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the reading portion of the English Language Arts (ELA) standards for grades kindergarten
through five. Paraprofessionals have previously received training on the math standards.
Understanding the ELA standards will better equip paraprofessionals to work with students, even
lead guided reading groups. This training will also provide a new level of understanding
between paraprofessionals and classroom teachers, giving them a common language and
common understanding of the goals they are working towards.
In order to understand the CCSS/ELA, learners need time to read and break down the
standards through discuss, examples, and application exercises. Professional development
provides this opportunity.
Population Analysis
There are 18 paraprofessionals at Deep River Elementary School (DRES); of these 18
only 15 responded to the background survey (see Appendix).
Demographics
Age Range
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
Number of
People
2
1
2
4
4
1
Figure 1. Age
Respondent
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Years in
Education
5
5
9
27
16
7
14
25
16
Years at DRES
5
4
7
10
5
7
14
Left blank
Left blank
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10
11
12
13
14
25
16
19
19
15
12
15
15
40
13
Figure 2. Experience
The paraprofessionals are white, English-speaking females with an age range spanning
five decades, and a median age range of 50-59 (see Figure 1). One respondent declined to
provide her age range. Results also show a range of years of experience in education (see Figure
2). Of those years, however, many were spent at DRES. Again, one respondent declined to
provider her experience. There was no indication of need for accommodation for religious
holidays, or visual, hearing, or physical impairment.
Learning Styles
Method of Delivery
Number of People
On My Own
2
With Other People
2
No Strong Preference Between These Choices 11
In Person
7
Blended
7
Online Only
1
Figure 3. Learning Style Preferences
With few exceptions, paraprofessionals indicated no preference in terms of learning on
their own or with others. The group is split right down the middle in terms of preferring blended
delivery or face-to-face delivery, except one who stated preference for completely online
delivery.
Technical Skill
Technology
E-mail
Following links
Viewing, pausing,
rewinding video
online
Use Sometimes
could Use a
Refresher
2
2
4
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Google Drive
4
9
3
Figure 4. Computer Skills
Paraprofessionals indicate a wide range of technical skills. From observations and
conversations, it is clear all know the basics of computer usage and can check email. Not
everyone is comfortable surfing the internet, or using YouTube or Google Drive. Since the
training needs to be in a synchronous environment, given contract stipulations that
paraprofessionals will be paid for training, those unfamiliar with these technologies will need to
be paired with a more experienced learner.
Content Knowledge
Familiarity with CCSS/ELA
Number of People
Not at all familiar
3
Somewhat familiar
11
Very familiar
1
Figure 5. Level of Familiarity with CCSS/ELA
In terms of subject matter knowledge, the majority replied claiming some familiarity with
the ELA standards. However, in conversations with the author, the paraprofessionals maintain a
desire to learn more.
Learning Environment Analysis
The technology available in the training environment is fairly standard for an elementary
school. There is a computer lab equipped with 22 iMac desktops and a SMART board. The
school also has two mobile labs. One of these labs, assigned to grades three and four, is many
years old and has frequent performance issues (freezing). The other lab, assigned to grades five
and six, was brand new in the spring of 2014. Each classroom has a SMART board, as does the
library. Training could be in any of these locations, though would most likely occur in a
classroom, as the faculty usually meet in the library for their professional development sessions.
Technology Analysis
Training will involve computer work by individuals and/or small groups. Learners will
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use their district-provided Google Drive accounts to access presentations, links to videos or other
resources, quizzes, and other necessary materials. Each employee has a log in and password
created by the district. If a paraprofessional does not know their log in or password, the schools
Network Technician can provide the information.
Task Analysis and Content Mastery
To understand the CCSS/ELA, the paraprofessionals will need to follow the same steps as
the faculty when they learned the new standards. The following are the steps taken by classroom
teachers to breakdown and understand the CCSS/ELA for reading.
1. Read ten anchor standards.
2. Complete grade level appropriate presentation and sample exercises for each
standard in a small group or independently.
3. Discuss text complexity including current book leveling systems.
4. Order sample set of grade level appropriate texts according to complexity.
5. Complete post-training survey.
Since there are ten anchor standards, paraprofessionals will need more than one training
sessions to complete the steps outlined above. For the first session, the facilitator should aim to
complete the first step and the sample exercises for the first standard. Each session will require a
post-training survey. Below is a table outlining the specific skills and sub-skills needed to
successfully participate in the training.
