4015-07
Community of Peace Academy Local Literacy Plan
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471 Magnolia Avenue East
Saint Paul, MN55130
Phone: 651-776-5151 Web:
Overview
Our Goals and Objectives
In order to support continuous progress toward all students reading well by 3rd grade, we have set Literacy Goals in three areas: Instruction, Assessment, and Student Achievement
Instruction
The Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress for Language and Literacy identify the skills and knowledge that Pre-Kindergarten learners need in order to be on track in their literacy development, while the Minnesota Academic Standards for English and Language Arts identify those skills and knowledge for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
It is critical that our literacy curriculum and instruction are aligned to thesestandards. Core literacy instruction across PreK-3 is standards-aligned, and driven by individualized student data attained through the STEP™ Literacy Assessment System. The five areas of literacy instruction identified by the National Reading Panel - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension – are emphasized. A balanced literacy instructional approach is used,with brief whole group, on grade level instruction followed by small group, differentiated instruction. Vocabulary building is emphasized through non-fiction as well as fiction selections, oral and academic language development is promoted, and comprehension skills are explicitly taught.
Use of the STEP™ Literacy Assessment System is at the core of our developmental approach to teaching reading, providing teachers rich, student-specific datathat informs instruction.
Goal
PreK-3 curriculum and instruction will align to the academic standards.
Objectives
- PreK Curriculum will align to the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress for Language and Literacy.
- PreK Teachers will know and understand the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress for Language and Literacy, and how the curriculum aligns to those.
- K-3 Curriculum will align to the Minnesota Academic Standards for English and Language Arts.
- K-3 Teachers will know and understand the Minnesota Academic Standards for English and Language Arts, and how the curriculum aligns to those.
- PreK to Grade 3 staff will align standards, curriculum and instruction vertically in order to ensure a coherent PreK-3 pathway for literacy instruction.
- PreK to Grade 3 staff will utilize STEP™ literacy assessment data to provide highly targeted and differentiated small group reading instruction.
Assessment
In 2016-2017, the STEP™ Developmental Literacy Assessment was administered across PreK to Grade 3 at Community of Peace Academy. STEP™ consists of 13 reading levels which correspond with research-based milestones in reading development. The assessment, which is administered 4 times per school year,
defines the pathway and monitors individual student progress in attaining grade level reading skills.
Goal
Community of Peace Academy will utilize the STEP™ Literacy Assessment to inform literacy instructional practice to inform instructional practice at the school, classroom and individual student level.
Objectives
- Administrators and Coaches will use STEP™ data to monitor achievement levels and progress at the school, grade and classroom level, and to respond accordingly with professional development and coaching.
- Classroom teachers and support staff will utilize STEP™ data to identify to monitor achievement levels and progress at the classroom and individual student level, and to respond accordingly with targeted instruction.
Student Achievement
Analysis of student achievement data over the past 3 years has shown that while students make significant growth in the area of reading over the course of the school year, a high percentage of students begin school without the necessarylanguage and school readiness skills to experience early literacy success. As a result, accelerating the acquisition of literacy skills for students in grades PreK to 2 has been a primary area of focus.
The 2016-2017STEP™ end of year student achievement results in literacy are as follows:
- The percentage of PreK-3 students at or above their STEP™ benchmark is 39%.
- The percentage of PreK-3 students that made the expected 3+ levels of growth on STEP™is 44%.
Goal
By the end of the 2017-2018school year, the percentage of PreK-3 students at or above their STEP™ benchmark will increase from 39% to 45%.
By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, the percentage of PreK-3 students who make the expected 3+ levels of growth on STEP™ will increase from 44% to 50%.
Objectives
- All PreK students will attain the PreRead STEP™level by the end of the 2017-2018 school year.
- 50% of K-3 students will make the expected 3+ levels of growth on STEP™ by the end of the 2017-2018 school year.
- 45% of K-3 students will achieve their grade level STEP™benchmarkby the end of the 2017-2018 school year.
Our Reading Assessments
At Community of Peace Academy, the following formative and summative assessments are used to monitor our students’ achievement in reading:
- All PreK-3 students are given the STEP™Literary Assessment 4 times a year.
