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�Delaware Early Childhood Council

Pre-K-3 Delaware Literacy Plan Updates

March 19, 2024

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Delaware Pre-K-3 Literacy Plan Framework

Commitment is to:

Provide guidance and support to districts and schools
Increase professional development opportunities
Develop tools to support educators in eliminating achievement gaps and increasing learning across the curriculum for all Delaware students
Increase collaboration among stakeholders
Engage families in supporting literacy

The work of the Literacy Plan is focused on 4 Strategic Intents:

Align Core Instruction to the Standards
Implement Curriculum using High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM)
Enhance Early Literacy Instruction
Support Educators through Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs)

As you may know, in 2019, the Department of Education worked with stakeholders in varying roles from across the Pre-K-post secondary spectrum to create an early literacy framework that outlined four strategic intents to address the state’s literacy challenges within the PK-12 system. We know that literacy success requires a combination of high-quality early learning experiences, rigorous elementary and secondary instruction and strong community support. The plan established a consistent voice around literacy to provide a foundation for focused support from the Delaware Department of Education.

The literacy plan commits to -

Provide guidance and support to districts and charter schools
Increase professional development opportunities
Develop tools to support educators in eliminating achievement gaps and increasing learning across the curriculum for all students in Delaware
Increase collaboration among stakeholders
And Engage families in supporting literacy

The work of the Literacy Plan is focused on four strategic intents, which are to:

This work is also aligned with Delaware’s Academic Vision that you see on the screen, as well as, our early literacy legislation.

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Literacy Plan Review Committee Update:

Strategic Intent 1

Accomplishments & Targeted Areas of Growth

As many of you know, with the implementation of any plan, it’s important to incrementally take stock in each component of the plan to consider how each key activity or strategy has been implemented, consider the effectiveness in moving us in a direction toward meeting our desired outcomes, gathering feedback from all groups of stakeholders, identifying any barriers to implementation, and setting times for intentional reflection on each component of the plan to determine our next best steps moving forward.

So, this year, we have worked with a Literacy Plan Review committee made up of various stakeholders from across multiple settings, some of which who were involved in creating the plan in 2019 to walk through each of the strategic intents and determine our accomplishments, areas for further growth, and recommended and actionable next steps within each strategic intent starting with SI 1.

STRATEGIC INTENT 1: ALIGN CORE INSTRUCTION TO THE STANDARDS

Increase expertise in providing standards-aligned core literacy instruction
Provide access to various modes of competency-based professional learning
Ensure all students have access to a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
Monitor student progress toward proficiency through alignment of curriculum, instruction and assessment
Provide access to professional learning focused on equity and culturally responsive instruction

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Strategic Intent 1: Accomplishments

In K-5 there were professional learning opportunities offered through LETRS training, AIM Pathway courses and Targeted PL during Literacy Cadre.
Acknowledging the input of teacher time with stipends and flexible formats.
There is a focus on MTSS statewide and PL opportunities were designed specifically to support the implementation of the DE-MTSS model.
Leaders are provided with access to PL offerings related to standards-aligned literacy instruction, credentialed pathways and PL that supports the DE-MTSS model.
Development of literacy microcredentials
Multiple partners and pathways for PL through partnerships with AIMS Pathways, Lexia (LETRS), UD, etc.
The DDOE provided reading materials and web-based descriptions of activities to community agencies as well as physical and electronic access to books.

Key accomplishments that the committee noted were:

In K-5 there were professional learning opportunities offered through LETRS training, AIM Pathway courses and Targeted PL during Literacy Cadre.
Acknowledging the input of teacher time with stipends and flexible formats.
There is a focus on MTSS statewide and PL opportunities were designed specifically to support the implementation of the DE-MTSS model.
Leaders are provided with access to PL offerings related to standards-aligned literacy instruction, credentialed pathways and PL that supports the DE-MTSS model.
Development of literacy microcredentials
Multiple partners and pathways for PL through partnerships with AIMS Pathways, Lexia (LETRS), UD, etc.
The DDOE provided reading materials and web-based descriptions of activities to community agencies as well as physical and electronic access to books.

