A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Team Reports--September 1998

Connecticut

Team Report

• P.L. 98-243, An Act Concerning Early Reading Success was passed, requiring each local school district to develop a three-year reading plan to improve the reading skills of students in grades kindergarten to three. Key requirements of the plan are consistent with the NRC Report recommendations.
• Early Reading Success grants have been made available to priority schools to fund efforts to improve reading skills of children in grades K-3.
• School Readiness grants have been made available to priority school districts to promote the development of quality preschool programs and family resource centers.
• The State is supporting language development, early literacy, and family literacy training and technical assistance to preschool and child day care programs.
• An executive summary of the NRC Report was written and distributed to all local school districts.
• A position paper on Family Literacy was written and distributed to early childhood programs.
• A State publication highlighting effective instructional practices in a balanced reading program was written and disseminated.
• Training Academies on effective reading assessment and instructional practices for primary level teachers are being conducted.
• On-going training in effective reading instructional strategies is provided to beginning teachers as a part of the State certification requirements.
• All primary teachers are required to receive additional professional development in effective instructional practices for the teaching of reading in order to maintain their certification.

A Connecticut Success Story

The principal and staff at the Alfred W. Hanmer Elementary School in Wethersfield, Connecticut developed the Foundation for Literacy program. The program consists of four cornerstones: Writer?s Workshop, Reader?s Workshop, Working with Words, and Math in Literature. A team of four staff members, including the classroom teacher and school resource personnel, works simultaneously with small groups of students (one fourth of the class in each group) on a rotating basis for eleven minutes per group. During each session, students receive a concentrated "burst of attention" in each cornerstone area. In the Foundation for Literacy Program:

• Each class of first grade students receives daily periods of language development support in their classroom through rotating five-week blocks of time.
• Classroom and support staff work with all first grade students early in the school year to observe performance and identify students in need of further intervention.
• Student progress is reviewed by the Foundation team immediately following each day's session to initiate interventions and plan for subsequent days' lessons.
• All first-grade students receive the early and immediate support necessary to ensure literacy success by the end of second grade.
• The school's Early Intervention Program Team or Student Assistance Team connects with Foundation for Literacy as an effective strategy to address the learning needs of students.

Preliminary student performance data indicate significant student gains. Since the inception of the Foundation program, the percentage of students in second grade who met the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) goal has increased annually:

• 1995: 56% of the second grade students met the DRP goal
• 1996: 76% of the second grade students met the DRP goal
• 1997: 84% of the second grade students met the DRP goal

For further information, contact:

Daniel T. Perley, Principal Mary-Jane Pazda, Language Arts Supervisor
Alfred W. Hanmer Elementary School Wethersfield Board of Education
50 Francis St. 51 Willow St.
Wethersfield, CT 06109 Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 571-8370 (860) 571-8235
(860) 571-8156

State Commitment Form

State: Connecticut
Team Leader:Nancy Stark
Phone Number:860-807-2021

As a result of attending this Summit, what two things does your state team commit to doing in the next six months toward enhanced literacy for children and their families?

1. To develop a comprehensive literacy training protocol for the state of Connecticut to improve the instruction of reading in the early grades.
2. To initiate dialog with institutes of higher education and other training facilities within the state to encourage the development of uniform goals and objectives, and to increase the opportunities for the continued professional growth of teachers in the area of early literacy.

1. Continue funding support to local school districts specifically targeted towards efforts to improve reading.
2. Fund the development of State Department/University partnerships to create model training sites that would provide instruction, modeling and coaching for primary teachers in high quality literacy instruction.

[Colorado]

[Delaware]