COMPREHENSIVE STATE LITERACY DEVELOPMENT GRANT

LITERACY PLAN 2019 - 2021

ABOUT CLERMONT NORTHEASTERN

Clermont Northeastern Local School District (Clermont Northeastern) is a rural public school district located in Batavia, OH. It is situated approximately 31 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio. Clermont Northeastern encompasses nearly 78 square miles and incorporates nine zip codes. Three separate buildings, a K-5 elementary, 6-8 middle school, and a 9-12 grade high school, are located on one campus outside of the village of Owensville. A separate Early Childhood center is located in Owensville, roughly two miles away from the K-12 campus. According to the ODE district profile report, the median family income in the district is approximately $37,000.00. Forty-Nine percent (49%) of the residents in Clermont Northeastern’s service area have household incomes at or below the poverty threshold. The district has 1,397 students enrolled in grades PK-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. Approximately 50% of teachers have less than 10 years of experience. One hundred percent (100%) of the teaching staff have a Bachelor’s degree and 64.4% have at least a Master’s Degree.

Lead Contact: Amy Ellis

Superintendent: Michael Brandt

Date Completed: February 10, 2020

SUMMARY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Clermont Northeastern’s Literacy Plan, aligned with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, is aimed at promoting language and literacy proficiency for all students birth-12, though the focus for initial implementation will emphasize K-12 interventions. The district has made significant strides toward implementing and improving evidence-based practices in the past several years, as demonstrated by the data provided within this plan. However, in order to continue this momentum toward student proficiency in literacy, the district must continue to embed these and other evidence-based practices. The main components of the Literacy Plan, which are consistent with the District Implementation Strategies and based on Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, are as follows:

CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT (MTSS)

The Literacy Plan includes the continued implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) with a heavy emphasis on improving Tier 1 literacy instruction and supports. MTSS is a framework used to provide targeted academic and behavioral support to students. Components of an MTSS system include universal screening for all students, increasing levels of targeted support for students who are struggling, the use of evidence-based strategies, effective professional development, and progress monitoring. The umbrella that is MTSS includes Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

Clermont Northeastern uses the core values of the Ohio Improvement Process to support the implementation of MTSS. As is demonstrated in the data presented below, significant positive change has been made in recent years, however, Clermont Northeastern is not yet at a place where high-quality Tier 1 academic instruction is consistently provided to each student in every classroom. When universal instruction is lacking, more students are inappropriately referred for additional services when effective Tier 1 instruction would be sufficient. This places strain on Tier 2 and Tier 3 resources and lowers the capacity of MTSS teams to serve students most in need. Though it will address all three tiers within the MTSS system, the Literacy Plan will place heavy emphasis on Tier 1 literacy instruction. The use of the Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory will help the district determine what next steps to take in order to improve language and literacy instruction at the Tier 1 level.

Clermont Northeastern MTSS Framework

THE ROCKET WAY INFO

INCREASE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION.

Clermont Northeastern understands the critical role that families and the community play in the success of the district. The district currently provides several opportunities for parents to partner with Clermont Northeastern school, including literacy nights, parent-teacher conferences, and Ready Rockets nights. The District Literacy Plan and Strategic Plan include plans to improve these existing events and to add additional strategies to support families. One of the main focuses of increasing parent involvement will be providing opportunities for parents of preschoolers to learn more about early literacy and to equip them with specific skills to help them better prepare their children for kindergarten.

Only a small percentage (11%) of Clermont Northeastern kindergarteners matriculate to the district from the district’s preschool program. Therefore, collaboration with local community preschools is a key aspect to Clermont Northeastern’s birth through Pre-K approach. Clermont Northeastern will work with other PreK programs to increase their knowledge and understanding of early literacy instruction, including the importance of explicit teaching in phonemic awareness. Additionally, Clermont Northeastern will leverage the expertise of community collaborations to address non-academic factors affecting student literacy.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STAFF CAPACITY

Continued targeted professional development consistently provided to staff is crucial to improve literacy and language instruction in the district and will be delivered to all staff from administrators to para-professionals. Identified training will provide the district with a consistent knowledge base and common philosophy as well as an evidence-based skill set for literacy and language instruction. Many staff have not received training in the science of reading as of winter 2019. Without both initial and follow-up coaching, staff are lacking the depth of knowledge necessary to provide effective Tier 1 instruction and do not have a full understanding of the root causes of students’ reading struggles. They, therefore, are unable to effectively match evidence based practice and intervention to student need. To ensure the sustained growth of teacher capacity, Clermont Northeastern must also include necessary training as part of the onboarding process.

SECTION 1, PART A: DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM, DISTRICT IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

2019 -2020 District Leadership Team

2019 -2020 District Implementation Team

Goal 1: Increase ELA Performance on OST by 5% across the district.

