Overall Objective:  Participants will deepen STR knowledge and design the district’s K-3 Literacy Block approach to roll out to campus leaders and classroom teachers as the “tight” structured literacy instructional model. 

• Understand historical reading proficiency trends in the US, Texas and TXRL cohort.

• Reaffirm Scarborough’s Reading Rope as a framework for effective STR/structured literacy  instruction and dispel entrenched myths.

• Explore a 1st grade classroom example illustrating Tier 1 Structured Literacy instruction with opportunities for targeted, data-driven small group instruction and for students to practice skills to mastery based on individual students’ current assessment data.

Overall Objective:   Participants will explore and reflect on the TXRL Key Shifts and Strategies Framework to consider high leverage moves to better align with the STR and implement effective Structured Literacy classrooms. 

• Explore a 1st grade classroom example illustrating Structured Literacy instruction with opportunities for targeted small group instruction and opportunities for students to practice skills to mastery based on individual students’ current assessment data (prework)

• Gain an understanding of the TXRL Key Shifts and Strategies (KSS) framework and reflect on the district's starting place at this point in time.

• Consider research to support repurposing small group guided reading and leveled texts to alternatives which better support learning for all students. 

Overall Objective: Participants will expand their understanding and ability to effectively implement KSS Shift #3: Use small-group reading time to target foundational [word recognition] skills, or to develop [language] comprehension using complex text, and corresponding strategies below.

• Strategy: Rename and repurpose “guided reading time” to “small group reading time” and offer differentiated instruction, activities and materials depending on whether the instructional purpose is word recognition or language comprehension skills.

• Use decodable texts when the focus is practice and transfer of word recognition skills (e.g, decoding skills, word fluency) and to promote beginning reading.

• Use grade level complex texts when the focus is language comprehension (e.g., knowledge, vocabulary).

• Strategy: Prioritize fluency development during practice time with students reading a wide variety of decodable or grade-level texts, and deploying repeated oral readings with feedback, rather than during small group time.

• Strategy: Group students using current mastery data for each reading skill from a universal screener (e.g., TEA approved K-2 reading instrument) or adaptive online tool rather than a leveling assessment (book levels) which does not provide a clear picture of skills students have and what they need.

Participants will expand their understanding and ability to effectively implement KSS Shift #5: Provide ample time during the literacy block for students to practice skills to mastery based on student-specific skills data, and corresponding strategies below.

• Strategy: Build 45+ minutes into the literacy block in addition to time required for the structured literacy curriculum, for students to practice student-specific reading skills not yet mastered. 

• Strategy: During instructional planning, use current mastery data (e.g., recent benchmark or progress monitoring skills data from a universal screener or current adaptive online tool report) for each reading skill to plan practice activities based on student-specific skills mastery. 

• Strategy: When planning student text reading practice activities, 

• pivot from leveled texts to decodable texts to help students successfully master newly acquired decoding patterns with accuracy and comprehension; and 

• offer independent reading time using complex grade level texts to students who are secure with basic decoding skills.

• Strategy: Develop classroom procedures and tools which direct students to practice activities for specific skills they have yet to master rather than offer the same activities to all students. 

Participants will expand their understanding and ability to effectively

 implement KSS Shift #6: Increase student agency through opportunities for student self direction and ownership of the learning process, and corresponding strategies below.

• Strategy: Provide opportunities for students to analyze their current skills mastery data and make informed decisions about which practice activities to work on.

• Strategy: Launch a cyclical process for students to set goals, track mastery data against their goals, and reflect on progress during a teacher “check-in” held weekly or every other week.   

Participants will expand their understanding and ability to effectively implement KSS Shift #7: Realign principal, instructional coach and teacher recognition, performance goals and financial rewards to embrace the full range of reading skills rather than associating book reading level as the priority success measure, and corresponding strategies below.

• Strategy: Revise district and campus goals (e.g., board goals, campus improvement plans) and all educator performance incentives to prioritize grade level proficiency across all reading skills based on a universal screener.

• Strategy: Establish new cultural norms and routines around reading skills success measures based on a universal screener for each grade level and onboard all district leaders, elementary principals, instructional coaches and K-3 teachers to these changes. 

• Strategy: Make a plan for reeducating your community about the revised district approach to measuring and reporting progress on K-3 reading skills development.