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

Ohio

Team Report

In response to recent legislation, Ohio has drafted guidelines around seven elements, from curriculum organization to intervention practices, to help districts meet their obligation to have every child reading successfully at the end of the 4^th grade. The NRC Report proved to be timely for both the development of an organizational structure and articulation of each of the elements.

The findings within the Report will be utilized for a statewide guidance document to address the need for a systematic plan within districts. It will also be used to provide technical assistance by providing information for our KIDS Newsletter series, as well as TA papers that are distributed through a variety of statewide conferences.

An Ohio Success Story

Hilliard Horizon Elementary, a K-5 school, is organized around a family team concept. Each of the four family teams consists of one grade each. This purposeful design is to capitalize cross-grade level instruction to address the educational needs of children of different ages and abilities.

The curriculum is developed around themes, through which each grade can learn new knowledge, concepts, and skills, and further advance and deepen understanding of the topic. This format not only facilitates individual learning styles but allows for student-to-student support and enhancement. Literacy is emphasized in a variety of ways, from small group instruction to peer-to-peer tutoring. The Early Learning Literacy Initiative frames the literacy curriculum; drama, music, and arts complement the literacy program to support individual styles of learning, and forms of expression.

Common planning time, parent, partnerships, and home visits are only a few of the many organization features of the family team concept.

For further information, contact:

Roger Nehls, Superintendent
Sharon D. Balduf, Program Coordinator
Hilliard Horizon, Hilliard City Schools
(614) 771-4273

State Commitment Form

State: Ohio
Team Leader: Jane Wiechel
Phone Number: 614-466-0224

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. Refine the Ohio Literacy Plan and craft an action packed, clear, concise message. Conduct a state reading summit to get the information out and begin the dialogue with the constituencies in the state.
2. Design a professional development strategy that will adequately prepare teachers of pre-K through grade 4 to teach reading. The design will include an evaluation component to measure impact on the school-wide continuous improvement efforts in the state.

1. Set a national agenda for the country that reflects input from the states and national organizations. (i.e. preventing reading difficulties, creating a nation of readers)
2. Launch a public awareness campaign nationwide that has a multi-media approach. Engage national companies to participate (Kodak, McDonald's, Toys-R-Us, Wendy's) in getting the message out. (i.e. - PSA, messages about reading/writing that are action oriented and keep the momentum moving forward, high energy)
3. Establish a relationship with states who have the responsibility of designing a plan of actions, policies, and research results. (i.e. - this is initiated at this summit - there needs to be an ongoing contact, sharing, discussion of how plans are proceeding)
4. The USDOE needs to be a clearinghouse for the dissemination of the research based promising practices and the conditions that made them effective. (i.e. political context in a state) The USDOE also needs to conduct a gap analysis to determine what type of research/elements are not being measured/evaluated and commission that research.
5. For those programs administered by the USDOE that also have standards, those standards need to be researched based and reflect best practices. They need to raise the level of competence. States need to be challenged to keep "pushing the envelope."
6. Systemic approaches - understand, impact and articulate the important relationships between national reform efforts such as welfare reform, healthcare reform, and education reform. Specifically we know an important relationship exists between adult education, family literacy, and early literacy. The USDOE needs to ensure that policies and resources are in alignment/coordinated and that message is clearly articulated to the states.

[North Carolina]

[Oklahoma]