December 17, 2024

Winter break is coming! Encourage families to check out these family literacy resources over the holidays:

Read at Home Plan Family Guide in English or Spanish aligns to the needs of K-4 students receiving accelerated interventions as identified in their Reading Improvement Plans and ideal for families interested in learning more about incorporating early literacy into their homes.  

Standards Family Guides help families familiarize themselves with the content of each grade level’s standards.  

National Center for Families Learning: Family Resources with Wonderopolis webinar provides information about their FREE web program that allows students to explore their wonders and build knowledge to support literacy development.

ICYMI: Supporting Quarterly Step-backs for HQIR Implementation

As schools close out the second quarter of the school year, it is a good time to pause, reflect and determine next steps. Quarterly step-backs are designed to support district and school leadership teams as they examine progress towards their high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) implementation goals, identify key successes, learn from and solve significant challenges and make adjustments for the next quarter. These more formal step-backs typically include:  

• Preparing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data as outlined in the monitoring plan aligned to the district’s implementation goals;  

• Reflecting on progress and challenges;  

• Identifying 2-3 areas of improvement;  

• Adjusting the implementation plan and revising roles and responsibilities according to areas of improvement; and 

• Communicating changes and celebrating successes with stakeholders.

The following KDE tools are designed to support districts in conducting a quarterly step-back: 

• Sample Quarterly Step-back Data Gathering Tool – provides a template for organizing data and feedback for quarterly step-backs. 

• Quarterly Step-back Agenda – provides goals and a sample agenda for a Quarterly Step-back Meeting. 

• Curriculum Implementation Framework  – outlines key responsibilities broken down by role group for each stage of curriculum implementation.

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Quick Links

Literacy At a Glance Collection

Key Actions for Meeting the Needs of All K-3 Readers and Writers

Why the Three-Cueing Model Hinders Reading Proficiency

Reading and Writing Unit Internalization Protocol

Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Guidance Document 

Reading Improvement Plan Template

Read at Home Plan Family Guide (English)

Read at Home Plan Family Guide (Spanish)

Read to Succeed Act Implementation FAQ

Have questions? Need clarification about the Reading Improvement Plan, Read at Home Plan Family Guide, HQIR Internalization Protocol or Evidence-Based Structured Literacy Practices?

Join the DEL virtual office hours or contact one of our regional literacy directors: 

DEL Virtual Office Hours:

9:30 to 11 a.m. ET.

January 14th 
February 11th 
March 11th 
April 15th (3rd Tuesday)
May 13th 
June 10th

Regional Literacy Directors:

WKEC/GRREC: Alison Gregory

OVEC/JCPS: Tara Griffith

CKEC/SESC: Whitney Hamilton

KVEC/SESC: Marcia Ward

NKCES/KEDC: Amelia Powers

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions about Early Literacy, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.