At The Project School, the majority of the teaching of reading and writing occurs through the workshop model. Workshops are highly structured, predictable, purposeful, and well planned; they allow for students to take initiative, create work, and learn in a way that is meaningful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n TPS Literacy Framework was developed using the very best thinking of the founders of TPS, standing on the shoulders of the most brilliant literacy minds in the nation.\u00a0 That said, there were students who we were not having the level of success that our school holds ourselves to and we knew that a change was needed.<\/p>\n In the spring of 2011, which was the middle of our second year in operation, our literacy data was showing that our lowest performing 25% of students were not excelling at the rate in which we had hoped.\u00a0\u00a0 Due to this, the decision was made to begin an additional intervention structure that would allow for those reading below grade level to receive additional instruction.\u00a0 After much research, LLI was determined to be the intervention that would be purchased and implemented immediately.<\/p>\n The major challenge to implementation of LLI is having the resources needed.\u00a0 While the LLI program itself is expensive, it is a one-time cost for the needed materials.\u00a0 This was accomplished through a consortium of funding sources.\u00a0 The longer-term challenge comes in the staffing needed for implementation.\u00a0 Creative use of staffing has allowed TPS to ensure that students who are in need of LLI can receive the service in a small group (typically 2-3 students) to reap the benefits of the intervention.\u00a0 This was achieved through Title I, special education, and other sources.\u00a0 An additional challenge has been in guaranteeing fidelity to the model.\u00a0 This has been achieved through coaching of the professional development and the actual implementation.<\/p>\n LLI (Leveled Literacy Intervention), has proven to show great strides with the majority of students participating in this program.\u00a0 We believe this to another reason that 97% of our 3rd<\/sup> graders passed IREAD-3 in 2013.\u00a0 We currently use LLI with students K-8 at their instructional level.<\/p>\n In looking at change over time for IREAD scores, TPS has had a very positive trend, increasing the passing percentage and outperforming the state average. Over the past four years The Bloomington Project School has made great strides on ISTEP+.\u00a0 During that time, The Project School has increased their passage rate by an astonishing 24% \u2013 improving each year \u2013 and placing the school in top 3% of all schools in improvement over the past four years.\u00a0 All of this improvement has culminated in 81% of Project School students passing both the ELA and Math ISTEP+ in 2013, well above the state average (74%). TPS has a strong history of performance and improvement on the ISTEP+ and is one of less than 2% of Hoosier schools that can say they have improved on both the ELA and Math portions of the ISTEP+ each of the past four years.\u00a0 When this improvement is coupled with the school\u2019s strong performance in 2013, there is little doubt that TPS is quickly ascending the list of highest performing (and quality) schools in the state.<\/p>\n![\"Literacy](\"http:\/\/espace.bsu.edu\/bestpractices\/files\/2014\/08\/Literacy-Framework_-Focus-on-LLI.jpg\")
<\/a>Issues this Best Practice Addresses:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Major Challenges to Implementation:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Benefits Derived from Implementing this Best Practice:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Evidence Illustrating Success:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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