Although most of our students are above grade level in reading and we have systems in place to serve the needs of most at-risk students, there continues to be an achievement gap between 70% who are grade level or above, and those students identified as below grade level on multiple measures. Hispanic and African-Amercian students are disproprtionately represented in the target population.

Our reading benchmark book assessments tell us that most students become strong in decoding basic words by the upper primary (2-3) level, but continue to struggle with multi-syllabic words. About 20% of our 4-8 students continue to struggle with multi-syllabic words, especially unknown vocabulary. Fluency checks in grades 2-8 indicates that more emphasis needs to be placed on strategies that promote fluency and vocabulary development among targeted students.

In the area of teacher practice, teachers are skilled in the structure of reading instruction but fell that they more suppport in teaching vocabulary skills and increasing fluency rates. Integrating Development Practices with teaching standards-based skills continue to be a challenge.

Student Achievement Questions

• Recognizing that two major skill gaps among target students are fluency and vocabulary, what are the target students' fluency rates and are they making making growth?

Teacher Practice Questions

• Are teachers implementing the newly adopted Houghton Mifflin and REACH reading program with fidelity? Are the fluency and vocabulary strategies that are embedded with the programs effective for our target population, especially Hispanic and African American students?
• To what degree are teachers implementing agreed upon strategies for increasing fluency rates and building vocabulary skills in the 4th to 8th grades for our target population, especially Hispanic and African American students?

• Five percent more students, espeically African-American and Hispanic students, will be reading at grade level, as measured by the California Standards Test portion of the STAR test.
• Using fluency checks three times per year, target students, espeically African-American and Hispanic students, will make more than 1.5 years growth in fluency rates and improve their ability to decode and use multi-syllabic words so as to narrow the achievement gap.
• At least 80% of the staff will improve their skills in implementing strategies for teaching vocabulary and increasing fluency.

• Continue grade level study team work to identify students who are not achieving, why they are not achieveing, align instruction to assessed skill gaps, evaluate effectiveness and refine. Share work of team with staff.
• Revise Record of Agreement (literacy plan) based on Consortium on Reading Excellence practicum.
• Provide support for teachers to improve the teaching of vocabulary skills and increasing target student fluency rates.
• Work with the local collaborative to improve tools needed in effective school/team Cycles of Inquiry and to share teacher practices in reading that support closing the achivement gap.
• Continue to provide coaching and time for connecting Integrated Thematic units to standards.

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Last modified: May 13, 2004

Disclaimer: This website is the sole responsibility of Mike McMahon. It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the Alameda Unified School District. Its sole purpose is to disseminate information to interested individuals in the Alameda community.