Task
Read anchor standards
Skill
Reading comprehension
Sub-skills
Making connections and
inferences, analysis
View computer-based
presentations
Cooperation/Team work
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Complete survey
Evaluation
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Development Phase
After initial approval by the principal, the Reading Consultants will assist with the
development phase. The Reading Consultants are subject matter experts, and can help select
teachers and lessons to video tape, sample texts to use, and deliverables for use during the
session. The Reading Consultants will most likely act as facilitators. Classroom teachers with
reading certifications may also facilitate this training.
Implementation Phase
This training will take place on November 6, 2015, during the first of five districtallocated professional development times. On one Friday in November, January, February, April,
and May, students are dismissed according to the early release schedule, allowing training
sessions to start at 1:15 (Regional School District No. 4, 2015). Due to the variety in the
paraprofessionals daily responsibilities, there is a variety of times at which they leave for the
day. In order to have all participants complete the training, time must be capped at one hour and
fifteen minutes. Depending on how much material is able to be covered, participants
understanding as measured by formative and summative evaluation, and post-session surveys,
facilitators and participants do have the option of continuing the training on the next professional
development day (January).
Evaluation Phase
In addition to formative and summative assessments built into the lesson plans, each
participant will complete a survey after the training session is completed. This survey asks
participants their views about how the session went, as well as what knowledge and/or skills
gained during the training will be applied to their jobs, and what types of follow up support are
needed. Approximately one month later, in early December, participants will be surveyed again
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to assess how often they use the CCSS/ELA in their work, and how comfortable they feel in their
knowledge. The designer, facilitator, and Reading Consultants will meet before the holiday
break to analyze the survey results and discuss changes to the training module as well as
possibilities for future training.
Course Objectives
The following sections detail the design elements of this training module: the course
objectives, supporting learning theories, lesson structure, assessment plan, technology
specifications, and supplemental documentation needed for the training delivery.
Enabling Objective 1: Given description of the coding system, modeling by the
instructor, and a copy of the CCSS/ELA, paraprofessionals in the Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts workshop should be able to explain in writing the notation system
used to identify strands.
Enabling Objective 2: Given description of the coding system, modeling by the
instructor, and a copy of the CCSS/ELA, paraprofessionals in the Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts workshop should be able to identify the standard for three examples
presented in code.
Enabling Objective 3: Given instruction on the nine comprehension strands, a laptop, and
a copy of the CCSS/ELA, paraprofessionals in the Common Core State Standards for English
Language Arts workshop should be able to identify the strand being taught in three videotaped
lessons.
Terminal Objective: Given presentations, video demonstrations, group discussions,
exercises with the CCSS/ELA, and a sample reading group text, paraprofessionals in the
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts workshop should be able to compose
one comprehension question, appropriate for their grade level, for each comprehension strand
(strands one through nine).
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Learning Theory
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ample time to practice applying their new knowledge and receive feedback from peers and the
facilitator. Feedback also acts as a type of formative assessment, allowing the facilitator to
evaluate participants progress.
Lesson Structure
In keeping with the guided learning models addressed in the previous section, the lesson
structure, according to Gagnes Nine Events, is as follows:
1. Gain attention by emphasizing why the training is important and relevant to
paraprofessionals.
2. Provide objectives in plain English to make them more accessible to the
audience. This step provides a cue to the audience about how the content will
connect to their previous knowledge and their workplace (Clark, 2014).
3. Stimulate recall of prior knowledge by completing a concept map for
CCSS/ELA. New knowledge is constructed from old knowledge; therefore this
step is crucial in cueing the transferring in of previous experience. This activity
also lets the facilitator know of any misunderstandings that can be addressed
during the next step.
4. Present the material/Provide guidance for learning/Elicit performance/Provide
feedback for each of the topics below. Start with a general overview of the
standards documents organization and the ten reading strands. Explain that this
training will focus on the comprehension strands. This section delivers the
content and allows paraprofessionals to practice applying it.
a. Code: Explain the code used to identify standards and model translating a
sample code into the corresponding standard. Participants complete code
exercises.
b. Identify the Strand: Instructor models identifying strands from sample
videotaped lessons. Participants complete strand identification exercises in
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Summative assessment requires learners to apply their new knowledge and skill to a
novel task, showing their ability to use their knowledge flexibly and creatively (Perkins, 2009).
Therefore, the summative assessment for this training program is as follows:
4. Writing Comprehension Questions Individually, paraprofessionals will write
one comprehension question aligned to each of the nine comprehension strands.
