Reading+Agendas+and+Meeting+Notes


 * READING TASK FORCE AGENDAS AND NOTES FROM MEETINGS **

//Excerpts from email dated June 14, 2011//: Deidre and I [Kelly] have been working to get a core group together to begin looking at just what goes on for reading in grades K-8. We chose a small group consisting of Reading teachers and Special Educators who work both with students and the classroom teachers. We felt that by starting out with a smaller group, we could look at what is happening for not only the "average" reader, but also the remedial and accelerated readers.
 * AGENDA for July 1, 2011**

Our process started in November with a "Year of Reading" meeting where we talked about looking at reading and what we hoped to do over the next couple of years. It was after this meeting that Deidre and I formed a core group and after getting approval from Steve, we started thinking of times to meet….We would like to meet **Thursday July 1st** at Maple Street School to begin talking about what goes on in each grade with regards to reading instruction… During this time, we hope to talk about what is currently done with reading in each grade for all levels of readers. We would like it if you could talk with the classroom teachers in the grades you work in to get ideas of what is done and maybe examples of books, programs, etc. This day will be to flush out what we do and to start thinking about what works and what needs tweaking for all levels.

We would like to have a second meeting the week before school (**August 22nd**) to discuss researching different reading programs and philosophies and to start fine-tuning our reading instruction. Eventually, we would like to align our reading with the Common Core Standards and see where we still need to work. We will be looking at the development of a typical student and put into place practices for both remedial and accelerated readers.


 * NOTES from July 1, 2011**


 * NOTES from August 22nd**

// Excerpts from email dated September 26, 2011: // We will have our monthly meeting in Room 502 at the Middle School tomorrow (**September 27**). Our meeting will run from 3:00-4:00…. I hope you have all had a chance to talk with classroom teachers and get a feel for what is working for them and what might need some tweaking with regards to reading. It is my hope that our meeting tomorrow will allow us to review ideas we had this summer and then to get an update from each grade level. Specifically, we should try to look at answering the following: 1- Are teachers using a specific reading program? 2- What is going well for them? 3- What concerns or questions do classroom teachers have with either the reading programs or reading in general for their grade level? Also- I have heard that some of you have started book clubs with teachers. Maybe we can get an update from those who are part of a book club. BOOK CLUB: [|The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction] by [|Gail Boushey] and Joan Moser and [|The Daily Five] by [|Gail Boushey] and Joan Moser [Note: CAFE book club met on September 26th at MSS and on October 24th at HMS.] Recommended websites for more information: [|The Daily 5] and [|The Daily Cafe] and [|Proteacher Community - Peony Room (for Daily 5 discussions)]
 * AGENDA for September 27, 2011**

Fisher Cats sponsor a reading program. Here's the information:

//Excerpts from email dated September 29, 2011//: Our next meeting will be at Maple Street on **Tuesday 10/25**. Would you rather meet at 2:45 or 3:00? We will meet again for 1 hour. This month let's continue to talk with teachers about what is working and what is not working with regards to reading assessment and reading in general. (ex. scope and sequence, setting up a reading program, do they use a reading program). At our October meeting we will start to look for patterns and gaps and start to devise a plan of attack.
 * AGENDA for October 25, 2011**

Kelly Conley, Deidre Smith and Nancy Alibrandi met to look at the gaps at each grade level as identified with Common Core highlighting done on the Oct. 7th PD day. Also planned for the next Reading Task Force meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 24th at 3:00 pm at MSS - to develop the Reading Power Standards. Next Steps: -We need to have the fourth grade and sixth grade teams review and highlight the Common Core documents. Can Kelly and Nancy help facilitate that? -Deidre, Kelly, and Nancy will meet on Jan. 19th to gather information for rough draft of Reading Power Standards in preparation for the meeting on the Jan. 24th. -Want to provide teachers with a framework for what should be happening during a Language Arts Literacy Block Grades P-2, 3-5, 6-8 in order to provide consistency -Nancy will create an English Language Arts Wiki for the Task Force
 * November 10, 2011**

To Do: White Papers on:
 * November 30, 2011**
 * Standards/Exit Skills
 * Essential Components of Reading Program (What does a Literacy Block Look Like?)
 * Use of Assessments in Reading Instruction
 * Minimum Time
 * Recommended Professional Development
 * Collaboration between schools


 * January 31, 2012**
 * Overviewed process from here ...
 * Information on Curriculum Review and further work
 * Draft of power standards was presented to group
 * Split into groups (K-2) (3-5) (6-8) to review power standards and make changes
 * Shared work of groups


 * Next meeting February 22, 2012**
 * Review Power standards/changes https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1a2-5Dro9ptQEPkESSZUsgp8YnC1IW9-3E4GgEBAPzD8
 * Big Picture
 * Writing Standards/Exit Skills/Assessments
 * Reading standards/Exit Skills/Assessments
 * District overview of moving forward
 * Homework - meet with grade level team; draft exit skills for reading; bring draft grade level exit skills to 3/27 Reading Task Force meeting