Scoil Maelruain Senior

 

Summary School Improvement Plan for Literacy

 

Introduction:

We carried out a school self evaluation in the teaching and learning of Literacy in 2012/2013. Standardised test results were analysed, teacher surveys were undertaken and some pupils were interviewed.

 

Summary of School Self Evaluation Findings:

• Children display and profess a positive attitude to reading

• They like the range of novels available in the school

• Children’s results in standarised tests show an improvement over the last three years.

• Teachers report that they use a variety of teaching approaches including talk and discussion and teacher questioning.

• Teachers use a variety of texts in their teaching.

• Students are taught to write in a wide variety of writing genres across all class levels.

 

The following areas are prioritised for improvement:

• A more coherent and consistent approach to literacy development addressing all curricular strands across all class levels.

• Explicit teaching of comprehension strategies

• Oral language development

• Collaboration and co-operation

• Differentiation in Literacy.

 

Improvement Targets:

Year 1

• To increase the children performing between each of the following bands by 2% by June 2014: 21^st – 40^th, 41^st to 60^th and 61^st – 80^th and to maintain or increase the percentage of children scoring above the 80^th percentile.

• To implement a literacy plan across the whole school which will ensure that the five comprehension strategies are taught explicitly in year one.

 

Action:

• Develop a whole school plan for comprehension integrated across literacy based on successful teaching and learning strategies.

• Each teacher will commit to explicitly teach five comprehension strategies in year one: Prediction, Making Connections, Visualization, Questioning and Determining Importance.

• Invest in new core reading materials for all class levels.

• Invest in Read at Home Series

• More use of team teaching and station teaching

• Upskilling staff through inservice training and sharing knowledge and strategies at staff meetings.

 

Evaluation: Through analysis of standardised results

Year 2

Targets

 

• To further increase the children performing between each of the following bands by 2% by June 2014: 21^st – 40^th, 41^st to 60^th and 61^st – 80^th and to maintain or increase the percentage of children scoring above the 80^th percentile.

 

Action:

• In the second year the remaining four strategies namely: Skimming and scanning, Clarifying, Synthesis and Inference will be explicitly taught.

• Regular sharing of ideas and strategies at staff meetings.

• Inservice training

• Investment in and use of class novels

• Increase in team teaching and differentiation

• Advising parents on how best they can help their children and on appropriate reading material.

 

Evaluation: Through analysis of standardised results

 

Year 3

Targets

 

• To further increase the children performing between each of the following bands by 2% by June 2014: 21^st – 40^th, 41^st to 60^th and 61^st – 80^th and to maintain or increase the percentage of children scoring above the 80^th percentile.

Action:

• Consolidate the teaching of the nine comprehension strategies

• Regular review of what is working well at staff meetings.

 

Evaluation: Through analysis of standardised results

 

 

Review of Year One

 

From 2012 to 2014, there was a decrease of 7% in the number of children performing below the 20th percentile. The percentage of children performing between the 21st and 40th percentile has increased by 3 %. The percentage of children performing between the 41st to the 60^th, has increased by 2 %. Similarly, the percentage of children performing between the 61st and 80th percentile increased by 2%. In addition the percentage of children performing between the 81st and 99th percentile has increased by 6%. These results indicate that we have achieved our targets as stated above for the year 2013 to 2014. Finally, an increase of 6% in the number of children performing between the 81st and 99th percentile surpassed our target.

We have implemented our literacy plan which focused on the explicit teaching of five comprehension strategies in year 1. We will re-evaluate and reflect upon the success of this initiative at our first staff meeting in September 2014 before progressing to year 2.

Review of Year Two

At the end of year 2 staff of Scoil Maelruain are very pleased with the literacy scores and the new plan is most definitely impacting on our scores in a very positive way. Team teaching is proving very popular with teachers and pupils. At the end of 2015 there was a decrease of 1% in the children performing between the 1^st and 20^th percentile and an increase of an amazing 5 % in the children performing above the 80^th percentile. 25% of the pupils in Scoil Maelruain are now performing above the 80^th percentile. This increase surpassed our target. The percentage of children performing between the 21^st and 40^th percentile decreased by 3% while the percentage of children performing between the 41^st – 60^th percentile decreased by 1%. The percentage of children performing between the 61^st and 80^th percentile remained the same.

Next year will see the consolidation of the nine comprehension strategies. The Board of Management is very pleased with the Micra T scores. Well done to all.

Well done to all the teachers and pupils who worked so hard in the area of Literacy. Keep up the good work.