What is gratitude? Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. As administrators and teachers, we are all working diligently to serve others. With guidelines changing and new mandates coming down the pipe, sometimes we lose sight of our purpose. Our goal is for you to take some time to reflect on your perspective of gratitude and thankfulness. Your perspective not only affects yourself, it affects others such as your staff, coworkers, and students.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, why not take some time to reflect and share with others what you are grateful and thankful for? Reflect professionally and personally.

Ex: What is going well in your school? Have you celebrated these things? Have you shown gratitude to those who have had a hand in the success?

Here are a few ideas from the Science of Gratitude:

• Celebrate minor accomplishments of yourself.
• Make daily affirmations such as, I am kind, I am caring, I am smart, etc.
• Smile more - yes, this releases serotonin to the wellbeing part of your brain and acts as an antidepressant.
• Volunteer - this can be done within your team or the community around you. Kindness and giving are associated with gratitude.
• Exercise - it releases endorphins, the feel-good chemical in our brains that makes us feel happier and acts as a mild pain reliever.

According to Dr. Louisa Moats, most reading failure is unnecessary. We now know that classroom teaching itself, when it includes a range of research-based components and practices, can prevent and mitigate reading difficulty. Although home factors do influence how well and how soon students read, informed classroom instruction that targets specific language, cognitive, and reading skills beginning in kindergarten enhances success for all but a very small percentage of students with learning disabilities or severe dyslexia. Researchers now estimate that 95 percent of all children can be taught to read by the end of first grade, with future achievement constrained only by students’ reasoning and listening comprehension abilities.

With this important research in mind, take some time to reflect on the following questions:

• As the lead learner, are you enrolled in the LETRS Elementary and/or LETRS Admin course?
• How are you leading the Science of Reading in your school/district?
• How do you ensure Science of Reading is at the core of everything you do?
• Do you see evidence of Science of Reading in your K-3 classrooms? If not, why?
• Are all of your K-3 teachers trained in Science of Reading or currently enrolled in LETRS? If not, what is your plan to ensure that all K-3 students are taught by Science of Reading trained teachers?
• Does your data reflect that your curriculum is grounded in Science of Reading implementation? What changes need to be made to your instructional plan to align your core with Science of Reading practices?

Remember, it is the responsibility of the district and school leaders to develop a culture that is centered around the Science of Reading. How can ARI support your needs in this area?

Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_CyHkhsS2CIKA39AX29MB5pVnY0W68U1/view?usp=sharing

Understanding the Science of Reading Handout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X8MJRjgL1CZ9khFn5-jsZE7laXI3_yFJ/view?usp=sharing

At a basic, harvest includes equipment preparation, combining, storing and delivering grain and preparing for next year’s spring planting. But there are many things you may wonder about in between. The Circles of Influence can serve as your harvest guide as you continue to grow your scholars on fertile ground through the implementation of the Alabama Literacy Act.

Farmers have soil samples taken throughout their fields to know how much of a specific nutrient is needed, in what amount and in what location. This helps give plants what they need while improving soil health and protecting natural resources. With your students in mind, what is the current state of the school in terms of academic growth?

• What are the LEA’s and each school’s current literacy goals? Identified by which data sources? What screeners, informal assessments, and formative assessment are in place? Are they consistent districtwide?
• How many students are below grade-level? How many students require “catch-up growth"? What are the LEA’s and each school’s current literacy gaps? What are the LEA’s and each school’s definition of “gap”? Identify among the Big 5 + 2 (Phonemic Writing) where data show instructional gaps.
• How are data communicated between and among all schools in the district’s feeder pattern? How are data communicated between and among grade-levels in the same school?

The Literacy Task Force has completed its revision of the Alabama Literacy Act Portfolio for use in the 2022-2023 school year aligned to the 2021 English Language Arts Course of Study. This document is to be started at a minimum for all third graders who did not meet the minimum cut score on the 2nd Grade Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) Reading. One strategy that many districts have found beneficial is to collect the evidence outlined on pages 4 and 5 of the portfolio document for all third-grade students. This would be done within the day-to-day teaching of the standards in the progression of their literacy instruction. This is only a recommendation, but allows one to collect evidence on all students, ensures the instruction for all standards, and reduces additional time spent by embedding it in processes already being utilized. Please click on the Literacy Act Portfolio header to access the document.

*These resources would be great to add to your district and school websites, Student Reading Improvement Plans (SRIPs), newsletters, etc.

*In addition, ARI has developed family resources that can be used for parent/family nights, parent/family workshops, etc. Ask your Regional Literacy Support staff for more information.

