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PROJECTS
Online Adolescent Literacy Certificate – The SLN has developed and
offered over the past five years a highly successful, 9-credit hour certificate
in adolescent literacy. In January 2005 we began to launch this certificate
program online. This effort is helpful to rural districts wanting to assist
more teachers in meeting NCLB requirements and improving schools’ abilities to
implement the Colorado Basic Literacy Act. We plan to launch a third, new
online cohort that will start in January 2007. Please see the flyer about this
new online cohort at the opening of the SLN website.
Adolescent Literacy Modules – The SLN has developed and offered to
school districts 1 or 2 credit modules on the following topics: follow-up to
the adolescent literacy colloquium, vocabulary, comprehension, closing the
gender gap in literacy achievement, and fluency. Please e-mail us if you are
interested in offering specific modules within your school district.
Boulder Valley Public Schools– In 2002-03 the SLN worked with Boulder
Valley Public Schools to plan and deliver three half-day workshops for all
middle and high school teachers concerning strategies for improving to student
writing. CSAP scores increased that spring because of teachers’ renewed efforts
to improve student achievement in writing. For two years, Dr. Quate and other SLN network faculty/coaches continued to work with the district to assist middle
schools in establishing Critical Friends Groups in middle schools.
Collaboration with Cherry Creek Public Schools - In 2003-2004 the SLN
launched an innovative project with Cherry Creek Public Schools to make it
easier for teachers to earn masters degrees plus state endorsements in reading
or state endorsements that they add to a masters degree that they already hold.
The SLN has worked closely with district personnel to develop a block of 12 MA
credit hours that can be accepted into the MA program at University of Colorado Denver. Teachers complete these 12 credit hours offered on site in the
district, apply to UCD, and then take the rest of the courses needed for their
masters degrees on campus. The initial twelve hours are taught by master
teachers in the district with course examples customized to be relevant to
district needs. This effort to work with the school district offers teachers a
break on tuition for their first twelve hours. It is especially attractive to
teachers within their first five years of teaching who want to obtain masters’
degrees. This program is on-going.
Collaboration with Jefferson County Public Schools – In 2003-2004 the
SLN also launched an exciting project with Jefferson County Public Schools to
make it more possible for teachers to earn masters degrees plus state
endorsements in reading or just state endorsements that they add to a masters
that they already hold. The SLN has worked closely with district personnel to
develop a combination of modules offered on weekends and graduate courses
offered after school or in 2-3 week blocks in the summer. Teachers interested
in masters’ degrees can complete 12 hours in this program and then come on
campus to finish the rest of their degrees. Others, not interested in graduate
degrees, can continue to take modules and courses until they reach the 24 hours
needed by NCLB to become highly qualified in reading. By January 2006, a full
24 hours of modules and classes will have been offered over a three year period.
Colorado Critical Friends – The SLN works very closely with this
project to support professional development and renewal efforts in secondary
schools.
Colorado Reading Project – This is an exciting project that Dr.
Shanklin launched the summer of 2004. Seventeen teachers spent two weeks in a
readers’ workshop reading adolescent/adult fiction and nonfiction while
simultaneously examining their own strategies for reading and comprehending
text. The class is designed to equally support content area teachers as well as
those in English/Language Arts. Teachers also discussed the new Daniels and
Zimmelman book Subjects Matter and practiced action strategies to improve
students’ comprehension based upon Wilhelm’s Action Strategies for Improving
Comprehension. They developed new units to try out in their classrooms for
the fall. Two additional groups of teachers, one hosted by Jefferson County
Public Schools and one by Grand Junction schools, completed CRP in Summer 05;
Littleton Public Schools hosted CRP for Summer 2006.
Feedback on this effort continues to be very positive. Please let Nancy Shanklin know if you are interested in
hosting a group. Please contact Benjamin Lee if you are interested in attending.
Colorado Writing Project – The SLN
works closely with the Colorado Writing Project.
Denver Writing Project – The SLN has also coordinated closely with
this program, directly affiliated with the National Writing Project, and offered
through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver.
PhD Program – Faculty at the University of Colorado Denver have developed a literacy lab for doctoral students
interested in work in the area of literacy. Teachers, literacy coaches, and
others interested in pursuing doctoral degrees should contact Dr. Shanklin.
Sheridan Middle School – In 2002-03 the SLN worked monthly with
Sheridan Middle School, a low income school, to improve student writing. Grade
level study groups were conducted each month during planning blocks. Between
times, further follow-up was coordinated with the building literacy coach.
Denver Public Schools, Teaching/Learning Project in English –
During 04-05 and 05-06 the SLN with Teaching/Learning Project and
the Institute for Learning at the University of Pittsburgh to assist with the
redesign of the 9th and 11th grade English curricula. In
this project teacher leaders wrote and implemented new curriculum
based upon the best of new ideas in curriculum design for English Education.
RESEARCH & EVALUATION STUDIES
Colorado Basic Literacy Act
Implementation in Middle Schools
Roles and Supports for Secondary Literacy/Instructional Coaches
Evaluation of Public Education
and Business Coalition Learning Lab Classrooms
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