ARI Literacy Leadership

Each component in the school-wide system for literacy is like a cog working with other gears in a complex machine. The components are critical for improving reading proficiency. They contain the criteria that inform practices, processes, and the overall strength of services delivered to improve reading achievement.

• Leadership and Implementation Teams
• Universal Core Instruction
• Intervention
• Data-Informed Decision Making
• Assessment
• Professional Learning
• Community and Family Involvement

Why May matters:

• For most of Alabama’s public schools, May counts for 90-120 instructional hours (depending on the last day of school - 6 hours x 3 or 4 weeks).

• May can account for up to 40 hours of reading instruction (2 hours per day x 3 or 4 weeks).

• A lack of instruction during the month of May will deepen the summer learning loss.

• May matters to student learning. Let’s encourage all schools to continue teaching reading during the month of May because May Matters.

Let's make May matter by:

• continuing to teach all tiers of reading during the month.
• planning engaging and fun literacy instruction that includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing standards.
• providing more small group reading instruction.
• supporting students who need more time in reading intervention.
• providing more read-alouds with a focus on vocabulary development.
• communicating with families about the importance of students attending school until the last day.

May matters, so let's have an all-hands-on-deck approach to reading with students until the last day of school.

• Ensure the end-of-year early years assessment is administered to all K-3 students and use this screener for the summer reading camp baseline data.
• Celebrate progress and reflect with teachers using strengths-based feedback. Encourage teachers to finish strong.
• Conduct focused, intentional, and purposeful instructional walk-throughs.
• Facilitate spring data meetings and support teachers as they analyze the data and effectiveness of instruction and interventions.
• Review the schedule of the local reading specialist (LRS) and Results-Based Coaching Tools (RBCTs) to collaboratively reflect on completed coaching cycles and the impact on student achievement.
• Plan for professional learning for summer learning camp staff to ensure high-quality science of reading instruction will occur.
• Ensure all teachers have entered the necessary information in PowerSchool Analytics and Insights, such as Literacy Act information and SRIP updates.

Just as principals are literacy leaders on their campuses, LRS are also literacy leaders who support teachers to make data-informed decisions to increase reading achievement. The importance of improved reading achievement and the establishment of the Alabama Literacy Act require a proactive approach to achieving the goal of having our students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. During the month of May, principals and local reading specialists can take time to reflect on and plan ways to celebrate the year's coaching cycles.

In her article Celebrating Coaching Cycles, Diane Sweeney writes: 'Acknowledging the hard work and results of what took place reinforces the coaching relationship and provides energy for teachers to feel seen and valued. In her book, Collective Efficacy, Jenni Donohoo writes, “Celebrations help highlight the power of working together as a team, which sets a great example for teacher teams contributing to the development of the collective efficacy of change leaders,” (2017, p. 91). If we hope to create a culture where teachers see the value in coaching, then we need to continuously surface the growth that is taking place in front of us. Celebrating the results of our coaching efforts is one of the ways we can do just that.'

An interactive read-aloud is a structured method of reading aloud in which the teacher models key skills such as vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension strategies. It also actively engages students, encouraging them to participate in the learning process (Johnston, 2016, p. 40). According to the Commission on Reading, “the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children” (Fisher et al., 2004, p. 1).

'Primary-grade teachers should spend time reading aloud, facilitating discussions, and building students’ background knowledge and vocabulary across all genres and content areas until the students themselves are fully capable of reading to learn in the content areas.'

-2021 Alabama English Language Arts Course of Study, page 12

Alabama ELA COS Standards associated with interactive read-alouds:

K.2, K.4, K.22, 1.2, 1.3, 1.17, 2.22 , 2.35, 3.29

LETRS for Early Childhood Educators Unit 2, page 76 states: 'In interactive storybook reading, adults actively guide children’s learning and understanding by asking questions, adding information, and encouraging children to respond and expand their descriptions, understandings, thoughts, and answers.'

The REL West video Interactive Read-Alouds: Learning from Books Together demonstrates how to facilitate an interactive read-aloud of a story with young students. The routine is aligned with evidence-based recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: “Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade” and may be especially beneficial for students whose home language is not English.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Free books for children ages 0–5 are now available in all counties across Alabama!

Be sure to share this amazing opportunity with the families in your school. It’s a wonderful way to encourage read-aloud experiences at home and build literacy skills in the early years

We’re all on the same team! Let’s knock this out of the park!

As early years assessments are completed for the end of year, there are two main areas of focus- celebration and next steps. It’s important to highlight students and teachers for growth in their data. Teachers invested long hours in intentional planning, implementing instruction, and working with local reading specialists to move students toward proficiency. Let’s celebrate those efforts as we close out the year, while we also prepare for summer learning and the upcoming school year.

As plans are being made to move forward, the end-of-year data should be used to create intentional next steps for students. The next steps should be passed along to summer learning staff and also used in planning for the upcoming year. Let's aim for intervention and instruction to be seamless and to reduce lost time. End-of-year (EOY) data helps to drive beginning-of-year (BOY) instructional decisions.

