Year 1 2017 – 2018 – Literacy

Introduction

· This year the focus of SSE will be literacy.

· The literacy target s from the DEIS Plan will be the focus.

· Comprehension is the area of literacy to be examined.

Students will gain greater proficiency in the area of comprehension. The teaching of comprehension will be more explicit, draw on a broader range of teaching methodologies and take place in a wider range of settings.

In school year 2016-2017, the school invited in the NBSS, to assist us in how to best accommodate the students with low reading ages.

Literacy Targets

1. Develop a targeted learning support programme for the weakest 10% of first year students to include life skills for targeted literacy/numeracy students with a reading age below 8 and rise their reading age by 18 months over the school year.

2. By the end of third year, all students entering the school in first year with a reading age below 10 will have increased to a reading age of 12 or over (23% of 1st Years in 2015/16 entered with reading age below 10).

3. To reduce the percentage of senior cycle students with literacy problems (reading age under 12) by 5% per year per year group.

4. To develop a reading culture in the school ensuring each first year student will read five books for pleasure throughout the year.

Measures/Actions

· Give first year students access to one reading class per week where a range of reading initiatives and general library classes can occur.

· Run JCSP literacy and national literacy strategies – Reading Challenge, SRA kit, Make a Book, DEAR

· Testing of all students at the end of the year to record gains in reading and identify target students.

· Complete a review of the needs of the student cohort and ensure students receive necessary support to develop literacy throughout the curriculum – include HSCL, JCSP, LS, SCP. Also inform teachers of students’ specific needs.

· Increase use of student testing results (NGRT, PTM, CAT 4) to inform teaching methods and intervention for students.

· Use JCSP Profile meetings to discuss students’ needs and initiatives to overcome students’ difficulties. Also discuss measures to push potential high achievers.

· Use recommended NBSS programmes and resources i.e. literacy and comprehension programmes such as Vocabulary Enrichment Programme and Rapid Plus Readers.

· Staff will actively engage in internal and external CPD in the area of comprehension e.g. first year English teacher will engage in the Vocabulary Enrichment Programme training facilitated by NBSS.

· All teachers will introduce a comprehension strategy into their teaching.

· Assist parents in building the general skills needed to assist students with their homework and study in particular English and literacy skills.

· Develop Basic Life Skills and agreed learning support programme for weakest students.

· Discuss literacy in the classroom with the whole staff and develop ways for literacy to be included in each subject.

· Each first year student will take part in one JCSP literacy initiative each term.

· Each first year student will read 10 books throughout the year.

Monitoring

Overall evaluation: Literacy Co-ordinator for DEIS will monitor these measures throughout the year and bring the findings of the evaluation to the DEIS team at the end of the academic year.

· Reading progress of each student and progress of students in JCSP initiatives recorded by JCSP co-ordinator

· Testing of literacy levels at the end of each academic year and record of gains by each students reviewed.

· Details of students and their learning support or language needs reviewed at JCSP profile meetings and staff discussions.

· Literacy discussions at staff meetings recorded with outcomes set.

Success Criteria

Attainment of targets set out be assessed by school based testing and standardised testing