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Strategic Intent 1: Targeted Areas of Growth

Expand the number of spots available in PL offerings to increase access for those wanting to participate.
Increase targeted populations to include Special Education and Pre-K to ensure that all special populations can access the offerings.
Explore other ways to communicate opportunities to increase access
To support implementation, additional offerings in the areas of equity and culturally responsive instruction, support for students with disabilities and Pre-K, credentialed pathways, etc.
Move toward linking opportunities in collaborative data-based decision making to opportunities in high yield instructional strategies
Consider connecting Schoology course content to other modes and groups for professional learning
Provide more face to face opportunities to community partners, including those who work directly with children.

Key targeted areas of growth that the committee noted were:

Expand the number of spots available in PL offerings to increase access for those wanting to participate.
Increase targeted populations to include Special Education and Pre-K to ensure that all special populations can access the offerings.
Explore other ways to communicate opportunities to increase access
To support implementation, additional offerings in the areas of equity and culturally responsive instruction, support for students with disabilities and Pre-K, credentialed pathways, etc.
Move toward linking opportunities in collaborative data-based decision making to opportunities in high yield instructional strategies
Consider connecting Schoology course content to other modes and groups for professional learning
Provide more face to face opportunities to community partners, including those who work directly with children.

The committee is in the final approval stages of the work they have done around the possible recommendations for next steps within SI 1 and are moving into Strategic Intent 2 next month.

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Legislative Updates

DE Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 4 of the 151st General Assembly requires all districts and charters to adopt high quality curricula (K-3) aligned to the science of reading and provide professional learning to all educators to ensure they have the skill sets necessary to teach students to read aligned to cognitive science.
DE House Bill 304 of the 151st General Assembly requires all districts and charters to universally screen and provide appropriate interventions to K-3 students aligned to Regulation 508 Multi-tiered System of Supports.
DE Senate Bill 133 of the 151st General Assembly requires all Institutes of Higher Education to incorporate the science of reading into their educator preparation programs, along with ensuring their instructors are trained in the science of reading.

Much work has occurred since the launch of the Delaware Early Literacy Plan in 2019. Three new bills have been signed into law that strengthen the work in early literacy (K-3) and support the work happening across that state in local school systems.

DE Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 4 of the 151st General Assembly requires all districts and charters to adopt high quality curricula (K-3) aligned to the science of reading and provide professional learning to all educators to ensure they have the skill sets necessary to teach students to read aligned to cognitive science.

DE House Bill 304 of the 151st General Assembly requires all districts and charters to universally screen and provide appropriate interventions to K-3 students aligned to Regulation 508 Multi-tiered System of Supports.

DE Senate Bill 133 of the 151st General Assembly requires all Institutes of Higher Education to incorporate the science of reading into their educator preparation programs, along with ensuring their instructors are trained in the science of reading.

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Early Literacy Website

To further support districts and charters, DDOE has launched a new early literacy website directly aligned to the Pre-K-3 Literacy Plan and each piece of legislation.

To support districts and charters, the state has launched a new early literacy website directly aligned to the Pre-K-3 Literacy Plan and each piece of legislation.

On the digital DE site we’ve released a one stop shop for early literacy supports and resources.

The first section includes: Supports for early literacy screening such as, resources from the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII), self paced modules, and other resources connected to MTSS.

The second section is around early literacy interventions which includes resources from the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) interventions and progress monitoring tools chart, early literacy self paced courses, online modules, and

guidance on intensifying interventions.

We have our publisher profiles of approved HQIM in the third section.

The fourth section is around early literacy professional learning and includes supports for micro-credentials, LETRS training, AIM Pathway professional learning, a professional learning catalog, the state’s online vendor guide which includes vendors districts and charters can use who have already been vetted for their alignment to the science of reading.

The last section includes early literacy resources to support school systems and families.

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Early Literacy Guides

Delaware Delivers Strong Readers Guide

School system guidance on how Delaware will develop strong readers that can be successful in college, career, and life and how the recent legislation helps us to achieve that goal.

At-Home Guide to Delivering Strong Readers: Parent guide to understanding early literacy, how to support literacy at home, and how to advocate for their child if they struggle with reading.

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Contacts

Dr. Paige Morgan, Elementary ELA/Literacy Education Associate paige.morgan@doe.k12.de.us

Kathy Kelly, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development kathy.kelly@doe.k12.de.us