- The NWEA Measures of Academic Progress is administered Fall and Spring for students in grade 3.
- 3rd grade students take the MCA-Reading each spring.
Parent Involvement
At Community of Peace Academy, we believe that are the first educators of their children, and that the Parents’ relationship to our school must empower them in fulfilling this primary role. Parents who choose Community of Peace Academy pledge to support the education of their child(ren)’s mind, body and will, in full partnership with teachers and staff,within a community where peace and nonviolenceare practiced by all.
All classroom teachers conduct home visits during September and October of each year. Student goals are discussed at the home visits, and reviewed during parent/teacher conferences. Community of Peace Academy employs African-American, Hmong, and Latino Cultural Liaisons to support the home-school partnership, and interpreters, child care and transportation are made available for all parent meetings and events. Parent Nights will be held in December, January, February, April and May and will be focused on helping parents support their children’s academic achievement.
Student progress is reported to parents in person each fall and spring at Parent-Teacher conferences, and in writing an additional two time per year in mid-semester reports.
Students’ reading progress is reported in terms of a numerical grade, as follows:
4 – Exceeds the standard
3 – Meets the standards
2 – Partially meets the standards
1 – Does not meet the standards.
Assessments, Guided Reading, Classwork, Response journals/logs and Teacher knowledge based on observations and checking for understanding during lessons are used to determine the report card grade.
In addition to the numerical grade, each student’s STEP™level is reported along with the expected level range for that grade and time of year.
Intervention and Support
Community of Peace Academy adheres to a multi-tiered system of instruction and support in order to support all students in becoming proficient readers. This multi-tiered system of instruction and support is sometimes called a pyramid of intervention.
Tier 1
Tier 1 refers to our school-wide and classroom-wide instruction for all students. In Preschool 4 Peace, Creative Curriculum is used to provide students with literary activities designed to promote their early literacy and language development. In Grades K-3, students receive whole group instruction followed by small group, differentiated reading instruction driven by STEP™ data. English Learner focused co-teachers support students who are learning English by providing academic language support to students, scaffolding lessons, pre-teaching and re-teaching content and in some cases they may parallel teaching a lesson or lead lessons with the classroom teacher. Student progress is regularly monitored so that re-teaching and intervention can occur when a student does not master a particular standard or learning objective.
Tier 2
Tier two refers to small group, targeted supplemental interventions delivered in small groups to students who require additional support in order to master grade level literacy standards. Classroom teachers and co-teachers collaborate to review data and provide small group instruction that is targeted and focused on the student’s needs.
Tier 3
Tier 3 services are highly targeted, frequent and intensive intervention for students who have not responded to Tier I and Tier 2 instruction and intervention. Often, Tier 3 services are provided in the form of specialized instruction to students who receive special education services and have an individual education plan.
Ongoing Professional Development
Professional development related to implementation of curriculum, Habits of Discussion, and STEP training is provided during August workshops and through three staff professional days throughout the year. Between staff days, all classroom teachers, co-teachers and Special Education teachers meet weekly in Professional Learning Communities to review student achievement, engage in instructional decision-making, and discuss implementation of instructional strategies. The Instructional Coach provides direct support to classroom teachers on responding to student achievement data and implementing reading and math curriculum. The Elementary Principal and Literacy Coach conduct regular observations of instruction and provide feedback and coaching to teachers. All new teachers to Community of Peace Academy are supported by a Mentor teacher during their first year of teaching. Professional development is designed to be job-embedded.
Community of Peace Academy is the recipient of a McKnight Foundation Education and Learning Grant, and during the 2017-2018 school year will partake in professional development on early literacy development and early literacy instruction provided and arranged by Literary Experts the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute.
Annual Reporting
The Community of Peace Academy Literacy Plan can be found on the school’s website at
Community of Peace Academy annually reports summary assessment results to the commissioner in accordance with MN Statute 120B.12.
For questions or comments related to the Local Literary Plan, please contact:
Cara Quinn,Executive Director
651-280-4588
Bao Vang, Elementary Principal
651-280-4504
Melissa Jackson, Literacy Coach
651-280-4551