Goal K-5:By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the ELA OST in 3-5. By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students who reach the 50th percentile on MAP ELA K-5.

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students who meet the 50th percentile benchmark score on AIMSweb reading K-5.


Goal 6-12:

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the projected percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the ELA OST in 6-8 (calculated using MAP Linking Study 2018) and ELA end-of-course assessments in 9-12 (stretch goal- equal to or above state averages for grade levels).

Goal 2: Increase Math Performance on OST by 5% across the district.

Goal K-5:By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on MATH OST in 3-5. By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students who reach the 50th percentile on MAP MATH K-5.

Goal 6-12:

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the projected percentage of students scoring proficient or above on Math AIR in 6-8 (calculated using MAP Linking Study 2018) and Math end-of-course assessments in 9-12 (stretch goal- equal to or above state averages for grade levels).

Goal 3: PBIS

Goal: At the end of the 2019-2020 school year, the district will have less than 10 out-of-school suspensions per 100 students in total K-12. The district will also have less than 0.2 expulsions per 100 students in total K-12.

DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT EFFORT #1: DISTRICT IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

Clermont Northeastern began a formal process of district aligned improvement beginning in the 2015-16 school year with the creation of a strategic plan (see appendix 3). This strategic plan has been a valuable tool to move the culture of classroom instruction from being independent islands - often causing big gaps in students’ learning - to a district-wide approach that ensures seamless PreK-12 instruction for all students. Since 2015, many changes have been put into place. This includes increased teacher professional development, the purchase of new educational resources, and organized time for staff to collaborate and change the working culture towards one that fully supports student success. These initial efforts have positioned Clermont Northeastern to be ready to fine-tune current practices through the development of systems that will endure over time and assist in reaching the desired outcome of improving literacy for all students. The district was introduced to Dr. Kim St. Martin from Michigan’s Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MIBLISI) by Ohio’s State Support Team. On April 4, 2019, Dr. St. Martin conducted a District Selection Meeting to determine if Clermont Northeastern would be a viable candidate for enrollment in her District Capacity program. After her selection interview, Clermont Northeastern was accepted and began the process. On June 4, 2019, Dr. St. Martin guided the Clermont Northeastern DLT through the District Capacity Assessment (DCA). The assessment results confirmed (see appendix 4) that the district was lacking the infrastructure necessary for schools to select, deselect, and sustain effective innovations successfully. As a result of the DCA, a District Implementation Team (DIT) was developed. The DIT has begun a three-year process of evaluating current processes and practices used to support instructional staff in their use of effective literacy instruction. The DIT has prioritized the use of an MTSS framework to spur student literacy and instructional staff innovation. Dr. St. Martin’s guidance has provided support for the DIT to begin creating an action plan to identify strengths as well as opportunities for improvement based on current systems that support innovation implementation. Once complete, these systems will help build district capacity to effectively put systems in place that will lead to higher quality literacy instruction aligned with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement as well as increase the use of evidence-based practices ultimately leading to our goal of improved student success.

Clermont Northeastern leadership realizes that if effective systems are not in place to support the foundation of the district, there is little chance that effective innovations will be implemented with fidelity or lead to improved outcomes for all students. Currently, the DIT is immersed in the foundational work necessary to put systems in place that will endure over timeand support student learning (appendix 5). Part of the DIT work, in conjunction with the DLT and community members, included the development of this comprehensive district literacy plan. This plan is aligned with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and supports the 5 Big Ideas of Reading. Dr. St. Martin’s work provides the strategies required to establish a team able to develop the District Literacy Plan. This team gathered and analyzed data and created data-based hypotheses which lead to setting goals and action steps. This Literacy Plan will be the roadmap that will guide the DLT and DIT in identifying the core features of a sustainable system of support by evaluating what parts of the literacy systems are in place, what needs to be improved, and what still needs to be done.

DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT EFFORT #2: PRESCHOOL STEP UP TO QUALITY.

The Clermont Northeastern Preschool Program is recognized by ODE as a 5 Star Step Up To Quality Program. Step Up to Quality recognizes and promotes learning and development programs that meet high programmatic, health, and safety measures. To meet this standard, Preschools must demonstrate high quality in the following criteria: Language and Development, Administrative and Leadership Practices, Staff, and Family and Community Partnerships.

DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT EFFORT #3: NATIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL EDUCATION RESEARCH NETWORK

Clermont Northeastern was selected in the fall of 2019 to collaborate with NCRERN. NCRERN Proving Ground, which is housed at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR), provides actionable and timely evidence to help Local Education Agencies (LEAs) improve implementation, assess impact, and inform decisions. It is an initiative committed to helping education agencies meet their practical needs by making evidence cheaper, faster, and easier to use. The Proving Ground is structured as a collaboration with Clermont Northeastern to support continuous improvement. Proving Ground strategies will be used as tools to monitor the implementation of the Literacy Plan. This collaboration with NCRERN and other LEAs will be a resource to learn and continually improve the actions taking place.

