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Is there a possibility of getting ideas from other NM districts on how they support teachers in completing LETRS with all of the other requirements teachers have. 

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Is there a possibility of getting ideas from other NM districts on how they support teachers in completing LETRS with all of the other requirements teachers have. 

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Hello!  Thank you for asking!  I reached out to our Las Cruces team with questions about how they support/structure LETRS implementation and received the following responses. I hope this is helpful: 1.What structures are in place in LCPS that have contributed to your success (PLCS, PD time, schedules, etc.)? PD Times: All Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers are participating in LETRS PD.  We tried to offer several options for teachers to enroll in a cohort that was the best fit for them. The majority of our cohorts attend our LETRS PD virtually on zoom, after school contract hours from 3:30-6:30. We have teachers attending every Phase. Phase I to III are still facilitated by LETRS and the rest by us.   Currently we have: Phase 4 (3 cohorts of 30 people)  2 Monday sessions from 3:30- 6: 30  Thursday session from 3:30 -6:30  Phase 5 ( 1 cohort 60 people) Wednesday 3:30-6:30  Phase 6 1 virtual cohort on Thursdays from 3:30-6:30 1 In Person cohort  7:45-3-15  Teachers are provided sub days.  Teachers who attend virtual after contract hours are provided EHA’s and had the option to switch cohorts if the day and time conflicted with their personal schedules.   During our PLCs with K-2 teachers we incorporate the language and strategies our teachers are learning in their LETRS course and we communicate with administrators in terms of expectations and instructional structures teachers should follow from LETRS. It’s a work in progress, but communication with teachers and admin is key.   In addition to this, our district is going through the ELA review process for adoption materials. We’ve included training on the Science of Reading for all reviewers as well as Science of Reading and Structured Literacy criteria on our rubrics.   We’ve attended presentations by the publishers we are reviewing and the questions our teachers asked reflected their knowledge in the SOR and SL. Thanks to their new learning, they know what to look for when reviewing materials and that is critical for us.    2.What supports have you all implemented in LCPS outside of on-line modules and training to help teachers succeed? Content Specialists provided a Q & A session to help teachers begin their LETRS learning Journey, as well as open office hours for continued support. Teachers may also request 1-1 support on the check for understanding quizzes.   Some Administrators have provided PLC times for teachers to collaborate on the on-line modules.  We also provide several emails during each LETRS unit to keep teachers on track. In addition to the Unit launch emails, we send midpoint progress checks with their current Online session status.   3.What data reflects the impact of LETRS (whether it be a case study, class data, or other).   We have asked participants to provide feedback on how LETRS has impacted their instruction and student learning. We also recently featured these teachers in our LCPS Teaching and Learning newsletter. Details are below.  We have a few schools who have implemented Sound Walls after attending Unit 2 of LETRS. We are currently in the process of purchasing the Sound Wall cards from Tools 4 Reading for all K-5 teachers. We are noticing a different level of questioning and reflection during PD’s from LETRS participants. Teachers are using a more critical eye to analyze materials and practices based on their new learning.

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What are your reflections from the case study?  What structures AND supports need to be in place for a teacher to effectively provide this level of instruction? 

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What are your reflections from the case study?  What structures AND supports need to be in place for a teacher to effectively provide this level of instruction? 

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The typical approach to remediation—providing work better suited for earlier grades—won’t come close to catching students up and will likely compound the problem. In our recent study, The Opportunity Myth, 2 we found this approach of “meeting students where they are,” though well intentioned, practically guarantees they’ll lose more academic ground and reinforces misguided beliefs that some students can’t do grade-level work. The students stuck in this vicious cycle are disproportionately the most vulnerable: students of color, from low-income families, with special needs, or learning English.

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Edmentum Blog Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference? 

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Edmentum Blog Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference? 

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Acceleration, remediation, and intervention have the same fundamental goal: supporting struggling students to ultimately achieve academic success. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find that the differences between these three flavors of support are critical to determining what sort of environment, time, and approach might be required to best serve your students.

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Acceleration, remediation, and intervention have the same fundamental goal: supporting struggling students to ultimately achieve academic success. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find that the differences between these three flavors of support are critical to determining what sort of environment, time, and approach might be required to best serve your students. Let's take a closer look at these terms to unpack the differences and provide guidance on when and where they might fit into your instructional day.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the concept of teaching grade-level material but weaving in stopping points periodically to address a small missing piece in fundamental understanding before popping back up to the original skill. This concept is intended to overcome the vicious circle of reviewing below-grade-level concepts with struggling learners repeatedly, never giving them sufficient opportunity to demonstrate grade-level mastery.