Even with a standard, working definition, many people remain confused about aspects of dyslexia. The following list addresses some of the questions and misunderstanding on the topic:

• Dyslexia is not primarily a visual problem; it is a language-based problem.
• Dyslexia does not mean seeing things backwards and is not necessarily indicated by reversals of letters or words.
• Dyslexia or reading disability occurs in people of ALL levels intelligence, not just intellectually gifted.
• Dyslexia is not caused by lack of motivation or interest in reading. Lack of motivation to read and write may be a consequence of dyslexia because reading is very taxing and difficult for a dyslexic individual.
• Dyslexia is not only a problem in families who do not read frequently and together; it can occur in ANY family.
• Boys and girls are affected by dyslexia, with boys affected somewhat more than girls, but not overwhelmingly so.

Source: Basic Facts About Dyslexia & Other Rreading Problems; Louisa Cook Moats and Karen E. Dakin; International Dyslexia Association, 2008.

As a reminder, the Strong Leader, Strong Reader sessions are intended for administrators to provide them the overall information local reading specialists learned at “Coaching Community” sessions. Principals are the primary audience, but other administrators are invited as long as space allows. Coaching Community sessions are intended for local reading specialists only. We ask that school administrators and district support personnel keep “Coaching Community” meetings for only local reading specialists. Bonnie Short (bonnie.short@alsde.edu ) is more than willing to have conversation with any school administrator or district support person that would like more information about this.

• Analyze Early Literacy Screener, AlaKiDS, and deficiency data using a data analysis tool.​

• Plan and lead a monthly reading data meeting.​

• Walkthrough classrooms using the short forms provided or another SOR based tool you have discussed with your RLLS.

The Oral Language Module is self-paced and earns 6 hours of credit.

Register in PowerSchool Professional Learning (course # 278101) for the course. The module (course) will load in your My Learning Opportunities within PowerSchool Professional Learning. You can access the module by clicking the blue hyperlink for the Oral Language module.

The module (course) can also be accessed through your ALSDE Schoology account by clicking the Courses tab. If you are unable to log into your ALSDE Schoology account, please email schoologyenrollments@alsde.edu.

Science of Reading Spotlight Schools were selected to recognize schools’ progress toward students’ reading improvement and the implementation of Science of Reading practices, while supporting others to do the same.

Looking for strategies to help support struggling readers in grade 4 and beyond? Register in PowerSchool Professional Learning for these newly released courses designed by Alabama educators for Alabama educators!

The modules are designed for teachers and administrators who work with struggling readers in grades 4-9. Each module offers specific recommendations and effective instructional strategies aligned to the Science of Reading. The module (course) will load in your My Learning Opportunities within PowerSchool Professional Learning.

The module (course) can also be accessed through your ALSDE Schoology account by clicking the Courses tab. If you are unable to log into your ALSDE Schoology account, please email schoologyenrollments@alsde.edu.

*Each graphic below is hyperlinked directly to the PowerSchool course for easy registration.

These sessions are designed to be a one-hour virtual PD with a faciliator. Click the graphic to the right to access the full document and the hyperlinks directly to PowerSchool Professional Learning.

Complete the survey to help the University of Alabama and the ALSDE know what professional learning opportunities to provide to teachers in the field.

As the season of thankfulness is fast upon us, SHORT wants to help the educators of our youngest readers have a memorable reason to be thankful. During Mental Health Awareness Month, SHORT promoted mental wellness for our youngest readers by partnering with Alabama’s NAMI* chapter and the Alabama Department of Mental Health by making it possible for sponsors to gift literacy to classrooms throughout Alabama. We want to extend the opportunity for additional sponsors to help more educators “feel thankful” by offering a straightforward way to donate sets of classroom SHORT booklets. Visit http://shortthesquirrel.com to learn more!

*National Alliance of Mental Illness

**Click the picture of SHORT the Squirrel to donate sets of classroom SHORT booklets.

SHORT the Squirrel’s mission is to spread literacy-rich, community-oriented, enjoyable content to our youngest citizens.

If you have any questions, contact us via email at contact@shortthesquirrel.com. You can also follow us on social media @shortthesquirrel!

For coaching to be successful in your building, you must develop relationships and trust among your teachers. It is critical that they see you as a partner and not someone trying to correct their methods. Our role is not to "fix" teachers but instead to engage in collaborative partnerships with them to plan and support instruction that will have the greatest impact on student achievement. As with anything, there are certain dos and don'ts that can impact your opportunities to coach and mentor teachers. So let's look at some things to avoid from Diane Sweeney, the top researcher and author on student-centered coaching.

When you are spending time in classrooms in the midst of full or mini coaching cycles, here are some coaching moves that Diane Sweeney recommends that focus on what the students are doing instead of the teacher since the ultimate goal is always student focused.

ALA is pleased to announce the dates for the 2022 Fall Literacy Conference. Registration is now open! Alabama Literacy Association - Conference (wildapricot.org)

Conference Date: November 3-4, 2022

The information included in this document is done from the perspective of improving LITERACY instruction for students and is only intended to outline support that directly relates to literacy instruction. Please use any resource links with discretion, as their position statements are their own and not necessarily representative of ARI and the ALSDE. Usage of any materials should be with adherence to rules and regulations of the Alabama State Department of Education.