times, students will offer their opinions or evaluations about a piece they have read. Teachers can model this skill by thinking aloud as they read an editorial where questioning the author’s authenticity is required. Providing parents with real life examples of where we question the authenticity of a text is helpful.
WRITING
1. Will the district provide training on the use of the new four point scoring rubric for the 6 traits?	Yes. The plan is to have several opportunities for teachers to attend training this Winter. Several teachers used the 4 point scoring rubric last year when scoring the district writing assessments.
2. Can anchor papers be made available for each trait for each reporting period? Are there standards for the 6 traits at each reporting time?	In 1994 district training on the 6 traits was provided and notebooks contained a continuum of paper for each grade level. These documents demonstrated what the range for a specific grade level might look like. The intermediate 4-point rubric can also be found in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide as a starting point. Anchor papers will be collected for grade 3, 6, & 9 as part of the district writing assessment process.
3. Are there more tools available for writing assessment?	A very effective tool for assessing student writing and determining next teaching points is actual student writing or their draft books. The draft book, portfolio, or spiral notebook should house all student writing showing their grasp of the writing process as well as the six traits. Many teachers use the draft book to assess, develop teaching objectives for the whole group demonstrations, and group students for instruction.
4. Should we be grading voice in grades K-2?	Voice is included on the district report card and should be marked. You might use NA during the fall reporting period at the K level. Just be sure to address the grading of voice at the next grading periods.
5. Where is the writing continuum for intermediate?	The intermediate 4 point scoring rubric for the 6 traits is provided in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide
6. Will the district provide funds to purchase library books for the 6 traits writing that are not presently in the collection?	When the 6 traits were introduced, all buildings were provided the “Picture Books for Teaching the 6 Traits”. These should be housed in your library or on a professional bookshelf. Each Elementary School was given an allocation in the Spring of 2002 to purchase materials for their instructional resource libraries. If your building strategic plans outlines an activity for writing that requires these types of materials for professional development, and then building budget resources may be used.
7. Under the 3^rd grade writing expectations for style, what does “increasing range of topics for writing and shows preference mean?	Third grade writers are expected to write using several forms and features. This supports increasing the range of topics a writer uses. All writers have a form, topics, or idea that they usually feel more comfortable writing about. For the developing writer, teachers are to broaden their range of writing by immersing them in several forms and modes.
8. Can descriptors for modes of writing be included in the guide?	Examples and descriptors of modes are found on the District Web site under staff resources. Every school also has at least one copy of the state document, Text forms and Features. A good discussion and description of mode can be found in this document.
TEXT FORMS AND FEATURES
1. What does recount mean? How is it different from retell?	A recount is a written record of events with attention to sequence, accuracy, and often detail. Retelling is an oral statement of the main events, characters, and plot.
2. Text forms and features have gone from a book to one page in our guide? What’s the difference?	Margaret Mooney published a book entitled Text Forms and Features for the State. Many of the school have this document in their professional library. This document provided in depth information about the text forms and features and grade level suggestions for introduction and attainment. The elementary report card committee took this information and created a handy one page chart to show what text forms and features should be taught at each grade level and bolded the items that were to be learned at a specific grade level. This chart was included in the guide.
PARENTS
1. Should there be a section on how parents can support their student learning at home?	Great idea! In the parent handbook for the report card there are suggestions for parents. In addition, teachers can make suggestions at parent nights, conferences, and on the report card addendum.
2. How do we involve parents?	Several schools like Alderwood and Birchwood are providing many ways for parents to be involved in their child’s reading development. Some suggestions – Parent Nights, School Wide Reading Events, and Reporting minutes read at home.
3. How can we support literacy in the home for families who speak a different language?	Again, check in with Alderwood about their parent components as part of their Title I Schoolwide Project. The Family Information Center can support working with ESL Families as well as the District ESL Coordinator, Marie Little. Some schools hold monthly ESL Parent nights and bring in interpreters and provide ways that these families can support reading at home.