The links below can assist in interpreting data and making decisions with your team concerning EOY early years assessments:

Alabama Reading Initiative Resource Padlet (ISIP)

Alabama Reading Initiative Resource Padlet (MAP)

Alabama Reading Initiative Resource Padlet (STAR)

Alabama Reading Initiative Resource Padlet (mClass)

These resources may also be accessed on the ARI Website here.

The following documents may be useful when interpreting ACAP scores, understanding ACAP proficiency levels, and planning for administering the ACAP Supplement Assessment.

ACAP Summative and ACAP Supplemental Reading Test 2024 - 2025 Proficiency Levels

ACAP Summative Reading Subtest Cut Scores

2025 ACAP Supplemental Reading Test Windows

As the school year nears an end, it is imperative to know where students are in their reading development. Per the Alabama Literacy Act, we are tasked with administering an approved early years assessment to each K-3rd grade student. This data helps to inform decisions related to planning for tiered instruction. As you administer end of year early assessments at your school, consider how this data serves to inform instructional next steps.

Have you planned for the EOY data meeting?

• ANALYZE end-of-year data with the local reading specialist.
• PREPARE to facilitate data meeting discussions.
• USE the data to make informed decisions with teachers.
• SET short and long-term goals with teachers.
• DETERMINE instructional areas of focus.
• REFLECT on the effectiveness of Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III with the local reading specialist and teachers.
• DEVELOP a plan of action for using the data to inform summer reading camp.

Throughout your data meeting, reflect by asking these three questions:

1. What do we now understand?

2. What did we decide?

3. What are we going to do next?

Data meetings should be facilitated by the principal with support from the local reading specialist. Your regional team is ready to support you with analyzing your data. For additional information and resources, please view the ARI Data Inquiry Protocol.

As you plan to meet the needs of third graders who do not have a pathway to promotion or those students promoted to 4th grade by a good cause exemption, please be cognizant of what the Alabama Literacy Act states should be in place to provide for the literacy needs of these students.

For 3rd grade students who do not meet a path to promotion and are retained:

• An extensive and intensive acceleration should be established at each school (pg. 24-25 of the ALA)
• Written notification should include a description of proposed interventions and supports to improve any identified area of reading deficiency
• Criteria for intensive acceleration include:
• A highly effective teacher who has received training in the science of reading and multisensory language instruction, as demonstrated by student reading performance data
• A reduced student-teacher ratio
• Explicit and systematic reading instruction and intervention for the majority of student contact time each day

For 3rd grade students who are promoted to 4th grade with a good cause exemption:

• Continue to receive intensive reading intervention that includes specific reading strategies prescribed in the SRIP (Student Reading Improvement Plan) until the deficiency has improved.
• The LEA shall assist schools and teachers with the implementation of reading strategies that research has shown to be successful in improving reading among students with reading difficulties.
  

The Structures for Supporting Students Who Have Been Retained document below can assist you in planning for student supports for the next school year.

Structures for Supporting Students Who Have Been Retained

OXL, ARI, and OMI have teamed up to provide a PowerSchool Analytics & Insights Guidance for K-5 Summer Camps folder with information to help districts prepare for summer learning. This folder includes a video presentation, slide deck, and one-pager with direct links to PowerSchool tutorials. PowerSchool interventions can be added beginning May 5, 2025, but districts may now begin creating rosters of students who have been invited to participate. Districts are encouraged to view the presentation with their summer learning implementation teams.

• Naming Conventions: Either SY24_25 or SY 2024_2025 is acceptable for plan documentation.

• Student Plans: These must remain active through the end of the school year as long as the student has an area of consistent deficiency. They are intended to be created, reviewed, and updated collaboratively during regularly scheduled PST meetings. Plans should never be completed in isolation.

• Ongoing Updates: Plans should be continuously updated throughout the year. They are designed to establish goals, achieve them, and then shift focus to the next area of need. If a student’s short-term goals are not met, instructional adjustments should be made to better support progress.

• Extending a Plan: If a plan needs to be extended, only update the end date—do not change the plan name. This ensures the historical onset of the student’s plan remains intact.

The document below offers end of year guidance for MTSS student plans and interventions.

Do you have teachers or leaders who will be new to LETRS® this fall? Lexia will be hosting informational sessions for educators to learn more about the LETRS® Professional Learning Journey—what to expect throughout the professional development and how they will grow as instructional leaders in literacy. Please encourage any potential teachers new to LETRS® to join one of these informational sessions.

Informational Session Dates:

May 15, 2025 – 3:30 PM

May 20, 2025 – 3:30 PM

As part of the Alabama Literacy Act, the Alabama State Department of Education is providing evidence-based literacy instruction focused on the science of reading at no cost to educators. The Alabama LETRS Science of Reading Professional Learning Course provides sustained and job-embedded science of reading professional development to support evidence-based reading instruction, improve grade-level reading proficiency, and close achievement gaps across the state.

