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Before the Data: Why Defining 'Good' is the Key to Literacy Growth

Cheryl Covell, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Dryden CSD

Nicole Alioto, Ph.D., Author, You Can Measure Anything!

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The Diamond Definition™ Process

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What is the construct you want to measure?

How do others define and/or measure it?

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2018-19…

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  • We were a “Target District”.
  • We were using the NYS recommended curriculum from EngageNY; CKLA at grades K-2 and Expeditionary Learning at grades 3-5.
  • We had 11 AIS Reading Teachers for 600 students.
  • We talked about how our students should be better readers… a lot!
  • The Science of Reading was starting to find its way into the conversation.

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You can’t intervene your way out of a Tier I problem.

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What it doesn’t look like! (anymore)

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2019-20…

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  • We began using CKLA for all Elementary grades and set clear expectations that all teachers would follow the curriculum with fidelity.
  • We partnered with The Reading League and made plans to provide all teachers with in-depth, ongoing professional development in The Science of Reading.
  • We made plans to implement the DIBELS benchmark assessment three times a year with all students beginning in 2020-21.

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What is the construct you want to measure?

How do others define and/or measure it?

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What does reading INSTRUCTION look like in the primary grades?

What does reading INSTRUCTION not look like in the primary grades?

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We know that teachers are teaching reading when we see ___________ and they are no longer ________________.

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Communicate - Sharing the Diamond Definition™

We know that teachers are teaching reading effectively when we see teachers using research-based curriculum with fidelity and then the students are given opportunities to practice reading using materials directly aligned to instruction and they are no longer practicing with books that contain words the students have not yet been taught to decode.

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What is the construct you want to measure?

How do others define and/or measure it?

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What does reading INTERVENTION look like in the primary grades?

What does reading INTERVENTION not look like in the primary grades?

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We know that students are receiving appropriate intervention when we see ___________ and they are no longer ________________.

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Communicate - Sharing the Diamond Definition™

We know that teachers are providing targeted reading intervention when we see teachers are using assessment data to identify gaps in individual student skills and then instructing small groups of students with similar skill deficits and they are no longer grouping students based on a Lexile or a scaled score or some other group-level metrics.

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2021-22…

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  • We had fidelity to the curriculum.
  • We were taking actions that showed measurable improvements.
  • AIS Reading Teachers began using progress monitoring data for individual students to tailor instruction using the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) and the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS).

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What is the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST)?

The PAST is an assessment of phonological awareness. It can be used to determine a student’s ability to fluently recognize and manipulate phonemes. It was developed by Dr. David Kilpatrick.

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PAST results are used to identify specific phonological awareness skills to target during small group instruction.

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What is the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS)?

The QPS is an untimed, criterion-referenced assessment that measures a student's ability to recognize, decode, and pronounce specific phonetic elements. Created by Dr. Jan Hasbrouck, and sold by Read Naturally.

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The QPS indicates the student’s instructional focus.

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2024-25…

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  • We are no longer a School In Need of Improvement!
  • We begin implementation of “Walk-to-Intervention” model where all students and all teachers were engaged in small-group reading instruction.
  • The Reading League coaching is focused on “engagement”.

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What does ENGAGING reading instruction look like in the primary grades?

What does DISENGAGING reading instruction not look like in the primary grades?

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We know that teachers are teaching reading when we see ___________ and they are no longer ________________.

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Communicate - Sharing the Diamond Definition™

We know that teachers are delivering engaging instruction when we see teachers are using strategies to maximize student participation and they are no longer allowing students to sit passively during instruction.

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2026-27…

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  • We will define enrichment as it pertains to literacy instruction.
  • We will use data to identify students for placement in enrichment groups during our intervention block.
  • We will help teachers include more engaging practices during instruction.
  • We will continue to monitor the data to see if our efforts are paying off.

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Communicate - Sharing the Diamond Definition™

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We know teachers are _________________ because

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they are ____________ , ____________ , and

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_____________________ and they are no longer

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________________, ________________, or

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__________________________.

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Thank you!

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ccovell1@dryden.k12.ny.us

nicole@nicolealioto.com

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