This comprehensive guide addresses the fundamentals of designing and directing a high-quality elementary reading program. Step by step, the book provides the knowledge needed to ensure that teachers and students benefit from scientifically based reading research. Aided by reproducible figures and many detailed examples, preservice and practicing literacy coaches learn best practices for:
*Analyzing student achievement.
*Selecting new curricula, texts, and resources.
*Providing professional development.
*Assisting individual teachers.
*Engaging the whole school community in supporting positive change.
This was a treasure trove of info on being a literacy coach. I think my favorite section was the RtI section. I loved the idea that RtI really should be renamed Response to Instruction, instead of Intervention, since changing our instruction is what's going to have the biggest impact in our classrooms before tackling Tier 2 or Tier 3 issues.----------------------------More homework-oh-homework for my K-12 reading license class. That being said, the first few chapters that I read (chapters 1 and 5) have been informative. Chapter 1 told me all about literacy coaches and what they do and Chapter 5 covered the ins and outs of various kinds of assessments. Even with all of the testing talk that we have in our district, I still found some good food for thought in the assessment chapter. So far, so good.
2nd Textbook for a Literacy Coaching Class - much less personal than Cathy Toll's Literacy Coach Survival Guide - but also some very good, concrete chapters regarding testing, scheduling, and materials evaluation. Borrow from library -- not a staple you need to buy.