Proponents of this approach note that the brain is flexible enough to allow for these quick pivots in instruction, and they are leaning on new research from TNTP (The New Teacher Project) to support this strategy. TNTP recommends acceleration over remediation based on evidence in elementary math classrooms, particularly following pandemic-affected learning that occurred from March 2020 to May 2021, which perpetuated learning loss and achievement gaps for so many.

The ED COVID-19 Handbook by the U.S. Department of Education describes acceleration as a focus on quickly diagnosing gaps in critical concepts that may impede students from accessing grade-level coursework. Acceleration includes accessing prior knowledge and teaching prerequisite skills that students need to learn at a pace that allows them to stay engaged in grade-level content and lays a foundation for new academic vocabulary.

Remediation

At a basic level, remediation (or reteaching) means "teaching again" content that students previously failed to learn. As teachers recognize misconceptions or errors in understanding, they may focus on this missing, below-grade-level materials before returning to grade-level learning. This is done early on and for the benefit of all learners during core instruction in hope of preventing the majority of students from requiring more targeted, intensive interventions later on. Many teachers engage in remediation regularly as a natural part of instruction, without using a formal process or even explicitly recognizing their actions as intentional reteaching.

Remediation is also often guided by some sort of formative assessment, whether formal or informal, in order to gather enough insight to recognize the large breakdown in knowledge that students are experiencing. For this approach to be impactful, teachers must use a different method than the one initially used-one that builds on previous learning and focuses on the specific gaps in student thinking experienced the first time around. Ideally, remediation or reteaching is done early in the learning process, before additional skills are taught or more formal mastery tests or summative exams are administered.

Intervention

Intervention, popularized by two common models: response to intervention (RTI) and multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), is often identified as a formal process for helping students who are struggling, where research-based instructional approaches are implemented around very specific skill deficits and where progress is regularly tracked. This intensive approach was first introduced with the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) as a method to help identify students with specific learning disabilities. In today's teaching, most school districts use intervention to prevent learning gaps from widening in later grades and to identify students for special education referral.

Intervention frameworks like RTI and MTSS are often divided into three sections, where about 80 percent of students are considered tier 1 and receive core instruction and small doses of necessary remediation or reteaching. Tier 2 (5 to 15 percent of students) and tier 3 (less than 5 percent of students) students are then most directly involved in regular small-group or one-to-one interventions. To determine which students require intervention services, a formalized screening and diagnostic assessment process is often used, during which specific strengths and needs are identified, growth targets are set, and a regimented plan for delivery and progress monitoring is outlined.

When to Employ Each Approach

Different circumstances and student needs can lead to a need for all three instructional approaches. In between delivering core instruction for a specific standard in accordance with curriculum, regularly pausing to reflect and reteach, while similarly baking in intentional intervention time for those who might be struggling with underlying skills or concepts is simply good teaching. This balancing act can often feel like navigating a decision tree but for instruction. Look at the following graphic for one such example.

This graphic illustrates the nuanced differences between acceleration and remediation for addressing learning gaps with large populations of students and simultaneously demonstrates where and how intervention fits alongside each approach.

As an educator, it is important to understand the key differences between instructional approaches and the value each one holds. This can make your practice more intentional.

For example, if only 10 percent of your students require a small dose of acceleration or extended remediation style of instruction, it may not be necessary to organize all students into small groups for an intervention block. Similarly, if only a subset of learners would benefit from a hands-on alternative instructional method to achieve understanding, it may not be necessary to stop and remediate a concept to the whole class.

Knowing when to turn to remediation versus intervention to best meet student needs will make for a more balanced learning ecosystem. This way, everyone is receiving the right level of services at just the right time.

Interested in learning more about tiered intervention? Discover how to support tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 students with proven programs.
This blog was originally published October 2018 and has been updated.

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Acceleration vs. Remediation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference?

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Intervention and remediation (also commonly referred to as reteaching) have the same fundamental goal: supporting struggling students with focused learning opportunities to achieve academic success. But still, the differences between these two flavors of instruction are critical to determining what sort of environment, time, and approach might be required to best serve your students.

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Use this Sample ELA Schedule from the Louisiana Department of Education to further understand the components of each block.

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For students behind in PA or Phonics: During the core/grade level block of instruction, do those students get grade level skills with additional time in intervention to practice the prior grade level skills skills, OR do you spend core time and intervention on the below grade level skills and try to close the gap that way?

