Erin Furze

Curriculum Audit- FUEL Reading grades 3-5

EL560 Winter 2017

Introduction and Purpose

This curriculum audit will examine the reading curriculum at Ferndale Upper Elementary

(FUEL) for its strengths and weaknesses, as well as look at its implementation in grades 3-

5.

School Improvement Goals for 2016-2017 School Year at FUEL:

The following goals listed are the goals identified in the school's improvement plan:

1. Using the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) the goal is at least one year's

growth for each student (and ideally 1.5 years growth for students below grade level).

2. Using the Northwestern Evaluation Association (NWEA), the goal for proficiency is for

students to meet the 65 percentile or to achieve their projected RIT growth for the year.

The school creates tiered system of support for reading based on the school improvement

goals (Appendix A). As can be seen by the notes on the document it is a work in progress

and will be visited at the end of the year for changes and additions.

FUEL Student Demographics:

According to a report from the school data coordinator, there are a total of 495 students at

the upper elementary school. 57% of the students are African American, 38% of are

Caucasian, 3% are Hispanic, and 1% are Asian. Of the total student population, 48% are

female, and 52% are male.

FUEL Teaching Staff and Reading Curriculum and Instruction Time:

There are six third grade teachers, six fourth grade teachers, and six fifth grade teachers at

Ferndale Upper Elementary. There are three teacher leaders designated for reading, one

per grade level. The teachers have 90-minute blocks dedicated to reading instruction and

use the workshop model along with Michigan Association of Intermediate School

Administrators (MAISA) guides as the reading curriculum. The school has one reading

specialist who is there to offer support to students who score below grade level in reading.

She has seven groups (which totals to 25-30 students) for 40-45 minutes a day for reading

intervention. The school district has recently consolidated, and this building now has a new

name and has transitioned out of an open classroom model.

Data Collection and Analysis

State Assessment Data:

For this curriculum audit, I looked at fall to winter student reading growth as measured by

DRA and NWEA results, since these are the tests outlined in the school improvement plan.

My mentor received the result graphs from a meeting with the Curriculum Director and the

Math Curriculum Coordinator. (A screen shot of both graphs can be seen in Appendix B

and C)

The DRA (developmental reading assessment) is given 2-3 times per year to students in

grades 1-5. The results of the DRA assessment are used by teachers to create leveled

reading groups and target specific skills that individual students need to strengthen. The
winter results show that 57% were at or above grade level for third grade, 88% at or above

grade level for 4th grade, and 69% at or above grade level in 5th grade. From the graph it

is hard to asses the growth of the students because the only students to test were ones who

scored below grade level in the fall.

The NWEA (Northwestern Evaluation Association) is given to grades 3-5, three times per

year. All students are assessed each time the assessment is given. Teachers use this data to

create instructional groups during workshop time and to determine intervention groups.

The assessment also provides a progress report in RIT scores (scores rise for each test

cycle), which is used to create individualized lessons in the Study Island program that the

school uses. The fall to winter assessment data shows 11% growth in proficiency for 3rd

grade, 5% growth in proficiency in 4th grade, and 15% growth in proficiency in 5th grade.

Instructional Practices:

The school uses the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and

Oakland Schools (MAISA) Guides for reading instruction. The MAISA units are broken up

into several units of study; each unit includes background information, suggested

resources, pacing guides, and lessons for each session of the unit. The lessons give step-by-

step instructions for how to teach the lesson and suggested texts to support the lesson. The

MAISA guides are copyrighted for 2010-2014. The school also uses a workshop model for

instruction and students have access to books in the classroom's library, and the schools

leveled library system.

Also, students spend time each day using Study Island. Study Island is an online system that

supports student learning. The content is based on the state GLCE’s and Common Core

Standards. It creates individualized lessons for students based on their needs as identified

by NWEA test results. It is used to support both math and reading.

Mentor and Staff Interviews:

In the process of preparing my curriculum audit, I spoke with a few staff members in

regards to their feelings about the reading instruction and materials provided. Overall the

teachers feel good about the reading curriculum, however there were a few common

criticisms that felt noteworthy. From these interviews, it was clear that teachers use the

MAISA guides provided but don’t always stick to the scripted lessons. The teachers who

have been teaching longer or who are more comfortable edit the script to make it more

adherent to their teaching style. It was also common for staff to say that if they did not have

the suggested materials listed for the unit they would just use something different. Lastly,

teachers reported that there was a negative reaction from students to the Study Island

program. Teacher’s often here complaints that the program is boring and repetitive.

When asked about professional development opportunities teachers stated that they must

seek out opportunities and then submit information to get approval from the district to

participate and cover costs.

 Description of the Data

The staff at Ferndale Upper Elementary is in a transitional phase after the district's

restructuring. The teachers are transitioning from on open classroom model to a more

traditional school model. The teachers are still learning and becoming comfortable with the

new curriculum and resources used this year.

The instructional materials used are aligned to state standards. The data shows that they

are aimed at meeting the needs of each student and focus on both proficiency and growth.

However, anecdotal evidence suggests they do not have access to all the suggested texts

that are listed in the MAISA guides, requiring the teachers to find other resources to

supplement the lessons. The resources they do have access to are appropriate and meet the

needs of the replaced suggested text. The data also shows that teachers are supported in

their efforts to receive continuing education and professional development opportunities.

Summary of Findings

After looking at the data and getting feedback from some of the staff my findings show that

there is a weakness in the technology resources used and fidelity of implementation. The

teachers at the school are still becoming comfortable with the MAISA guides, and for some

changing the lessons to a more comfortable format. The staff interviews showed that the

students were not enthusiastic about the technology used to support reading instruction. In

speaking with my mentor however she is working on developing a positive school culture

in an effort to increase teacher buy in. The school also has teacher leaders in each grade

level to look at curriculum instruction to help improve fidelity and effectiveness.

Strengths found in the reading curriculum were staff had received training on curriculum

materials, the curriculum used meets all the needs of the schools student population, and

the staff are devoted and focused on student learning. The school has quality resources

available to teachers in the area of reading instruction.

What is needed is continued support of the leadership, professional development in

technology usage, and opportunities in collaborative work to increase fidelity in the

teaching staff.
Appendix

Appendix A
Appendix B

Appendix C