Public Records Request

This is the text from an email sent yesterday afternoon to AEA Chiefs and Superintendents:

The Iowa Department of Education has received a public records request from the Cedar Rapids Gazette regarding the statewide percentage of third-graders identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading based on results of universal screening assessments during the 2014-15 school year. We are working to gather the information needed to comply with this request. While we are not providing district-level or student-level information to the reporter at this time, we understand the reporter is finishing a story on the early literacy progression law and most likely the third-grade retention component of the law in particular.

 

The story may generate questions within your communities. This email includes some communications materials to help you navigate those questions. Please feel free to use and customize these materials as you see fit. They include: a.) Answers to potential questions you may receive from parents/members of the community; b.) Key messages on the early literacy progression law; c.) Key messages on retention; and d.) Key messages on what it means/doesn’t mean when a child is identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading.

 

We understand the Gazette story could run as early as this week or sometime in the near future. 

We also expect issues around the early literacy progression law to generate more attention leading up to spring 2017, when the retention and intensive summer reading components of the early literacy progression law become effective. We will do our best to help you prepare for this.

— Staci Hupp

Communications Director
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
515.281.5651 (office)
515.669.7007 (cell)
staci.hupp@iowa.gov

The four attachments can be found here.

‘Striving Readers’ Resource

Reading is a ticket to everywhere, and ensuring that students have all the foundation skills needed to read is important. However, sometimes we are unsure where to start. In response to feedback from teachers, Keystone AEA has designed a user-friendly, self-guided resource to assist in targeting the skills needed for students. “Striving Readers”  http://aea1techintegratio.wix.com/is4sr

“Striving Readers” may be an unfamiliar term to some, but in summary, a striving reader is any student who sits below the benchmark, and needs additional support.

Teachers may utilize this resource whenever a student does not meet benchmark on a universal reading screener, or is not making expected progress in the area of reading.  This site was designed to target students in grades 1-3, but may be appropriate for some students outside of that range. Some of the resources listed within the website may be implemented class-wide as well.

While on the website, the flowchart will guide you through which area of reading needs to be targeted based on Universal Screening data. Through further navigation, strategies, videos and other resources are provided to assist in teaching/supporting these striving readers.

Identifying students and their needs

As we enter into the last few weeks of the Fall testing window, it’s important to remember that  a student will only move up or down one level per screening period. This graphic is a reminder of what should take place for students who are proficient, at risk and substantially deficient according to 279.68.

Proposed rules for Intensive Summer Reading Program 279.68

One of the charges of the IRRC is to adopt program criteria and guidelines for the intensive summer literacy program required by Iowa Code section 279.68 dealing with student progression toward literacy.

The criteria and guidelines contained below are based on the work and recommendations of a multiple-member team convened by the IRRC, which examined current practices in Iowa schools and evidence-based research on summer reading acceleration.

https://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/2015-09-17%20Chapter%2061%20Rules%20Tab%20F.pdf

281-61.3 (256)

• Must have 75 hours of intensive reading instruction with kids getting 67.5 hours of reading instruction to meet the attendance requirement.
• An instructional practice or program is to be used that is supported by empirical evidence.
• Instruction must include whole class (15 or fewer kids), small group (5 or fewer kids), and 1 to 1 reading instruction.
• The program must be delivered with explicit and systematic instruction – with teacher monitoring the student performance of the skill and giving immediate corrective feedback to the student.
• Teachers must be skilled and high quality having had formal professional development on the intervention selected and be under the supervision of someone who has a reading endorsement (and have a licensed administrator).
• Transportation must be provided for students to attend.

SD Contract and Title One Compact combined letter

Here is a sample letter of a Title One Compact and the ELI Parent Contract, as an effort to streamline what parents are having to view and sign.

This can also be found on the Department of Education’s website.

 

Iowa Tier Weekly Webinars

 Iowa TIER Weekly Webinars: We will again be holding weekly webinars during the fall assessment window. Each week we will present on a hot topic for the first half hour and will then answer questions for the last hour. The topic of the presentation for each week will be available in the Hot Topics section of the knowledge base in advance.

a.       The webinars will be on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:30 beginning September 9^th.

b.      Webinar link: https://iowa.adobeconnect.com/_a830042961/idoe

Fall Screening Window Open!

These windows apply to all districts, regardless of which approved assessment they are giving to students. We will be working with the extended school year sites in the coming weeks to set windows for those sites.

Fall: September 7th through October 2nd

Winter: January 18th through February 12th

Spring: April 18th through May 13th

Welcome to Keystone’s ELI blog!

Keystone AEA is committed to supporting schools in the implementation and interpretation of 279.68. Tracy Grimes, Sarah Brincks and Tasha Fritz will be adding new, relevant information in regards to this law.

Please subscribe to the blog to receive email updates when something new is posted. To subscribe, click on the link at the right of this page!

The Iowa Legislature has appropriated an additional $8 million for public school districts to use during the 2015-16 school year for implementation of Iowa Code Section 279.68 – Early Literacy Progression.

In order to obtain your district’s share, you need to submit a brief application found on the IowaGrants website. This process is similar to that used to distribute last year’s funds. The grant opportunity is currently open. You’re urged to submit your information as soon as possible. Implementation guidance and instructions for accessing the grant application are found on the Department’s website.