Final Reflection Part 2

             ·         Summary of the survey answers from your colleague

The survey answers from my colleague were that she felt supported and found observing me teach the lessons were the most valuable part. She wishes she could have observed more, but the sub shortage and COVID restrictions made it difficult. Things like explicit instruction of rhyme were something she never knew she had to teach. She also found it interesting that I had research to back up my strategy and not just a blog. She said that she liked that she can apply what she learned. I need to be more authoritative, though, because I do know what I am talking about.

·         What you did well and what you would change in the future.

The feedback I got from my mentor and colleague was that I collaborate well. I can get and apply feedback. I can help others buy into the common goal. I will freely share credit and acknowledge others' strengths. I feel like I communicated well with families. The county health department put one of my students on quarantine during the intervention cycle. I was able to communicate with the family and adapt his plan to meet his needs. I need to work on becoming more assertive and confident in my role. I have a quality knowledge base that others can benefit from.

·         How the process of supporting a colleague with setting literacy goals for students as well as providing research and resources will shape your future practice as a reading/literacy specialist

The process of supporting a colleague with setting literacy goals for students as well as providing research and resources will shape your future practice as a reading specialist by making me aware that not everyone bases their instructional strategies on research. She was genuinely surprised that there was research rhyme instruction. It also reminded me of the importance of sharing quality research and resources, not just something that shows up at the top of the list on google.

Final Reflection Part 1

·       Summary of your discussion with your mentor following the creation of the intervention reports

My mentor and I frequently talked throughout the intervention process. Following the creation of the intervention reports, the discussion included analyzing the data from the most frequent progress monitoring and comparing it to previous data. We discussed the revisions that needed to be made to the intervention plans and the next steps that could be taken. We also discussed how results would be shared with the families.   

·  Your opinion of the entire intervention process with each student, including developing interventions, implementing interventions, and progress monitoring/assessing

In the past years, my school’s intervention process was haphazard and inconsistent. Teachers would use their best judgment and take what data they had to SST regarding students they were concerned about, and then the team would ask what things had been done to support the student. Then the teacher would be sent back to try the suggestions of the committee and gather more data. Six more weeks would be lost. This year the intervention process has been streamlined and made consistent. Each teacher has been collecting the same data on the same data cycle. Then it’s compared across the grade level. Then the grade levels are instigating consistent research-based interventions. We have seen drastically improved results. Teachers, including me, are ecstatic with the results and not losing precious time trying to get what the committee wants. So, in my opinion, the changes that have been made have had a radically positive difference in the process and a positive impact on the student’s literacy skills.

·  The importance of communicating with families throughout the intervention process

The importance of communicating with families throughout the intervention process keeps parents involved and engaged in the process. It makes them feel like they are a valued part of the team and empowers them to continue learning at home.

·  How this process will affect your future practice as a reading/literacy specialist, specifically pertaining to working with students who are struggling in reading or writing

The intervention process will affect my future practice as a reading/literacy specialist, specifically pertaining to working with students struggling in reading or writing, because it supported me in understanding how vital a consistent process is for intervention is.

Post-Assessment and Evaluating Interventions

• Brief summary of the data analysis and discussion with your mentor
• Discussion of how working with your mentor throughout the intervention process has helped you more effectively meet the needs of each student.

Data Analysis and Discussion with My Mentor

Student one was able to correctly identify 26/26 lowercase letters, 26/26 uppercase letters, and 25/33 sounds. That’s a consistent knowledge of lowercase letters. A gain of one upper case letter and consistent knowledge of 25. Student one lost three sounds in the final assessment from the previous progress monitoring. It’s a gain of five sounds from the beginning of the intervention. After a discussion with my mentor, it was decided that intervention is going to continue to support student one with automaticity of the letters. 

Student two did not make progress towards the goal of producing a rhyme. Technically he did produce a rhyme for two of the words but student two parroted ones that were part of the whole group discussion earlier in the day. After a discussion with my mentor, it was decided that intervention is going to continue for student two but the activities being done are going to change based on the no change in the data. 

Student three was able to isolate the initial sound in 8/10 words. This is an increase of one initial sound from previous progress monitoring and two sounds from the baseline. After a discussion with my mentor, it was decided that intervention is going to continue for student three because the student missed over 70% of the intervention in person-days. 

It was a delight to learn from my mentor and learn from her. She is a data whiz. I learned a lot about how to use our data program to more effectively apply that data. I also learned a lot from her about taking into account the whole child and not just what is reflected in the data. Just looking at the data of my students you would never know that one just transitioned out of foster care and one was quarantined and is overcoming COVID.   She reminded me how important it is to consider those things when analyzing the data.