BOARD WORK SESSION - TOMORROW MORNING, MARCH 31st

7:30am at the William P. Clements Jr. Leadership Center

(location formerly known as the Multi-Use Building located at 6900 Douglas Ave.)

At tomorrow morning's work session, the English Language Arts (ELA) subcommittee, comprised of administrators and trustees, will identify key literacy topics and discuss current district practices related to each. The subcommittee has general agreement in some areas, but lacks consensus in others. Subcommittee members are expected to share detailed information they've collected and different members' perspectives in anticipation of a vote in April.

Strong attendance at tomorrow's meeting is important. It's an early morning meeting, but all parents are encouraged to attend. Arriving after taking kids to school is okay, just don’t miss this valuable discussion on literacy TOMORROW at 7:30am.

As a reminder, HP Literacy Coalition supporters are encouraged to behave respectfully at all board meetings. It's especially important that tomorrow's attendees remain quiet while trustees work through the details of literacy instruction in HPISD. Clapping, yelling, and disrespectful public comments will only slow the process of improving the district's approach to literacy.

PARENT VOICES ARE BEING HEARD

Last week, more than 150 community members attended the HPISD board meeting to hear an update on literacy and to support the many parents who publicly shared concerns.

Thanks to those who attended and to the many speakers who shared a common refrain: “I support efforts to remove Balanced Literacy practices, including Lucy Calkins Units of Study and Fountas & Pinnell, from HPISD schools. Please provide leadership and resources so that students can benefit from new practices aligned to the Science of Reading in Fall 2022.”

CLICK HERE to view the meeting, including public comments. While attendance at the last meeting was impressive, concerned community members must continue to attend meetings, share concerns with neighbors, and contact board members directly.

UPDATED LITERACY DECISION TIMELINE

Thursday, March 31 at 7:30am: Board Work Session - ELA subcommittee leads discussion on key literacy topics and addresses differing viewpoints

Tuesday, April 5 at 7:30am: Board Work Session - ELA subcommittee continues leading literacy discussion

Tuesday, April 12 at 7:30am or 12:00pm: Board Work Session - Further discussion, if needed

Tuesday, April 19 at 5:30pm: School Board Meeting - ELA subcommittee recommendation (if consensus is reached) or call for a vote

All meetings/work sessions listed above are open to the public and will be held at the William P. Clements Jr. Leadership Center at 6900 Douglas Ave.

LUCY CALKINS UPDATING MATERIALS FOR SUMMER PURCHASE

In HPISD and across the country, there is widespread concern that districts might spend more money with Lucy Calkins to purchase her updated Units for Study for K-2 this summer. Margaret Goldberg, the co-founder of Right to Read Project, addresses the significant concerns in “Dear Lucy, a Second Letter”

When I wrote you a letter years ago, I urged you to consider the enormous impact you could have on classrooms, if you were to revise the trainings and materials offered by Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. I highlighted portions of Units of Study: Reading that instruct teachers to have students guess rather than decode words. And I made my letter public because I wanted to help teachers understand why we need to let go of instruction that can cause problematic reading habits.

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[In light of a summer 2022 update that school may purchase]: While yes-ing advocates of the science of reading and then changing the topic may allow balanced literacy to survive, it does nothing to help teachers or our students. When a lesson from Units of Study: Reading was called out in mainstream media, you chose to revise the program, but Teachers College and Heinemann have not thoroughly explained why lessons are being changed. Simply not talking about MSV/three-cueing doesn’t make it go away. It is still there, at the heart of balanced literacy, guiding assessment, sorting the texts in classroom libraries, and influencing the way teachers think about our students’ reading development.

This makes the language suggested to balanced literacy teachers, “Yes, and..” extremely dangerous. If we say yes to things we do not understand, we do a great disservice to ourselves, our students, and we risk further damaging public trust.

I understand the desire to move beyond past mistakes, but if we do not uproot misconceptions, then instruction will continue being unnecessarily confusing to teachers and students.