Questions must be appropriate to the grade level(s) the paraprofessional works
with. Paraprofessionals will be given a sample reading group text on which they
will base their questions. Since leading reading groups is a task paraprofessionals
are often called upon to do, this exercise offers a real-world application of the
content (Lee, 2010).
All professional development in Regional District 4 includes a post-session survey. This
form asks participants to evaluate the instructor and the presentation, and reflect on how they
will apply the content to their work. Information gleaned from these surveys will help mold the
session for future delivery, and help the designer, Reading Consultants, and facilitator follow up
with participants as they apply their new knowledge.
Technology and Media Specifications
The room in which this training takes place must have a SMART board and computer for
the facilitator to display the presentations and videos for the whole group. Since the strand
identification exercise employs a different set of videos for each grade level, six laptops are
required (K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5/6).
To video tape reading lessons to use in the training, the design team will need either a
video camera or an iPad equipped with a camera. iMovie will be used to edit the video clips,
after which the clips will be uploaded to YouTube.
The design team will create a Google Doc to house the links to videos for each grade
level group. This page will be accessed by the paraprofessionals during the training session. As
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page will be the summative assessment, in which participants write comprehension questions
aligned to the anchor standards.
Existing Materials Needed for Training
Three types of existing materials will be used in this training. Firstly, participants will
use a copy of pages 10-12 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
document (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010). This includes the ten anchor
standards and the literature standards. Secondly, a range of childrens literature will be provided
to participants for their summative assessment. These texts will have reading levels ranging
from kindergarten to grade five, the grades covered by the Common Core document. Grade
levels two through five will use chapter books, while kindergarten and grade one will use picture
books. Since participants will only need excerpts, bookmarks may be used to identify starting
and stopping points within higher level texts. Participants reading texts at the kindergarten or
grade one level will read the entire text.
Lastly, the Regional District 4 Public Schools uses a standard evaluation form for every
professional development and training workshop. This form covers participants feelings and
opinions about the training, as well as the applicability of the content, and needs for future
support. Copies of the form will be supplied by the school.
Google Doc
For the second formative assessment, paraprofessionals will view three videotaped
lessons to identify the featured anchor standard. To better tailor the content to the participants
working lives, there will be several grade-level specific sets of videos. These lessons will be
filmed at Deep River Elementary, and then uploaded to You Tube. A Google Doc entitled The
Standards in Action will house the links to these videos, listed by grade level. Paraprofessionals
have received prior training in Google Drive and are comfortable navigating it independently.
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Facilitator Script
The facilitator script will use the Notes format in Power Point; the screen will appear at
the top of the page, and the bottom of the page will be the prompts. Notes about what to click or
tap in the presentation will be provided, as well as directions about appropriate times to use the
supplemental materials. Since the facilitator will have ample experience with the content and
with providing training to peers, most likely a reading consultant, the prompts will all begin with
In your own words, allowing the facilitator some freedom when presenting.
Implementation
The training will take place on November 6, 2015 in a classroom belonging to grade five
or six, in order to have furniture of a comfortable size for adults. One of the two Reading
Consultants will facilitate the session after meeting with the designer to review the lesson plans
and materials. This meeting will take place on an early release day in late October during parentteacher conferences.
As stated above, the classroom must have desks and chairs of an appropriate height as to
be comfortable for adults. Desks will be moved to create groups to seat four-five people, the
approximate number of paraprofessionals at each grade level. The room will be equipped with a
SMART board. Paraprofessionals will not need to bring any materials with them, and will use
laptops from the mobile lab reserved for fifth and sixth grade classrooms. Per district practice,
paraprofessionals will be contacted one week in advance of the session to alert them to location
and needed materials.
Evaluation
To appraise the success of the training, i.e. if participants met the learning objectives,
evaluations from the first two levels of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model will be implemented.
The first level measures reaction, participants thoughts and feelings about the training
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(Kirkpatricks Learning and Training Evaluation Theory, 2014). Hodell (2011) mentions that
smile sheets (p. 67), which ask for likes and dislikes, are the most frequent application of this
level of assessment, and DRES is no different. The district uses one survey form for all types of
in-house training. It includes a section for rating thoughts about the instructor, course
organization, and what participants liked best and least. The survey is given at the end of
instruction, before participants leave. In accordance with district policy, this survey form will be
utilized in this training module.