COMPREHENSION
1. How do we assess comprehension?	Comprehension is reading. If there is no comprehension, then there is no reading. Running Records provide the best window into how a child is using the reading process to make meaning. Written and oral responses to questions also provide data about how the child is making meaning. Several tools are outlined in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide for assessing comprehension.
2. DRA comprehension criteria – what is it?	For the 02/-03 school year, we will not be using the comprehension questions to determine a level that is reported to the district and considered when marking the report card. The key in using the DRA is that the teacher strictly adheres to the 3-second rule as you listen to a child read. If they do not say a word in 3 sections, the teacher give a “told”. Scores will be much more accurate if the 3 second rule is followed.
3. How do you help students with summarizing strategies?	Resources to support summarizing skills are found in Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis and Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller.
CONTENT AREA
1. Where is time allotted for spelling, social studies, and science?	Looking for opportunities to teach or extend reading and writing process in social studies ad science can produce additional practice time. It is a challenge to balance all that is expected of the general education teacher. Integration of social studies and science content into the literacy block through reading or writing demonstrations can also enhance a student’s real understanding of the content. Looking for opportunities to connect curriculum content and processes that leads to an outcome for learning enriches student understanding.
2. Has Social Studies/Science become less important?	Absolutely not. Science and Social Studies are important and provide the content for students to practice their reading and writing skills. In addition, there are specific science and social studies content that is to be taught at each grade level. The social studies and science guides outline the essential outcomes as well as the knowledge and skills that students should know and be able to do. Again, by looking for opportunities to integrate increase learning for students.
3. How do you find the time for long-range planning in content areas?	A series of grade level meetings will be offered this year to provide support for health and social studies planning. Another support might be using TRI/Incentive days or Collaborative Planning for Curriculum, Instruction & Job-Embedded Staff Development to do long-range planning.
ASSESSMENT
1. Do the expectations align enough with the report card handbook that we can use it in November?	Yes, the reading expectations on the report card are aligned with the State EALR and State Framework documents. More work in the aligning the 6-trait writing and math needs to be done.
2. Is the QRI now required?	The QRI is required for the extended day program to show pre and post data. Currently, the QRI is being used by some of our intermediate and middle school teachers who want to find out more about a tangled reader who is below the expected standard.
3. Where is the training for QRI?	This fall, an Assessment series will be offered. The QRI orientation will be October 8^th. The second session Managing the QRI will be on October 22^nd. The final QRI session will be about Use Analysis on October 29^th.
4. Is the DRA optional for fall reporting?	No, the DRA is not optional during fall reporting. A DRA will be done fall, winter and spring on all K-2 students. The DRA is the assessment tool used for the required Second Grade State Assessment (see the district assessment schedule in Elementary Literacy Guide for ceiling levels). In addition, the DRA is the assessment tool used for the required second grade state assessment.
5. According to assessment information DRA.DRP given by general education teachers, what do we do for Special Education?	The DRA and DRP are administered to all students according to the guidelines described in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide. The Running Record and the QRI (Qualitative Reading Inventory) are additional assessment tools available to all specialists to use with students who are tangled readers. Some of the elementary Special Education Teachers give a running record regularly on text that their students are reading in order to determine progress and next teaching points. This information is shared with the classroom teachers to promote consistent instructional practices between programs.
6. What are suggested organizational systems to keep all the data	Several suggestions are described in the Elementary Literacy Guide. Some suggestions include using a series of file folders for each student, notebook with labeled sections for the reading and writing collected, or a clipboard with class composite sheet.
ANDWRITING
1. What is District expectation for handwriting? Do we do “Handwriting Without Tears” or D/Nealian?	The District adopted handwriting curriculum is D’Nealian. At this time, a small group of teachers is exploring “Handwriting Without Tears.” Handwriting Without Tears was shared by the Special Education Department as a strategy for specific students with handwriting goals on their IEPs. Currently, we are not adopting any new curriculum at K-5 so that we can focus on implementing the curriculum that we have. All K-5 teachers are expected to teach handwriting using the D’Nealian Program. Training will be offered this winter.
