Major Assessment 5

Major Assessment 5

A set recommendation and a plan for improving and monitoring environment for students and staff

Four preliminary activities are necessary before the formal monitoring process can begin. First, the school establishes a literacy committee that can direct the monitoring efforts. Second, the faculty is informed by research and best practice about literacy, evaluation, and assessment. Third, if gaps between desired practice and ideal practice are not known, the school conducts a needs assessment. Finally, the faculty formulates questions to focus the monitoring. These activities are followed by the formal monitoring activities: collecting information, organizing and analyzing information, and taking action[1].

Establishing a Literacy Committee. One of the first activities in monitoring a literacy program is establishing a literacy committee whose ultimate goal is to improve the school's literacy program. This committee is made up of teachers, administrators, and interested parents and community members, but the majority should be school personnel. The committee is responsible for planning and initiating the monitoring process, gathering data and resources, coordinating with teachers who are monitoring the literacy program in their individual classes, leading the decision-making process to chart a new direction for the literacy program, and communicating the findings to school personnel and community members.

Building a Knowledge Base. The literacy committee is responsible for building a knowledge base about literacy, evaluation, and assessment. This knowledge base will be used by the committee and by the rest of the faculty. The committee may compile information about reading research, best practices in reading instruction, different ways to monitor children's reading progress, and examples of schools that have model literacy programs. It may wish to determine the definition of reading that drives the school's literacy program and develop an awareness of characteristics of outstanding literacy programs and characteristics of literacy-rich classrooms.[2]

Conducting a Needs Assessment. After building a knowledge base, the literacy committee ...