The document summarizes a professional learning community meeting that discussed implementing writing-to-learn tasks across classes to improve students' reading comprehension scores. They discussed using short writing assignments like silent discussions and analyzing text on three levels. Teachers would develop common prompts and rubrics to assess responses. Goals included refining the assessment criteria, delivering prompts to students, collecting artifacts, and increasing the percentage of reading comprehension questions on standardized tests over time through this strategy. The meeting also addressed developing formative and summative ways to collect data from teachers and students to evaluate the approach.

1. REaCH Professional
Learning Community
Meeting 4
Thursday, September 26
9:30 AM

2. Action Plan and Writing to Learn
• Goal: Improve Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas student
percentage correct on PreACT and ACT from 34% to?
• Strategy: Low stakes Writing to Learn tasks in all classes
• Longer treatments result in more positive effects
• Metacognitive and content-based writing tasks result in more positive effects
• Longer assignments result in less positive effects
• (Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, & Wilkinson, 2004)

3. Silent Discussion Example
• Students read text.
• Round 1: Individual students create two questions and pass paper to the right.
• Round 2: Answer one of the questions and add two of his or her own. Pass paper to right.
• Round 3: Answer two unanswered questions and add two of his or her own. Pass paper to right.
• Round 4: Answer one of three questions not yet answered and respond to at least one answer given by
another student by elaborating, agreeing, or disagreeing.
• Students use Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Pocket Guide
• Question: How do we, as teachers, assess whether or not the student is showing understanding of
Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
• Do we tailor the activity? OR Do we analyze responses?
• How?

4. Three Levels of Text Example
• Teacher: Select text and have markers and chart paper ready. Divide students into groups of
4, 5, or 6 and have them read, taking notes throughout.
• Each member of the group shares a sentence from the text or from his or her notes about
something that struck him or her as important.
• Others listen and take notes. Share, don’t discuss.
• Each student shares a phrase from the text of from notes written about the text.
• Each student shares a word from the text or from notes written.
• Question: How do we, as teachers, assess whether or not the student is showing
understanding of Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.

5. Checklist and/or Keywords and Phrases for
Writing Prompts
Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
“Understand author’s claims, differentiate between facts and opinions, and use
evidence to make connections between different texts that are related by topic.
Some questions require students to analyze how authors construct arguments,
evaluating reasoning, and evidence from various sources”
Google Doc Collaboration

6. Criteria to Assess Student Responses
• Google Doc Collaboration

7. Short Term, Mid Term, Long Term Goals
Short Term Goals Mid Term Goals Long Term Goals
Clear understanding of checklist
and keywords/phrases
Develop prompts
Reflect on what we’re already
doing versus what we will be
doing
Get permission from SIT
Deliver prompts
Collect student artifacts
Tuning Protocol for Student
Increase Reading: Integration of
Knowledge and Ideas question
type by 10 to 15%
Justify with previous year’s scores

8. Formative and Summative Criteria for Teachers
• How will we collect prompts?
• Google Folder
• Google Forms
• Canvas: Print Screen
• How will we collect student responses?
• Google Spreadsheet
• Google Forms
• What will we do with student responses?
• Individually assess
• Tuning Protocol for Students
• How can we develop a system to check that students are completing WTL assignments in all classes?
• What criteria should we set for this?
• During Academic Support, check in with each other.

9. Action Plan Presentation to
SIT Members
Thursday, October 4, 9:00 AM