2. Where does a teacher locate a teacher’s guide for handwriting instruction?	Check with your building administrator. All K-3 teachers should have a teacher’s guide for this program. All materials were purchased with district funds the when the initial adoption of this curriculum was approved by the School Board. Once an initial adoption year is over, it is the responsibility of the building principal to see that all teachers have the needed curriculum materials. Teachers in grades 4-5 should reinforce handwriting with the 3^rd grade teachers guide as a resource.
3. How much of student’s work should be done in cursive in the 5^th grade?	The Elementary Literacy Support Guide describes our handwriting program. The goal is that students should be able to use cursive in a legible manner. Students in the 5^th grade should use cursive for their spelling work, writing in their draft books, communicating in math to describe their problem solving, responding to questions in science and social studies. Of course, there are times when students will work on the computer to publish a piece of writing. However, care must be taken about the amount of time it takes to publish.
SPELLING
1. How do we develop a more comprehensive spelling program with the developmental stages and word patterns included?	A comprehensive spelling program includes an individualized selection of spelling words, a prescribed set of words to be learned, and recognition of the developmental stages. The district spelling adoption is the Sitton High Frequency Word List. Suggestions for organizing an individualized spelling program are included in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide. The guide is a good place to start in developing a comprehensive spelling program.
2. What happens when kids know grade level words?	Look at student’s writing to see if there is a transfer of a correct spelling of words in isolation (a typical spelling test). Student writing is also a starting point for identification of high interest or specialized content area vocabulary that can supplement those high frequency words and extend their writing vocabulary.
3. May I use the Neva Viise’s Developmental Spelling Test to assess by student’s spelling level?	This developmental spelling test is not available through the District. However, there is a diagnostic spelling test that you can give to young children to identify their developmental level in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide spelling section.
COMMUNICATION
1. How will the communication section help teachers for research and technology?	This is an area needing to be further developed. Your building Library/Media Specialist might serve as a resource for current district expectations as well as connecting to the State Office of Superintendent of Instruction Web Site and looking at their communication frameworks document. (You can link right from our district web page.)
2. A vital part of communication is speaking. Will this be included in our literacy guide?	Yes, the intention is to include a section for communication as well as technology and research. Time ran out last year to complete this section. The Elementary Literacy Committee hopes are to continue work on this during the school year.
TECHNOLOGY
1. Are the forms in the guide available on-line?	The Professional Development Department has put forms on Outlook under Public Folders/Elementary Literacy Guide so they can be saved to your h drive. If you have any problems accessing the forms, please contact Laura McBeath-Davies in Network Services.
2. Where is technology?	Plans include developing a section on technology and the research cycle.
3. Is the literacy guide available on-line?	At this time, the document is too large and contains many different charts and tables created in programs such as WORD, Publisher, Clipart, etc. It is not feasible to put the entire document on-line. Portions of the guide will be placed on-line in the near future – like the forms that teachers have requested to be made available electronically.
OTHER
1. Will you develop the glossary further?	There are no plans to develop the glossary further at this time. As the communication and technology connection sections are added, there will probably be a need to add new words to the glossary.
2. Would the district support funding the purchase of at least some of the professional books listed under “resources” for each buildings library?	A source for funding the purchase of professional resources might be the building budgets allocated to support your strategic plan activities. Several of the professional resources mentioned have been purchased in sets for study groups using building budgets.
3. Is it possible to have a member of the task force matched to each building so we could e-mail or call with questions?	There has been a teacher and/or administrator representative from each of the elementary buildings who participated in the development of the Literacy Support Guide. Your principal can help facilitate Q/A with the representative. In addition, please feel free to call the Professional Development Department at 647-6800 or e-mail Adrienne Nelson, Pam Pottle or Karen Tolliver (District Learning Facilitators) with your questions. In addition, other supports for implementing and understanding the content in the Elementary Literacy Support Guide are building literacy coaches. Another method is the District Grade Level Meetings where teachers are given opportunities to generate questions. When there are numerous questions about a specific topic, then a grade level may want to further explore answers or it might be a topic for a district level in-service.