Who is eligible to register?

• Pre-K through third grade educators currently teaching in an Alabama public school
• Elementary administrators
• Special education or reading intervention educators
• Other educators who support foundational literacy

As you facilitate end-of-year data meetings, your data analysis may show areas of need for teacher professional learning. Being an educator requires ongoing learning. Both experienced and newly hired teachers may need classroom management strategies and science of reading training. As a leader, you can suggest learning opportunities that will make the greatest impact on teacher practice and student achievement and create a student-centered learning environment.

Teachers may need training on the following:

• ELA COS standards
• Science of Reading
• Dyslexia awareness
• Early reading assessments
• Comprehensive core reading programs
• Tier III/ Dyslexia-Specific Interventions

Some of these trainings are offered through Regional Inservice Centers (RICs). Educators may consider taking advantage of summer professional learning opportunities.

• Help! I’m an Elementary Principal/Assistant Principal. What do I need to know about the Alabama Literacy Act? (Face-to-Face) APLDS PS #320312, PS #329147

• Walking the High Road: Steps to Inspired and Desired Leadership (Face-to-Face) APLDS PS #329398, PS #329045

• Dyslexia Awareness Training – Dyslexia: An Overview (Face-to-Face) APLDS PS #320626, PS #278484

• Amazing Alphabet Arcs (Face-to-Face) PS #329048

• Grammar Skills, Literacy Thrills: Embedding Grammar Strategies to Build Confident Readers and Writers (Face-to-Face) PS #329046

• Reading and Rereading: A Recipe for Building Fluency (Face-to-Face) PS #329047

• An Overview of the ELA COS Standards 2021 (Virtual) APLDS PS #329402, PS #329385

https://www.alabamaachieves.org/professional-development/regional-in-service-centers/

Hello, LETRS Course Managers! We are providing a time of collaboration and support for you as you lead the teachers and principals in your district with their LETRS® course completion journey. During this meeting, we will highlight successful strategies that are working in districts across our state. We will also share strategies to support participants who are experiencing LETRS® completion challenges. We look forward to this time of collaboration with regions across our state! (This meeting is only for trained LETRS® Course Managers, and attendance is optional.) Please register for the appropriate link below, based on your district's region.

Regions 1, 2, 3, and 6 Date: May 14 at 9:00am

Regions 4, 5, 7, and 8 Date: May 14 at 11:00am

Regions 9, 10, and 11 Date: May 14 at 1:00pm

Lexia will provide two LETRS course managers sessions this summer. These sessions are for any new or returning course managers and will serve as their training for the 2025-2026 school year. The Zoom links for registration are below:

June 17th at 10:00 AM

July 23rd at 10:00 AM

May can feel stressful for local reading specialists (LRS). While teachers are busy completing end of year teaching and tasks, LRS also work to purposefully fill these last few weeks of the school year to positively impact teachers and students.

In Diane Sweeney's blog post Maximizing Coaching in the Month of May, she suggests four ways to end the year strong:

#1: Survey teachers to discover how coaching impacted them this year and keep a record of which teachers participated in coaching cycles or other forms of professional development. When surveying teachers, utilize qualitative and quantitative data to determine a coaching cycle's effect on student learning.

#2: Reflect with teachers after you’ve had time to survey and gather feedback, providing a protocol to teachers before the conversation takes place so they have time to gather their thoughts beforehand and will be more reflective.

#3: Reflect with the principal by scheduling a time to discuss the vision for next year. The best time for this conversation is after you’ve had time to survey and reflect with teachers to ensure that teachers’ voices will be a part of the plan for coaching. Topics of conversation for this meeting include: levels of participation in coaching cycles, expectations for participation next year, how these expectations will be shared with teachers, how coaching will align with next year’s professional learning plan, and how coaching will be promoted throughout the school.

#4: Continue to build relationships throughout spring to encourage interest in coaching cycles this time of year. LRS may need to step outside the box to lend a helping hand these last weeks. Stepping up in this way not only builds relationships, it reminds teachers that you are there to make the school a better place.

Let’s maximize coaching in the month of May!

Here are some additional ways LRS can support K-3 teachers:

• Facilitate professional learning opportunities for K-3 teachers aligned to the Science of Reading

• Assist teachers with analyzing and interpreting end-of-year assessment data to identify student strengths and areas for improvement.

• Organize meetings for teachers to collaborate and share ideas for closing out the year and planning for the next.

• Develop materials that help students transition to the next grade, including skill checklists and summer learning activities.

• Support 3rd grade teachers with evidence collection to meet the requirements of the Alabama Literacy Act.

• Guide teachers in reflecting on their teaching practices and student progress over the year to set goals for the next school year.

• Offer personalized coaching sessions for teachers to discuss specific challenges or goals they have for instruction for the 2025-26 school year.