Harvard Proving Ground model (National Center for Rural Education Research Network)

Harvard Proving Ground model (National Center for Rural Education Research Network) INFO

DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT EFFORT #4: FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PLAN

Each year, a higher percentage of Kindergarten students enter school not ready to meet the academic and social-emotional demands of the classroom environment. This challenge continues to have a negative impact on the ability to meet all students' immediate needs. The focus on a family engagement model is also an urgent need due to the declining enrollment, along with parents opting to register their students in surrounding districts through the open enrollment process. Due to these identified needs, Clermont Northeastern has begun researching new evidenced-based family engagement models that will positively connect the district with the community early in a child’s academic career to provide consistency and meaningful information.

Topics (by frequency) in which buildings currently engage families/parents:

Each year, a higher percentage of Kindergarten students enter school not ready to meet the academic and social-emotional demands of the classroom environment. This challenge continues to have a negative impact on the ability to meet all students' immediate needs. The focus on a family engagement model is also an urgent need due to the declining enrollment, along with parents opting to register their students in surrounding districts through the open enrollment process. Due to these identified needs, Clermont Northeastern has begun researching new evidenced-based family engagement models that will positively connect the district with the community early in a child’s academic career to provide consistency and meaningful information.  Topics (by frequency) in which buildings currently engage families/parents INFO

Current Family Engagement Events.

Goal 1: Increase ELA Performance on OST by 5% across the district for each of the next three years.

Goal K-5:By 2022, to advance language and literacy skills as measured by the percent of students who meet proficiency on the OST for grades 3-5 by 5% each year for the next three years.By 2022, to advance early literacy and language skills as measured by the percent of students who reach the 50th percentile RIT score on the MAP for grades K-5 by 5% each year for the next three years.

By 2022, to advance early literacy and language skills as measured by the percent of students who meet benchmark goals on a Universal Screener for grades K-5 by 5% each year for the next three years.

For each of the next three years, data (as measured by expected rate of improvement defined by universal screeners) will demonstrate that 80% of ALL K-5 students are responding to the MTSS system.


Goal 6-12:

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on ELA AIR in 6-8 and ELA end-of-course assessments in 9-12

SECTION 6: ACTION PLAN MAP(S)

Action Plan Map for District Literacy Goal (from District Intervention Strategies):

Goal: Increase ELA Performance on OST by 5% across the district.

ACTION STEPS TARGETING HYPOTHESIS #1: STUDENTS ARE ENTERING CLERMONT NORTHEASTERN’S KINDERGARTEN WITHOUT THE NECESSARY SKILLS.

LEA/Early Childhood Education Program or Consortium Lead Name: Clermont Northeastern Local School District

IRN or ODE/ODJFS License Number:

Professional Development Contact Name/Phone Email: Meri Johnson (johnson_m@cneschools.org)

Goal K-5:By 2022, to advance literacy skills as measured by the OST for grades 3-5 5% each year for the next three years.By 2022, to advance early literacy and language skills AND literacy skills as measured by the percent of students who hit the 50th percentile RIT score on the MAP for grades K-5 5% each year for the next three years.

By 2022, to advance early literacy and language skills AND literacy skills as measured by the percent of students who meet benchmark goals on a Universal Screener for grades K-5 5% each year for the next three years.

For each of the next three years, universal screening data will demonstrate that 80% of ALL K-5 students are responding to Tier 1.

Goal 6-12:

By the end of the 2019-2020 school year, there will be at least a 5% increase in the projected percentage of students scoring proficient or above on ELA AIR in 6-8 (calculated using MAP Linking Study 2018) and ELA end-of-course assessments in 9-12 (stretch goal- equal to or above state averages for grade levels).

Evidence-Based Practice or Intervention: In order to build teacher capacity to effectively implement evidence-based instructional and intervention practices, the following PD opportunities will be provided:

  1. How to develop student awareness of the segments of sounds in speech and how they link to letters.

2) How to teach students to decode words and analyze word parts, write and recognize words.

3) Ensure all students read connected text daily to support reading accuracy

4) Provide explicit vocabulary instruction.

5) Provide direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction.

6) Teach students how to use reading comprehension strategies.

Outcomes/Evaluation

The training will introduce district staff to The Simple View of Reading as well as the Five Big Ideas of Reading. It will increase awareness of the evidence-based practices aligned with both. Staff will be surveyed to determine the effectiveness of the training as well as the perceived value. Ongoing support and coaching on the concepts will continue after the training. Teams will discuss student and adult implementation data related to these concepts during monthly team meetings.

