This document summarizes a school's efforts to improve literacy for all students through a whole school approach. The school implemented several assessments and literacy interventions. Over the course of a year, they assessed 64 of 69 students using both formal and emergent literacy assessments. The assessments showed improvement in students' literacy skills. The school focused on emergent literacy, guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and word work interventions. Teachers received training and students received individualized support to help all students progress in their literacy.

1. Literacy for All

2. A WHOLE OF SCHOOL APPROACH TO LITERACY ASSESSMENT Jane Farrall Speech Pathologist, Spectronics Chris Lennon Principal, Willans Hill School

3. 2010 – The Beginning AGOSCI Literacy Intensive

4. Willans Hill School Special School in WaggaWagga, NSW 69 students, 9 classes

5. Design BIG Thanks to Karen Erickson Random selection of 3 students in each class for assessment by Jane Two day workshop on Four Blocks to all staff end of 2010 2 hour literacy block in every classroom, every day, throughout 2011 Continuing and individual professional learning for staff throughout the year. Repeat assessments at end of 2010

6. Which Assessments? Considered.... Qualitative Reading Inventory 3 Neale Analysis of Reading Ability Assessment of Phonological Awareness in Reading The Bridge Structured Emergent Literacy Assessment Portfolio Universally Accessible Emergent Literacy Battery

7. Emergent Literacy The research and theoretical developments of the last decade have dramatically altered how we view young children's movement into literacy (Teale & Sulzby, 1986). The term literacy relates to both reading and writing and suggests the simultaneous development and mutually reinforcing effects of these two aspects of communication. Literacy development is seen as emerging from children's oral language development and their initial, often unconventional attempts at reading (usually based on pictures) and writing (at first, scribbling) -- hence the term emergent literacy. Within an emergent literacy framework, children's early unconventional attempts at reading and writing are respected as legitimate beginnings of literacy.

8. The Bridge Structured Emergent Literacy Assessment Portfolio

9. Universally Accessible Emergent Literacy Battery (UAELB)

10. Formal Literacy Traditional reading and writing behaviours

11. Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI)

12. Neale Analysis of Reading Ability

13. Assessment of Phonological Awareness in Reading

14. Training

15. Selection Process Each teacher selected 3 students Were asked to select student with highest literacy skills, then middle, then lowest These students were assessed by Jane Assessment results mostly reflected that teachers had selected correctly – but not always!

16. Remaining Students Assessed by their own teacher Time release provided to enable this to happen Teachers found this incredibly valuable Results cannot be included in inferential statistics

17. UAELB Concepts About Print Letter Identification Phonological Awareness Writing

18. Concepts About Print

20. Letter Identification F K A

21. Letter Identification h o b

22. Initial Consonant Recognition

23. Rhyme Recognition

24. Phoneme Blending

25. Writing

29. a abkeadp Writing sample from a student using an alphabet flip chart as her pencil.

30. QRI-3 3 subtests: Word Identification Reading Comprehension Literacy Comprehension Allows us to determine the focus of intervention

31. Silent Reading Comprehension Language Comprehension Word Identification Print Processing Beyond Word Identification (Slide from Erickson and Koppenhaver, 2010)

32. Word Identification Can the student identify words accurately? Can the student identify words automatically?

33. Adaptation for people with CCN Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies has developed a version of the word ID task for people with CCN

34. cot can care cane

35. Reading Comprehension Ask student to read a passage Ask them a series of questions Adapted to multiple choice for students with CCN

36. Lost and Found I lost my cat. Where was she? I looked inside the house. I looked under the bed. I looked outside too. I lost my dog. Where was he? I looked inside the house. I looked under the bed. I looked outside too. I found my cat. I found my dog. Where were they? They were in the same place. They were under the table.

37. Lost and Found Questions What did the person in the story lose? What else did the person in the story lose? Where did the person in the story look? Where else did the person in the story look? Where did the person find the dog or cat?

38. Lost and Found Questions 1. What did the person in the story lose? Dog Bed House Ball

39. Listening Comprehension You read a passage Ask them a series of questions Adapted to multiple choice for students with CCN

40. Results

41. Assessments 64 of 69 students assessed 32 students assessed by Jane 32 students assessed by others

42. Assessment UsedFormal and Emergent

43. QRI3 Results

44. Other points

45. So…what have we been doing? Emergent literacy intervention Four Blocks

46. Emergent Literacy Giving every student a pencil Providing a literacy rich environment Ensuring links between environment and print are constantly reinforced Alphabet books Phonological awareness activities, particularly for students with Complex Communication Needs (CCN)

47. Writing with flip chart

48. Cdnioyddnddn Writing sample above from student using a flip chart. Verbal version of this was “Cody is drumming” Show good emerging skills as he has included salient sounds.

49. The Four Blocks

50. Guided Reading Primary purposes are to assist students to: Understand that reading involves thinking and meaning-making. Become more strategic in their own reading. Must use a wide variety of books and other print materials.

51. Self-selected reading Primary purposes are to assist students to: Understand why they might want to learn. Become automatic in skill application. Choose to read after they learn how. It isn’t self-directed if you don’t choose it yourself. You can’t get good at it if it is too difficult.

52. Writing Students who write become better readers, writers and thinkers. Learn in classroom writing communities: Write for real reasons See others do so Interact with peers and teachers about written content, use and form.

53. Working with Words Primary purpose is to help students become strategic in reading words. Make words instruction: Words based Experience based Age-appropriate Should result in students who read and write More More successfully and independently With greater enjoyment

54. Literacy for All It is reasonable to assume that all children come to school with the dispositions to learn and to make the best sense they can of their experience, even though they might never have been read to, heard a story, looked at a book or held a pencil, or otherwise become “ready” for school (Katz, 1997).

55. Media