1) First of all, could you provide a little background on the grant that you recently received and what are the expectations from the district?

Hearne ISD in Hearne, TX was the only 2007 Early Reading First award given in Texas. The grant was highly competitive with over 800 applications in the original proposal and 150 applicants invited to complete part II of the process. Of that 150, only 32 were selected nationally.

The expectations are for high student achievement and to close the achievement gap. Our school district and its partners (Head Start, First Step Child Development Center, Tender Care Learning Center and Calvert ISD) promised in the grant to increase student achievement. We will follow the 2007 cohort of children into first grade to monitor growth and achievement.

2) Which areas received the highest focus: teacher training, assessment, or the intensity of instruction?  Why do you feel these three areas are key?

Teacher training, our embedded staff development model is key. While all three are important components, teachers are the most important. We believe that by providing on-going staff development with the follow-up support of the literacy coaches will make the difference in student achievement.

Assessment is also an important piece to our grant. Teachers are administering two standardized tests (PPVT-III and PALS PreK) as well as conducting their own, but intentional informal data collection.

The professional development (demonstration lessons from qualified consultants) is embedded and models intentional instruction in an age appropriate way. Teachers promise to implement the strategy they see and record "how it went" in a reflection journal.

3) What outstanding team members are in place including organizations and universities?

Our team of consultants are by far the best in the country. We have Drs. Sharon O'Neal-Texas State University, San Marcos and Susan Keehn-The University of Texas at San Antonio. In addition we have master level preK teachers who also conduct the demonstration lessons. After each lesson the consultantdebriefs with the teacher about what she saw and the children's responses to the visitor.

4) What do you feel is the most critical area needing attention and how did you go about addressing it?

I believe that our most critical area in need of attention is to focus on oral language development and background knowledge. Our children are from a very rural and impoverished community. The need for intensive oral language development first and foremost a priority in our district.

The classroom teachers must be very appreciative of all the additional attention and expert assistance which they have received this past year. Can you share some of the feedback from teachers?

Our teachers are thrilled with the demonstration lessons and the new materials that they have received from the grant.They report getting a new perspective of what their children can and can't do. That is the beauty of this project. While the demonstration lesson is going on in their own classroom, they get to view instruction from a different perspective. For example, when the consultant is modeling a very engaging lesson, they see children who normally disengage become engaged and participate fully in the lesson. In addition they see their students learn concepts and skills that they didn't think they could do.

5) Are you looking forward to the coming year? What will be some areas upon which you will focus?

Absolutely, we have an exciting summer academy planned for our teachers and instructional aides this summer, a summer school "fishin' for good readers" for our children, and "Jump Start to Kindergarten" two weeks prior to the start of school for our most at risk children. We say at risk for not making a smooth transition into kindergarten. In Jump Start we will have only 6 children to one teacher. That way our instruction will be focused and intense.

6) What innovative things are you trying in Hearn ISD? 

See the answer to question number 2.

7)  How are you measuring or defining "success "? What parameters or tests are you using?

We are using multiple measures to gage success. We are looking at anecdotal data from the teachers' reflections, the literacy coaches' logs as well as the standardized assessments—PPVT-III and the PALS. We define success as children who make a smooth transition into kindergarten knowing almost all their letters, sounds, know a few sight words, and socially and emotionally transition into a full day program without a rest period.

Published April 22, 2008

Next in series: Interview with Mrs. Casey Owens: Good Beginnings Program