The training will introduce district PK teachers to the components of Emergent Literacy. It will increase awareness of the importance of language and literacy instruction, will increase staff knowledge of the importance of phonological awareness, and how to explicitly teach PA using evidence based instruction. Ongoing support and coaching on the concepts will continue after the training. PK staff will be surveyed to determine the effectiveness of the training as well as the perceived value.

All teachers will receive professional development on the evidence based practices that support The Simple View of Reading. These will be provided by an external facilitator. Teachers and coaches will be trained on the evidence based practices that will lead to improved student literacy performance.Staff will be surveyed to determine the effectiveness and the perceived value of the training. Adult implementation data will be collected to determine the training’s impact on the classrooms. Teams will discuss the adult implementation data as well as student outcome measures on a regular basis at team meetings. Teams will monitor benchmarking and progress monitoring data.

The training will introduce district staff to the Science of Reading. It will increase awareness of the evidence based practices aligned with both. Staff will be surveyed to determine the effectiveness of the training as well as the perceived value. Ongoing support and coaching on the concepts will continue after the training. Teams will discuss student and adult implementation data related to these concepts and monitor benchmarking and progress monitoring data.

This training will introduce administrators to the evidence based practices necessary to support literacy instruction PK-12. Attendees will be surveyed to determine effectiveness and perceived value of the training. HCESC coaches will provide ongoing follow up with administrators regarding the concepts of the training.

District and building personnel will develop knowledge, skills and abilities in the infrastructures that support high quality evidence based practices that increase language and literacy skills. DIT team will monitor the effects of the coaching using student (benchmarking data) and adult implementation (including the RTFI) data.

K-12 Teachers will be provided continued training and support regarding the effective use of the district adopted curriculum to support evidence based instruction of Ohio’s Learning Standards. Adult implementation data (walk-throughs) and student performance indicators (MAP and OST) will be monitored to determine effectiveness.

K-12th grade teachers will receive training on district adopted evidence based practices and interventions that align with The Simple View of Reading and the Five Big Ideas of Reading. Effectiveness will be measured by a rise in benchmark scores, Rate of Improvement data from skills groups, and OST data.

K-12th grade teachers will receive training on the use of universal screeners including the following: How to administer measures, what the measures indicate, how to understand and utilize the data, and next steps for impacting students. Staff will be surveyed to determine effectiveness and perceived value of the training.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TEMPLATE PART B- ESSA CRITERIA

Sustained: Taking place over an extended period; longer than one day or a one-time workshop.

Training provided to staff will be followed up with embedded coaching and PD during TBT times, staff meetings, or other PD days. The follow-ups will be delivered by literacy coaches or other staff (sometimes using a train the trainer model). State Support Team 13 personnel will be available to help to fill this need. Some training will be provided to ALL relevant staff, including administrators, so that they can support the implementation of the material. For example, all appropriate staff will engage in training that supports learning the evidence-based practices and information regarding The Simple View of Reading.

Intensive: Focused on a discreet concept, practice or program.

Results of the RTFI suggest significant holes still exist regarding the quality and consistency of Tier 1 instruction. This will be the focus of all literacy PD and will include a focus on The Simple View of Reading, the Science of Reading, and evidence-based practices to implement in order to strengthen core literacy instruction.

Collaborative: Involving multiple educators, educators, and coaches, or a set of participants grappling with the same concept or practice and in which participants work together to achieve shared understanding.

Teachers, administrators, and supporters of literacy will all share the collaborative goal of increasing understanding of evidence-based practices of literacy and The Simple View of Reading.

Job-Embedded: A part of the ongoing, regular work of instruction and related to teaching and learning taking place in real-time in the teaching and learning environment.

Concepts addressed in PD will be reinforced during Team Work Days, TBTs, during walkthroughs, and through coaching with district and non-district personnel. Training on The Simple View of Reading and evidence-based practices for literacy instruction will be the focus and will relate directly to work in the classroom.

Data-Driven: Based upon and responsive to real-time information about the needs of participants and their students.

Several types of student and adult data will be used to determine PD needs, from OST and Item Analysis data to skills group Progress Monitoring data as well as adult implementation data. PD will be related to areas of need that are determined by these data sets. As data comes in, the buildings will systematically respond to it, which includes assessing on-going coaching and PD needs of staff.

Instructionally-Focused: Related to the practices taking place in the learning environment during the teaching process.

As the RTFI data suggests, the district must focus on improving Tier 1 instruction. Furthermore, the district goal is focused on advancing K-3 literacy for which effective instruction is necessary. All current K-8 teachers will receive professional development on The Simple View of Reading and evidence-based practices. The district will look to district and outside coaches to help support the implementation of evidence-based practices and instructional practices.