Level two of the Kirkpatrick model is learning. The learning level assesses growth in
participants knowledge and skill (Kirkpatricks Learning and Training Evaluation Theory,
2014). Level two evaluations are the formative and summative assessments that are tied to
learning objectives (Hodell, 2011). This module includes two instances of formative evaluation
and one summative assessment. The first formative assessment is to check that participants can
translate the shorthand code used in the CCSS to identify the specific standards. Secondly,
paraprofessionals will identify the reading anchor strand at the center of a videotaped lesson.
These assessments reflect knowledge and ability that are needed to apply the CCSS/ELA in
instruction. As a summative assessment, participants will use a given text and the anchor
standards to develop comprehension questions for a sample reading group. This sequence of
three assessments is tied to the learning objectives and evaluates participants change knowledge
of the CCSS/ELA.
After the training and evaluation at levels one and two are completed, the design team
will meet to analyze the results. The team may start to revise the module based on level one
feedback, and whether paraprofessionals were able to compose questions aligned with the anchor
standards. However, final revisions to the module will not happen until after level three
evaluations have been conducted. Kirkpatricks third level assesses change in behavior via on-
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the-job use of skills and knowledge (Dick, n.d.). One month after training, participants will be
surveyed about how often they use the training in their work, and how confident they are in
applying the training. With this data, the design team can evaluate if the learning objectives were
truly met, and alter the module if needed.
Conclusion
The changing world of education demands that all teaching adults continue to learn and
improve their craft. This includes paraprofessionals. This training aims to equip them with some
of the knowledge that certified teachers employ every day in the teaching of reading. While the
obstacles and barriers listed in this paper can be overcome with planning, perhaps the biggest
obstacle is a lack of attention from district administration. Despite years of requests from the
paraprofessionals themselves for more personalized, updated professional development, the
schedule remains dishearteningly similar year after year. This has led to an audience that tends
to be bored during the sessions provided by the district. Yet based on comments provided in the
background survey, many of these paraprofessionals desire to learn, and are enthusiastic about
the opportunity to update their knowledge and skills to better serve their students. This program
is just the first of many needed steps to build paraprofessionals instructional skills. Future
training should address the tenth reading strand of the CCSS/ELA, which deals with text
complexity, as well as school curriculum, and how to lead a reading group discussion while
assessing student understanding.
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References
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Leslie, C.A. (2014). Strategies for engaging FCS learners in a large-format classroom:
Embedded videos. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 106(3), 53-58.
Perkins, D. (2009). Making learning whole: How seven principles of teaching can transform
education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Reginoal District 4 Public Schools. (2015). Academic calendar August 2015 July 2016.
Retrieved from
http://reg4.k12.ct.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_177019/File/Calendars/USE_REVISION
%20APPROVED%20FEB%2026%202015-16%20Feb%2026%202015.pdf
Ruey, S. (2010). A case study of constructivist instructional strategies for adult online learning.
British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), 706-720. doi: 10.1111/j.14678535.2009.00965.x
Tovani, C. (2012). Minimize lecture, maximize learning: The workshop model. Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/minimize-lecture-workshop-model.shtml
Weber, S. (2014, April). Shut the front door [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
http://edge.ascd.org/blogpost/shut-the-front-door
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Puerto Rican
Other Hispanic or Latino
Multiracial
Other
I prefer not to answer
First language:
English
Other: _______________
Years working in the field of education:
Years at DRES in current position:
Previous positions in the field of education:
Do you have access to the internet at home? Yes / No
Do you prefer to learn new things:
On your own
With other people
No strong preference
Please rate your level of familiarity with the following topics with the following scale:
Not at all familiar I know little to nothing (1), I know some (2), or Very familiar I can
have a knowledgeable conversation about it (3).
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts:
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Please rate your level of comfort using the following technologies with the following scale: Not
at all comfortable I never use it (1), I use it sometimes but could use a refresher (2), or
Very comfortable I use it frequently and/or dont need a refresher (3).
E-mail:
Google Drive:
The following are different formats in which PD may be delivered. Please rank your preferred
methods with (1) being most preferred and (3) being least preferred.
__ In person: presentations, discussions, activities, time for questions.
__ Blend of online and in person: may be asked to watch videos or presentations on your own
before the PD session; the PD sessions itself would consist of discussions, time for questions,
and activities related to the topic.
__ Online only: watch videos, presentations, complete selected short readings and/or activities.
This would take place at school either in the lab or using the laptop labs.
Do you require accommodation for visual, hearing, or physical impairment?
Yes: _______________________________
No