Page 38 - Superintendent Report 2021-22

The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County (EFPBC), PNC
Foundation, and Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF)
Grant
In collaboration with the Education Foundation and other funders, ECE
created and implemented the “Building Oral Language and Vocabulary
in VPK” grant. This grant provided VPK teachers in 27 elementary
schools with professional development, book templates for children, and
technology tools. This grant aimed to increase children’s oral language
and vocabulary skills through book creation, development of “author
identities,” and the sharing of child-created books with families for
continued reading at home. End-of-the-year data indicated that:
• Approximately 97% of teachers “agreed” or “strongly agreed”
this work had a positive impact on children’s oral language and
vocabulary development in the classroom
• VPK Assessment scores in the Oral Language and Vocabulary
component increased from 29% of the children meeting or exceeding expectations at the
beginning of the year to 77% meeting or exceeding expectations at the end of the year

Implementation of Benchmark (K-2 Literacy)

The Department of Teaching and Learning rolled out new elementary ELA standards and a new
curriculum in all K-2 classrooms during the FY22 school year. The rollout began in April of 2021
with professional learning sessions for both school-based administrators and teachers. The sessions
were designed to provide educators with an understanding of the Science of Reading, information
about the new state standards, and the newly adopted curriculum.

Throughout the FY22 school year, the Elementary Literacy Team provided multiple online learning
opportunities and onsite coaching. The goal was to ensure that all teaching teams in K-2 were
implementing the new standards and curriculum with fidelity. Targeted professional development
opportunities were provided. These sessions were offered live and in a recorded version.

Every school was assigned a literacy specialist to ensure the K-2 teachers received the support
needed. Specialists attended their assigned schools’ PLC sessions, which facilitated planning and
deepened teachers’ understanding of the standards and the new curriculum. Coaching and co-
teaching opportunities were provided to strengthen pedagogy. The Elementary Literacy Team also
offered support via grade-level Google Classrooms, office hours, and supporting resources.

Administrators also received support in multiple ways. A K-2 Literacy walkthrough tool was created
and implemented. This tool was used during classroom visits and looked at: student engagement,
the fidelity of implementation of the new curriculum, standards-aligned texts and tasks, the
use of explicit, systematic phonics lessons, and relevant teaching practices. A weekly look-fors
document was also created to support administrators with what to look for in a K-2 literacy block.
This tool included the weekly focus of instruction, the texts used, the standards taught, and any
additional information relevant to that week’s instruction. This document ensured that teachers
and administrators had a shared understanding of that week’s literacy instruction. Additionally,
administrators had the opportunity to engage in professional learning during monthly Principal
Leadership Academy meetings. This included a full-day literacy institute grounded in the Science of
Reading and the District’s Vision and Mission regarding elementary literacy.

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