35j Literacy Grant

In the spring of 2024, the Michigan Department of Education awarded a grant to Vestaburg Community Schools $85,236 to "improve literacy instructional practices by investing in quality, research-based best practices, and professional learning."

VCS Elementary Literacy Plan Components

Assessment (Pre-K-5):

• Students take Acadience to conduct initial assessments to determine current literacy levels 

• Benchmark Assessment NWEA MAP

• Staff continue to use running records, phonics assessments, and comprehension checks to determine if interventions are needed. 

Instruction:

• Use a balanced literacy approach incorporating reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities in all elementary classrooms. 

• Provide a reading coach to support classroom instruction at the tier-one level.

• Implement small group instruction for targeted interventions across all elementary classrooms.

• All PreK-2 teachers are using UFLI within their classrooms to support the learning gaps in reading.

• 90% of our elementary teachers are LETRS trained. This provided the reading foundational background knowledge for teachers. It helps them understand the why behind reading. 

Reading Strategies:

• Teach a variety of reading strategies such as predicting, summarizing, visualizing, and making connections.

• Encourage students to engage in independent reading and provide opportunities for book discussions.

• As an elementary staff, we will take a deep dive into one of the literacy essentials. 

Phonics and Vocabulary:

• Integrate systematic phonics instruction to develop decoding skills.

• Teach vocabulary through context clues, word study activities, &  exposure to rich language.

• Identifying and closing skill gaps early is essential and provides a strong foundation for reading success. With our new digital platform, you’ll ensure all students receive the targeted instruction they need to quickly graduate from intervention. This online training provided by the 95% group would support the intervention team in matching the correct intervention to the right students based on their academic needs.  Each training is provided virtually. 

Writing Skills:

• Teach writing processes including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

• Provide opportunities for creative writing, journaling, and responding to texts. 

• Writing Revolution is a program that is designed to bridge the gap between Benchmark Reading/writing programs. It is designed to support our upper elementary students with learning loss. This method builds from sentence to compositions and it is embedded in curricula across all content areas and grade levels. 

Technology Integration:

• Utilize educational technology tools for literacy activities and assessments.

• Incorporate digital resources for reading comprehension, vocabulary building, and writing practice.

• Integrate the use of interactive white boards to improve student learning and engagement.

Professional Development:

• Provide training and resources for teachers to enhance their literacy instruction skills.

• Encourage collaboration among educators to share best practices and strategies.

• Professional development for the 95% Group is all done virtually. Our intervention team can support and gain a deeper understanding of the necessary concepts based on our student's data. 

• Writing Revolution professional development is also done virtually. It starts with foundational skill building for staff then advances into a deeper thinking about writing and how to best teach writing. This will be used to support the writing process at the upper elementary level.