Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Literacy Pd topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District staff reports literacy pilot with 29 teachers, plans deeper follow‑up
Summary
Byram Hills staff reported a literacy initiative in which 29 teachers completed an action‑research course guided by NYU consultant Dr. Carolyn Strom; work focused on fluency and repeated‑reading strategies with a planned deeper follow‑up course next year to address comprehension and vocabulary.
A district staff member presented a literacy update at the June 3 Byram Hills Board of Education meeting, summarizing a multi‑year initiative in classroom literacy instruction.
The presenter said 29 teachers participated in an action‑research course this year guided by NYU consultant Dr. Carolyn Strom. Teachers selected a "problem of practice" (for example, phonics instruction or fluency), implemented a classroom change, collected pre/post data and analyzed outcomes. One cited example: a second‑grade team studied fluency using timed one‑minute reads repeated three times per week and charted words correct per minute; teachers reported that students became more engaged and that the repeated‑reading strategy supported fluency gains correlated to comprehension.
District staff said the program will be offered again next year with deeper emphasis on comprehension strategies and vocabulary instruction; staff plan to post presentations and data on the district website for review.
The board heard that teachers had concerns about competitiveness with students when using timed fluency measures, but presenters said teachers found the strategy engaged students rather than stressing them. Next steps include posting the course materials online and offering an expanded follow‑up course.
