Case Studies – RWMP

St Pius X School, Hamilton

Untitled Document

This is an account from one of the schools, or clusters of schools, that have received funding from the Reading, Writing and Mathematics Proposals Pool (RWMP) to support programmes in reading, writing and mathematics for students years 1 to 6.

St Pius X is a five-classroom school in a south western suburb of Hamilton. The diverse community is home to a number of immigrant families, some of whom move away as opportunities open for them. The children therefore come from a range of ethnic and language backgrounds. The school has a strong Catholic-based ethos, and a concern for the school family both inside and beyond the classroom.

The issues

Over several years, comparisons were made of 6-year net results. Responses to School Entry Assessment (SEA) showed that children gained a good grasp of concepts about print and letters in their first year, but neither reading levels nor writing matched these gains. It seemed that their item knowledge was not transferring to interpreting ideas in text. Oral language skills, as measured by Junior Oral Language Screening Test (JOST) and Record of Oral Language (ROL) tasks, confirmed a need for strengthening oral language and its place in exploring meaning. The school sought to accelerate progress at all levels, with a special emphasis at year 1 and 2, to lay a sound foundation for continuing growth.

The planning

The aim of the Literacy Project was to improve learning through a coordinated approach that would bring together the expertise of the teachers (two-thirds of whom had Reading Recovery qualifications) with further professional development on effective ways of identifying individual needs. The plan promoted oral language as integral to learning, bringing parents fully into the process, and supporting every child throughout their school years.

This demanded a commitment from teachers to make changes to classroom practice. An experienced teacher, familiar with theories of linguistic development, was released to work with a Special Education Services (SES) speech language therapist, an English advisor, and other literacy leaders to plan whole-school professional development. This emphasised shared understandings, consistent approaches, close monitoring, enriching oral language, and sharpening the focus for individual children. The school also planned to train parents in how to listen to children's reading and explore meaning, both with their own children and as classroom assistants.

The actions

An ambitious programme was implemented during the first year of the project. Teachers read recent research, and observed researchers working with children. Participation in the Assessment for better Learning (ABeL) project extended the focus of professional development to action research. This was a significant means of improving school-wide classroom programmes, especially in identifying and responding to children's specific needs. Text-type frameworks for reading and writing were explored and built on. Increasing understanding of oral language was supported by better diagnostic strategies and questioning techniques. One outcome was the decision to reorganise Beginning School Maths (BSM) materials to reinforce their usefulness in language processing and thinking.

As the project developed, the school became part of the National Library's "Focus" development plan. The school library was completely reorganised by specialist staff from the National Library on a volunteer basis, and research skills as well as the library's place in the reading programme were clarified. Parents were increasingly drawn into the school, and some trained in Pause, Prompt, Praise techniques to assist their own children and, in some cases, work with small groups or individuals in the school. Some were trained in Hei Awhiawhi Tamariki ki te Panui Pukapuka (HPP) strategies, designed particularly for children making the transition from Māori – or, for St Pius X, Samoan and Iraqi – to English. This programme, which uses a wide range of storybooks to provide contexts for the tutor to expand ideas through oral language and phonological awareness, is especially helpful for children who are reluctant to use oral language. The employment of a Samoan teacher aide was another factor in strengthening school-community understanding. Parent helpers used the library as their home base.

The results

The data from a range of tests show that the focus on oral responses and other initiatives have improved results in interpreting text at all levels. Teachers recognise the links between "learning to read" and "reading to learn", and see them as two sides of one coin. The English achievement objectives have formed the basis for the development of specific learning outcomes so that there are school-wide expectations of excellence in learning and teaching. A critical element has been the selection of assessment tools that give maximum information that can be used in many ways. This has resulted in the best use of classroom time and has made a significant difference to children's learning.

The library is a lively and interesting place for children, parents, and teachers. Skilled staff manage volunteer help and involve the children, as well as making it easy for them to browse, read, borrow, and display their work. It has also become the natural centre for parents and the community, reinforcing its place at the heart of the literacy programme.

The school's close connection with the community is reinforced through the use of students' profile books, which are taken home at regular intervals to demonstrate progress. Students enjoy working on their books, and are learning to evaluate their own efforts. Teachers help them find ways of talking through their books with parents to get useful feedback. A newer initiative is a Home/School book – a clearfile of student work in a particular area. This book goes home with one child each night, and the family's comments are shared with the class, providing encouragement for the children and building awareness among parents of the range of work their children undertake.

Such a wide-ranging programme of development inevitably resulted in some stress for teachers. They were excited by what they were learning, and by the confirmation of their strengths, but they sometimes felt overwhelmed. As they have worked through their initiatives, however, they have been heartened by the results, and have developed a powerful sense of collegiality. They have woven together the resources of people, programmes, and expertise to realise their vision of having every child make progress, and in doing so are increasingly able to recognise and share their professionalism and build a learning culture. They have become experts at reflective practice – able to talk through their experiences and reinforce each other's abilities to spread best practice throughout the school.

Contact:

St Pius X School, 57 Pine Avenue, Melville, Hamilton
http://www.stpius.school.nz

2002

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