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For students behind in PA or Phonics: During the core/grade level block of instruction, do those students get grade level skills with additional time in intervention to practice the prior grade level skills skills, OR do you spend core time and intervention on the below grade level skills and try to close the gap that way?

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Achieve the Core: Foundational Skills Observation Tool 

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Achieve the Core: Foundational Skills Observation Tool 

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This lightweight observation tool is designed to help facilitate reflection, professional learning conversations following a classroom observation session. The tool employs a series of indicators coupled with concrete “look-fors” that signal effective foundational skills instruction.

The document also includes a Beyond the Lesson Discussion Guide that helps place the content of the single lesson observed within the context of a broader instructional plan for the year.

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This lightweight observation tool is designed to help facilitate reflection, professional learning conversations following a classroom observation session. The tool employs a series of indicators coupled with concrete "look-fors" that signal effective foundational skills instruction.

The document also includes a Beyond the Lesson Discussion Guide that helps place the content of the single lesson observed within the context of a broader instructional plan for the year.
Send Feedback

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This lightweight observation tool is designed to help facilitate reflection, professional learning conversations following a classroom observation session. The tool employs a series of indicators coupled with concrete "look-fors" that signal effective foundational skills instruction.

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Early Reading Assessment: A Guiding Tool for Instruction 

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Early Reading Assessment: A Guiding Tool for Instruction 

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How do you choose the best method for measuring reading progress? This brief article describes which assessments to use for different reading skills so that you can make sure all students are making progress towards becoming readers!

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Armstrong, Thomas (1994). Multiple intelligences in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Balanced Reading.com. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from: http://www.balancedreading.com/assessment.html

Big Ideas in Early Reading, University of Oregon. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from: http://reading.uoregon.edu/cia/assessment/index.php

DeBruinParecki, A. (2004). Evaluating early literacy skills and providing instruction in a meaningful context. High/Scope Resource: A Magazine for Educators, 23(3), 510.

Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (1992). Identifying a measure for monitoring student reading progress. School Psychology Review, 21(1), 4559.

Gardner, Howard (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic.

High-stakes assessments in reading: A position statement of the International Reading Association. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from: http://www.reading.org/pdf/high_stakes.pdf

Rhodes, L. K., & Shankin, N. L. (1993). Windows into literacy: Assessing learners K8. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

Skiba, R. J., Simmons, A. B., Ritter, S., Kohler, K. R., & Wu, T. C. (2003). The psychology of disproportionality: Minority placement in context. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 6, 2740.

Torgeson, J. K. (1998). Catch them before they fall: Identification and assessment to prevent reading failure in young children. Retrieved November 16, 2004 from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article.php?ID=411

Wren, S. (2004, November). Descriptions of early reading assessments. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Retrieved November 16, 2004 from: http://www.balancedreading.com/ assessment/assessment.pdf

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Early Reading Assessment: A Guiding Tool for Instruction

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How do you choose the best method for measuring reading progress? This brief article describes which assessments to use for different reading skills so that you can make sure all students are making progress towards becoming readers!

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Los Angeles Unified School District: English Learner Reading Foundational Skills Support Guides

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Los Angeles Unified School District: English Learner Reading Foundational Skills Support Guides

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MMED has developed English Learner Reading Foundational Skills Support Guides to support and guide teachers in teaching foundational literacy skills to English Learners based on the DIBELS measures. Teachers may use these guides to adapt instruction for EL’s, target small group differentiated instruction and/or guide intervention. Each of the six guides provides strategic supports and activities for the skills assessed by DIBELS.

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English Learner Instruction / Elementary Literacy and Language

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Key Ideas:

Evidence about how to best guide students to learn to read is stronger than ever, but this is not consistently reflected in training, PD and curriculum

Reading failure can be prevented in all but a small percentage of children

Instruction should be underpinned by the Simple View of Reading Model by Tunmer and Gough

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The most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read. Because reading affects all other academic achievement and is associated with social, emotional, economic, and physical health, it has been the most researched aspect of human cognition. By the year 2000, after decades of multidisciplinary research, the scientific community had achieved broad consensus regarding these questions: How do children learn to read? What causes reading difficulties? What are the essential components of effective reading instruction and why is each important? How can we prevent or reduce reading difficulties? Two decades later, hundreds of additional studies have refined and consolidated what we know about bolstering reading achievement, especially for students at risk.