Conestoga Valley School District

August 21, 2012

Keystones to Opportunity Grant• The Keystones to Opportunity initiative is administered by the Office of Elementary

and Secondary Education, Division of Federal programs and funded under the federal Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program.

• PA was awarded $38,601,043 by the Department of Education to advance literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading and writing, for students from birth to grade 12, including limited English proficient students and students with disabilities.

• Grant includes 4 Statutory funding areas: birth through age five, kindergarten through grade 5, middle school, high school.

• Grant funded activities must align with the PA Comprehensive Literacy Plan and contain characteristics of an effective literacy program, such as high quality professional development, screening and assessment, targeted interventions for students reading below grade level, and other research based methods of improving classroom instruction and practice.

• The application process was rigorous and designed to identified Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and early childhood education (ECE) programs with the greatest academic need and the greatest capacity for improving student literacy scores.

• Districts were required to partner with a non-profit ECE center.• Grant period for Year 1: April 5, 2012-September 30, 2013. Funding for years 2-5 is

contingent on continued funding by the USDE (pending legislative approval, funding will continue to support sub-grantees for five years).

Federal Striving Readers Grant AwardsTexas $66,500,000Pennsylvania $38,600,000Louisiana $28,500,000Georgia $25,650,000Nevada $14,250,000Montana $7,600,000

Pennsylvania Keystones to Opportunity Grant329 PA districts submitted Pre-Application149 districts invited to submit Full Application56 districts received GrantCVSD applied for and received $985,891

Targeted Area Allocation Instruction Professional Development

Administration Support Services

Birth – Age 5 $103,610 $98,877 $4,168 $565

K-Grade 5 $372,517 $285,919 $70,541 $16,057

Middle School $236,504 $115,769 $104,302 $16,433

High School $273,260 $183,174 $77,083 $13,003

Total $985,891 $683,739 $256,094 $46,058

Grant award amounts must be spent in the appropriate targeted area (as identified by the Needs Assessment included in the Pre-Application process and) indicated and may not be transferred among targeted areas.

Literacy Focus Areas• Keystone 1: Improve literacy learning outcomes to

improve achievement of students in danger of academic failure

• Keystone 2: Create a culture of data-driven decision making by supporting implementation of Bernhard’s Multiple Measures

• Keystone 3: Infuse digital technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to address student learning challenges

Grant Goals1. Align literacy instruction and state initiatives along the birth

to grade 12 continuum at the state level and provide guidance to sub-grantees in aligning local literacy initiatives.

2. Demystify the language and essential elements of effective literacy instruction, and mobilize all stakeholders in support of improved literacy outcomes.

3. Provide structures, supports, and tools for school leaders and teachers to use valid and reliable data to guide instructional decision-making in language and literacy.

4. Create 21st century literacy environments where children can acquire the reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills they need to succeed academically.

5. Seed innovation by incentivizing and disseminating research-based literacy strategies that result in exceptional reading growth.

Grant Focus Areas1. Sub-Grantee Administration

2. Comprehensive Local Literacy Plan

3. Literacy Content Areas (professional development)

4. The Literacy Environment

5. Assessment and Data for Decision Making

CVSD’s Priorities • Early Childhood Education: Full Day Kindergarten and

Pre-Kindergarten• Elementary English Language Learners: additional

staffing, professional development, and updated materials

• Secondary Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII): expansion of the RtII process to the middle and high schools

• Transition Programs: for students entering the district and transitioning between grade levels, from elementary to middle school, from middle to high school, and from high school to college or workforce

Staff InvolvementDirect Involvement• Steps to Success, Inc. Pre-K teacher and

director• Kindergarten teachers• 6th grade teachers• 7th, 8th, and 9th grade science, social studies,

& special education teachers• 7th - 12th grade Communications Teachers• K-12 ESL teachers• Special Education teachers (secondary)• Reading Specialists• RtII Coordinators• Guidance Counselors• Psychologists• Communications Supervisor• Science & Technology Supervisor• Social Studies & Business Supervisor• Principals• Directors of Elementary and Secondary

Education

Indirect Involvement• PreK-12 Literacy Committee

New Staff• Part-time kindergarten teachers at Fritz & ST become full-time

(Full Day K)• Part-time kindergarten paraprofessionals• Part-time ESL teacher at Leola becomes full-time• Full-time ESL teacher to split BT & Fritz• MS RtII Coordinator• MS RtII paraprofessional• HS RtII Coordinator• HS RtII paraprofessionals (2)• Part-time District Literacy Assessment Data Liaison (grant

requirement)• Clerical Support for LADL

Materials & Equipment Purchases

• Instructional materials• Interventions materials• ESL textbook replacement• Pre-K materials: screening, mailings, application• Read 180 for HS• Letters Alive for Pre-K and FDK• Tables/chairs for FDK classrooms• Smart Table for Pre-K classroom• H.E.A.T. tool (grant requirement)• GRADE assessment (grant requirement)• GRADE scanner (grant requirement)

