Actions (what we will do)

Progress as at end of May

Outcomes (what we expect to happen)

• School wide PLD will be provided by Auckland University

• Vera and other Auckland University facilitators have met three times with the literacy leaders. They have….

• provided guidance in how to get the most out of observations.

• helped with moderation of samples

• helped them set goals for teachers

• They have helped teachers moderate and on one occasion have  modelled lessons

• 8 teachers attended a Murray Gadd course in Auckland during the April holidays

• OTJ professional development has been planned

• Regular meetings planned with Facilitator, Literacy Leaders/Principal meetings at least twice per term

• The use of resources such as Effective Literacy Practice will be used to show good examples to improve teacher knowledge

• Effective Literacy teaching needs to be consistent across the school

• Teachers engaging boys in writing topics that are authentic/ interesting to them

• Using the various outcomes as outlined in ELP (e.g interactive writing pg 107)

• Syndicate Meetings will be focussed and embed effective literacy practice through meaningful modelling, discussions, readings

• Syndicate meeting minutes show that literacy has been a major topic of over half the meetings.
• meetings have focussed on

• data

• focus groups

• boys’ writing

• reporting to parents

• Literacy Leaders will have a portion of each fortnightly Syndicate Meeting to embed effective Literacy pedagogy

• Shared understanding about Literacy as a means to access all Curriculum areas.

• Minutes shared and monitored to ensure that meetings has a major Literacy focus

• Spiral of Inquiry template will be used to support Syndicate discussion and Literacy Leaders development and work

• Walk-throughs will focus on :

• teacher needs as discussed through the Practice analysis process.

• Literacy leaders have received professional development in practice analysis observations

• The first walkthrough of the year did not follow the practice analysis format but feedback was related to written language wherever possible

• The second observations were much more focussed and included pre-observation agreement and followed up with goal setting sessions between the observer and the teacher.

• Walk-throughs will show an improvement in teachers’ pedagogy.

• Shared ownership of change will occur

• Assessment will be moderated as a syndicate aligning with the assessment timetable.

• Assessment was moderated in March Syndicate meetings and Vera oversaw the procedure.

• some moderation also occurred in May

• All teachers will assess similar work at a similar level.

• Ensures that school-wide data will be accurate and complete

• e-asTTle results will be more closely analysed to determine exactly what aspect of writing is hampering achievement (e.g. punctuation, impact, spelling?) and activities to focus on them will be sourced and shared.

• e-asTTle results have been collated by the Literacy Team and transferred to eTap

• We will improve pupil achievement in the areas of weakness

• Documents such as ELP and LLP will be used to strengthen decisions.

• Modelling will not be whole class and teachers will organise literacy activities linked to student needs.

• Each class will have a target group whose progress will be monitored.

• Target groups have been chosen by all teachers and set up as a group on eTap so progress can be monitored by the Literacy Team and  also by Chicky

• The target group will make accelerated progress.

• Classrooms will have a ‘What good writers do” chart and/or orally share these skills.

• Focus on boy’s writing data

• Teachers will share ideas for motivating writers such as topic choice, presentation and incentives

• Teachers have been asked to share, at the 28th May syndicate meeting what they are doing to specifically achieve target 1 “To improve literacy levels, particularly in writing, for boys” Early indications are that most teachers have made an effort to accommodate the different learning styles.

• Teachers will use a variety of approaches to motivate writers e.g quick writes (The Writing Book), daily 5.

• Children, particularly the boys, will be more motivated to write.

• Boy’s will see value in writing

• Choice of topics will be flexible

• Closer link to reading from writing

• While senior staff will still check teachers’ planning, the literacy team will also check on planning for literacy once a fortnight.

• Less time may be needed on motivating writing

• Planning for writing includes assessment analysis to inform learning intentions.

• We will improve pupil achievement in

• the areas of weakness   

• Moderation will happen at Syndicate level and school wide as appropriate

• Assessment was moderated in March syndicate meetings and Vera oversaw the procedure

• Next steps will be more accurate

• Teachers will bring samples of Literacy to meetings from their class target groups. Connections and comparisons using the rubric will be made and discussions about what you have noticed, what is working and so what? will occur

• Principal will be involved and will oversee schoolwide picture

• Principal will attend one Syndicate hui at a time and also visit classrooms to interview students, boys in particular and ask things such as - show me your learning, what do you like about writing, what do you find hard?

• Chicky has attended most syndicate meetings so far

• Chicky has walked through all classrooms looking specifically at boys’ writing.

• Chicky attended Murray Gadd course in Auckland

• A clearer school-wide picture, particularly around boys writing engagement.

• Using student voice to to enhance and support classroom programmes.

• A school-wide spelling programme will be implemented.

• All classes are now using the essential lists although not all are teaching in the same way.

• Spelling will be taken consistently and in a manner that allows children to move from class to class without changing routines.

• Spelling, as assessed by the same test, will improve markedly.