Gail Yanai, Elementary Literacy Coordinator
Phone: (310) 354-3496
Fax: (310) 527-2957
Email: fyanai@earthlink.net
Mona Kaneshiro, Reading Adviser
Phone: (310) 354-3500
Fax: (310) 527-2957
Email: mona.kaneshiro@lausd.net
Nancy Kotkosky, Open Court Expert
Phone: (310) 354-3553
Fax: (310) 527-2957
Email: nkotkosk@lausd.k12.ca.us
Shelly Brower: Open Court Expert
Phone: (310) 354-3553
Fax: (310) 527-2957
Email: s.brower@gte.net
Three years ago the entire District embarked upon closing the gap for students not acheiving benchmark skills in reading and language arts with the montra every child can and will read.. With the adoption of the Open Court Reading Program in most of our schools as well as Reading Mastery as Eshelman, Successful For All at Meyer and the support of literary coaches (51) at each of our elementary schools, our students have begun to make remarkable gains in reading and language arts.
Over the three years we have made consistent gains in these areas and in particular the 2001-2002 showed perhaps the largest gains on the SAT 9 scores in reading and language arts. We surpassed the larger district in many areas.
This can be attributed to the concerted and collaborative effort of all school staff, teacher and the District K staff with one vision and goal that all children can acheive and a focus on literacy and mathematics.
As we enter the third year of our reading programs, Open Court grades K-2, and the second year for Open Court grades 3-5, the literacy coaches will be focusing on developing a greater depth of understanding of components of the reading program for teachers using the Content Focused Coaching and Lesson Study Model for Professional Development.
In the last year, the Local District K reading staff provided training to each of our literacy coaches in this professional development model with the assumption that in the 2002-2003 school year each coach would begin this process at each of their school sites. Some of our coaches began the process last year and have proven that this professional development does provide the teacher with an avenue for evaluating what, why andhow they teach. This model has increased student achievement as teaching pedagogy becomes refined.
We have begun this process with teachers, this school year, at our local district's "Buy Back Days". Teachers at each grade level attended a session participating in the lesson study model analyzing the importance of the unit overview pages in planning of a unit. This process will continue at each school site this year.
In addition, the Local District K reading staff is continuing the lesson study model in building the content knowledge of our literacy coaches by our continued training of our coaches using the lesson study model. The literacy coaches are divided into eight study groups and each group meets seperately with the Literacy Coordinator and Open Court Experts throughout the year examining components of the program. This professional development model will also be used in the intructional program portion of each literacy coach meeting.
Future trainings are being planned to assist teachers in the development of their skills as literacy instructors. Two types of trainings take place on a regular basis throughout the year.
Passport trainings are scheduled monthly and look at specific areas of need in an in-depth, 3 hour, staff development. The lesson study model is used to address areas of the curriculum that have the greatest need. These trainings are planned after careful analysis of assessment data collected after each unit. These trainings are grade level and content specific.
Local Network meetings are less formal giving teachers a chance to meet with other teachers from the same grade level within District K to discuss the Literacy Program. Facilitated by local coaches, these less formal meetings deal with specific needs of teachers in literacy.
