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District Goal Setting / Literacy Update from June 14 Meeting
At the June 14 board meeting, the literacy subcommittee provided information about the scope of the literacy work that extends beyond the selection of new materials.
The Board is currently working through a process to identify key district goals in the categories below:
- Financial Stewardship
- Student Well-being
- Student Achievement
- Human Resources
- Communication
The board envisions an online dashboard where community members can easily see district progress toward each goal based on specific, pre-defined metrics. The goals and progress towards them will be discussed regularly at board meetings.
All three goals in Student Achievement relate to the literacy initiative currently underway and will be further developed this year through the Board’s goal setting process:
- Align English Language Arts (ELA) instructional materials with the Science of Reading
- Increase focus on writing skills
- Establish one place where parents can easily find all metrics related to student achievement (mClass, MAP, STAAR, MAP, PSAT, etc.)
Trustees said it has become evident that the first goal — to align literacy instruction with the Science of Reading — is much larger than simply replacing previous materials with new materials. The district team is integrating all aspects of the district’s approach to ELA instruction to create a comprehensive approach aligned with the Science of Reading:
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Literacy Framework: Revision of core, foundational literacy principles including instruction, assessment, and intervention
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Curriculum: Revision of HPISD objectives for K-8 ELA instruction; focus is on unique curriculum that fits HPISD’s high achieving profile and includes specific, grade-level assessments to ensure students are meeting objectives
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Practices: Provide professional development to support teachers in new practices aligned to the Science of Reading
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Instructional materials: Selection of new anchor and supplemental resources
Trustee Maryjane Bonfield explained, “…the [literacy] framework drives the curriculum which drives the practices which drives the materials.
In relation to writing skills, the board members, district staff, and literacy consultants are working to identify quantitative and qualitative writing objectives for each grade, as well as uniform assessments to track student achievement against those objectives across grades and campuses. There is also discussion of increasing writing instruction, opportunities, and expectations in classes beyond Language Arts in grades 5-8 (ie writing in Social Studies, Science and Math classes).
While much of the literacy conversation thus far has focused on instructional materials and the decision to phase out Lucy Calkins Units of Study, the conversation moving forward is focused on creating a comprehensive, unique literacy approach tailor-made for HPISD.
Trustee Bryce Benson said, “…that's probably my biggest takeaway the past two to three weeks is that over the last year, we've been focusing on [instructional] resources and thinking about replacement and that sort of thing, but I would just reiterate … that the work on the framework and the curriculum is so, so very important. One thing that’s been encouraging to me is that Thea and Robin [the outside consultants] have recognized the uniqueness of Highland Park and that we are a high achieving district and that our curriculum needs to be specifically tailored for our kids and our community. So it's been really encouraging."
If you would like to listen to the board meetings to hear more, you can listen at Park Cities People on Facebook.
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