Grant Accountability• Tier 1: Regional Manager (IU13)

– Support (3 site visits)– Technical assistance– Implementation monitoring

• Tier 2: PDE– Site visit (1)– Compliance monitoring– Diagnostic

• Tier 3– Corrective action– Compliance monitoring

Grant AccountabilityEach tier of monitoring articulates:

Specific expectationsEvidence of performance related to each expectationsDetermination of whether performance meets

expectationsProtocol for feedback to CVCorrective action timeline

Professional Development• New Grantee meeting (grant requirement)• H.E.A.T. training for administrators (grant requirement)• Training in 9 Literacy Content Areas (grant requirement)

– Using Data for Literacy Decision Making– Successful Transitions along the Literacy Continuum– Building Blocks for Literacy– Family Engagement and Family Literacy– Reading Apprenticeship– The Common Core and Literacy Design Collaborative– Universal Design for Learning and Digital Technology– Navigating Content with ELL– Supporting Learners with Special Needs

• Intervention training• Foundational Reading Skills training (substitutes)• CCSS/SAS training (substitutes)• Intervention training (substitutes)• Kindergarten teacher training (substitutes)• ESL teacher training (substitutes)• Curriculum development for full day kindergarten (summer)• Curriculum development for ESL (summer)• Reading Apprenticeship training• Literacy Committee meetings (substitutes)

Purpose of the Professional Development Modules#1 Goal is effective teaching for all learnersTo provide an overview; baseline, common language;

and a level playing field for all 56 KtO Local Education Agencies (LEAs)

It’s about literacy – reading, writing, speaking, and listening – any time, any subject, any situation – it’s not about reading

CV staff members may choose the Professional Growth Project option of our Differentiated Teacher Evaluation Plan to accomplish KtO requirementsPortfolio Cover Sheet & PD Action Plan

Keystones to OpportunityProfessional Development Portfolio 

All professional staff members participating in KtO professional development sessions are required to attend a specified number of modules and submit a portfolio to your supervisor at your end of year goals meeting. Participation in the KtO professional development modules may be used as a Professional Growth Project for 2012-2013. You may choose your own format (electronic or hard copy) for collecting your evidence from the professional development sessions.  Please include the following in your portfolio:•notes and handouts from each PD session•information regarding related peer coaching, observations, literacy coaching, etc.•action plan for each session and evidence of implementation Teacher Name_________________________________________________________  Building___________________________ Subject/Grade Level__________________  

Session Title Date Action Plan Evidence

Building BlocksData AnalysisELLsFamily LiteracyLDCRASpecial NeedsTransitionsUDL

KtO Professional Development Action PlanPlease complete these questions and submit them to your supervisor or principal

and your reading specialist within one week after attending the session.Keep an additional copy in your KtO Professional Development Portfolio.

 Name_________________________ Building/Grade Level_____________________

1. Which ideas, activities, and/or strategies from today’s session did you find applicable to your classroom practice?

2. Which ideas, activities, and/or strategies can you take away from today’s session that will inform your classroom instruction?

3. How can the building reading specialist/literacy coach support you to incorporate these ideas, activities, and strategies?

4. How can your principal and/or supervisor support you to incorporate these ideas, activities, and strategies?

5. Describe in detail your plan for transferring the acquired knowledge into your classroom practice.

6. Attach evidence of action plan implementation.

H.E.A.T. Classroom Observation ToolHigher order thinking Engaged learningAuthentic connectionsTechnology useFocuses on the key components of 21st Century

skills as they apply to the learnerAdministrators have been trained to use tool in

classroom walkthrough observations

Site Visit #1 with Regional ManagerAugust 13, 2012“CV is light years ahead in many areas”“You guys have absolutely nailed this.”“Your preparation made this my

smoothest and most efficient site visit thus far.”

“CV is poised to make some great strides in literacy for their targeted students.”

Our Intent with KtO:

Work to balance KtO goals with other district initiatives, and make the interconnectedness apparent – KtO goals are not an ‘add-on’

Make PD meaningful & relevant - What are we going to do with this information?

Literacy occurs in all content areas – in other words - tear down the silos

Thank you!

Contact Dr. Mann, Dr. Cartwright, or

your principal or supervisor with questions/concerns.

Have a great year!