Regional Spotlight: Early Progress Foreshadows Successes to Come

Regional Spotlight: Early Progress Foreshadows Successes to Come

By Blair Jinks, Regional Literacy Specialist

As a Regional Literacy Specialist with The Center for Literacy & Learning, I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to work in Calcasieu Parish, a parish that has welcomed me with open arms! Working with schools that support the ideas and theories surrounding the Science of Reading has led to literacy coaches’ successes in their schools. Because this is year one for the schools, I feel like this is the year of building the knowledge base of the Literacy Coaches.

The coaches and I have reviewed many LDOE Science of Reading Summer Professional Development sessions. I have developed a re-delivery plan that will gradually introduce the teachers they work with to the most pertinent aspects of the Science of Reading. Many have also engaged in the research and have asked to be directed to more resources to be able to dive deeper.

The Region 6 Literacy Coaches have absorbed this life-changing knowledge. They have gone on to re-deliver and support the teachers they work with as they monitor fluency, analyze data, and construct and implement sound walls into their everyday instruction. Walkthroughs are becoming more and more beneficial as the coaches’ knowledge of the Science of Reading deepens because they are now starting to look at these classes through a SOR lens. They can pinpoint when literacy instruction can be strengthened or adjusted to meet all students’ needs.

The Region 6 Literacy Coaches are passionate educators who want to see all students achieve literacy success. I am amazed every day at how they take the smallest amount of knowledge I provide regularly and turn it into something exponentially beneficial and impactful. Coaches have transformed the information they learned into monthly newsletters to redeliver to their teachers. In fact, students used sound walls and mirrors only two weeks after the concept was first introduced to the Literacy Coach.

Literacy is being prioritized! Students are developing a love for reading! As you can imagine, this warms my heart and lights a fire within me because I know this is only the beginning! After three short months, I can only imagine our students’ accomplishments after one year with all these successes taking place.