MADISON METROPOliTAN SCHOOl DISTRICT - School Information ...

Appendix A
Grades K-2 Literacy Walkthroughs
Background: Observations of literacy classes, or, walkthroughs, were scheduled
for seventeen of MMSD' s highest poverty elementary schools during the months of April
and May. Three administrators visited each school for a half-day for a minimum of 12
hours of observation per school. All K-2 classrooms are observed for at least an hour by
one of the three administrators. Second/third grade classrooms were observed in schools
with multi-aged instructional designs. When substitute teachers are present, follow-up
observations were attempted.
The purpose of the walkthroughs was to provide schools with a baseline of literacy
practices and to communicate a district snapshot of K-2 observable literacy practices
when student routines and independence are well established. Although not a complete
picture, the walkthroughs provided evidence of teaching emphasis, expectations,
school/district implementation efforts and additional anecdotal information that might
suggest potential areas for consideration.
Timeline: April16- May 25, 2012
May 30-31,2012
Observations
Meet with principals to discuss results of the
observations
Observation Tool: Please see the attached document. This is an observation
protocol merging documents developed by Fountas and Pinnell and Dom. This
observation tool was selected because it captured the general categories of literacy
instruction that would be included in a 90-120 minute literacy lesson. Observers could
capture any of the elements observed during the 60 observations. An additional section,
classroom environment provides a way to document materials and classroom structures.
Preliminary Findings:
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1. The majority of primary literacy environments were organized around a Balanced
Literacy Model. However, within that model, there was significant variation in
what the model looked like. This lack of consistency was seen both within and
across all 17 schools.
2. Most classrooms were organized in a planned and thoughtful manner. Attention
was given to the development and use of a classroom library, individual book
boxes and areas where students could work in pairs or small groups.
3. Although classrooms in most schools were thoughtfully organized, some
classrooms were cluttered and there were not optimal environments for learning.