A Pennsylvania District’s Priorities on Literacy

This District Management Journal article includes a sidebar listing the Lancaster, PA school district’s ten non-negotiables for elementary literacy:

• Common materials and resources;
• Common interim assessments;
• Broad understanding and support for “how we teach reading” – “Teaching reading really is rocket science,” says the document. “The materials become less of the focus; teaching our children to read is the goal.” 
• A map of what the 90-minute literacy block should contain;
• An appropriately supported and supplemented core – Tier one instruction for 80-85 percent of students, and the right materials, guidelines, and practices for all classes;
• Incorporating all strands of literacy – reading, writing, speaking, listening, handwriting/ keyboarding, so students can analyze, experience, and understand the world around them;
• Integration of common-core literacy standards, especially in social studies and science;
• Observational look-fors that principals and coaches use when observing classrooms;
• Fifty hours of embedded, ongoing professional development – coaching, videos, meetings, peer observations, webinars, and workshops;
• Support and accountability for principals without judgment – open dialogues about strengths, weaknesses, and realities.

“Teamwork Transforms the School District of Lancaster: Elementary Literacy’s 10 Non-Negotiables” in The District Management Journal, Fall 2012 (Vol. 12, p. 27), 

www.dmcouncil.org 

From the Marshall Memo #463