Consulting
"Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together." - James Cash Penney
Our Consulting Approach
We are thought-partners. We work with educators to set goals, transform instruction, and build sustainable literacy structures that are tailored to their setting.
Paul Cuffee School
Providence, RI
Start your literacy journey.
Consulting Services Overview
Set Goals
"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." - Tony Robbins
Literacy Knowledge & Practice
Before you can start your literacy transformative journey, you need to know where to begin! We conduct surveys, interviews, walk-throughs, and observations to provide a comprehensive review of your school’s literacy practices (including instruction, assessment, & curriculum), and all educators’ professional knowledge of literacy. Findings and recommendations are then provided, giving you the knowledge you need to make a plan.
Literacy Vision
A vision sets clarity and purpose for the work ahead – it defines the finish line. We guide schools to find their why (of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle), connect it to their mission, and use both to form a literacy vision statement.
Literacy Action Plan
Turn your literacy vision into a plan. Five meetings facilitated by our team will result in the “first best draft”of a Literacy Action Plan, with specific action steps for each of the five priority areas of literacy: Leadership, Assessment, Instruction, Professional Learning, and Family Engagement.
Transform Instruction
"The single greatest effect on student achievement is not race, it is not poverty - it is the effectiveness of the teacher." - Harry Wong
MTSS Literacy Framework
We will guide your team in building structures and tools to create a strong MTSS framework for literacy that will enable teachers to provide evidence-based instruction to help all students:
Roles & Responsibilities
Defined roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders , with established lines of communication, set a clear path to begin this work.
Curriculum Selection
Teachers teach students, not a curriculum. There is no perfect curriculum out there that has it all. With that being said, having evidence-based materials to support instruction is invaluable. We guide educators to select curriculum and supplemental materials.
Assessment Calendar
Map out when your school will administer assessments and hold data analysis meetings to form tiered groups and instructional goals for students.
Assessment Flowcharts
We will evaluate your universal screening, benchmark, and progress monitoring assessments, then provide guidance to select those that are evidence-based. The outcome is the creation of a flowchart for each grade that shows when to administer assessments. You’ll have all the tools you need to learn your students’ literacy strengths and needs.
Assessment Training
Learn how to administer and analyze each assessment of the flowchart. Educators will use the data findings to form tiered instructional groups and goals on data days.
Data Days
Form data-based tiered instructional groups and goals for all students. We offer support to launch and guide teams’ data days, including facilitation, procedure, protocols, and use of RTI & PLP documents. Roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders, with established lines of communication, set a clear path to begin this work.
Professional Learning Fused with Coaching
From small groups to district-level, and 90 minutes to a full day – we provide tailored professional learning and coaching to meet an identified literacy goal and guide implementation.
Be Sustainable
"Hold the vision. Trust the process." - Unknown
Inner Support Systems
We never stop learning and growing. Schools must be a safe and consistent learning space in which educators collaboratively study, exchange expertise, and offer feedback to improve student outcomes. Partner with us to establish and launch internal support systems, including literacy leaders, open door classrooms, observations & feedback practices, and professional learning communities.
Facilitation of Literacy Action Plan
Once an action plan is made, tracking progress and knowing what steps to accomplish next can be overwhelming. We provide support and advise schools/districts as they continue on their literacy journey.
Family Engagement
Families play a key role in their student’s literacy development. We help educators design and launch literacy outreach methods and practices to both inform and involve families.