Targeted Assistance Program focuses on getting students to grade in writing

After the dismissal bells ring in District 54, more than 1,200 first- through eighth-grade English Learner students at 26 elementary and junior high schools are still in classrooms working on their writing.

"What are words that you think of when I say the word 'winter'?" one teacher asks her second grade students. They eagerly take turns weighing in.

Snowman. Ice skate. We can drink hot chocolate! Hibernate.

"Oh, that's a good one - tell me about that word," the teacher prompts.

"Animals hibernate in the winter," the student responds.

The students continue the activity, developing a word bank to use in the writing assignment they are about to tackle. The learning target is sequencing in writing, so the group discusses that next.

"What are some ways we could start a sentence, especially when we're putting things in order?"

First. Next. After that. Finally. Then … it is time to write. The students move to tables from the floor in front of the interactive whiteboard and begin thoughtfully and diligently putting their thoughts on paper.

This is just one snapshot of a lesson taught as part of District 54's 10-week Targeted Assistance Program (TAP). TAP was developed by the District 54 Department of Language and Culture after a review of assessment data from the spring of 2015 indicated that writing is the area of greatest need for English Learner students. The program was launched in the 2015-16 school year for second- through eighth-grade students. First grade, with a primary focus on reading, was added for the 2016-17 school year.

TAP is connected to science and social studies content and concentrates on independent writing, with a focus on expository writing in the early grades and opinion/argumentative writing in sixth through eighth grade. TAP meets meet after school twice a week for 10 weeks beginning in early October. Students focus on one particular topic at a time, such as weather.

"The students are very interested in learning and writing about these topics," said Danette Meyer, assistant superintendent of language and culture for District 54. "The design allows students extended time for writing. They build their stamina throughout the program and by the end they are writing for 50 minutes at a time."

TAP directly supports the district goal of getting every student to grade, and is aligned with the Traits Writing program and English Language proficiency standards. More than 100 teachers have been trained to deliver Targeted Assistance and provided with interactive flipcharts, lesson plans, videos, visuals and student reflection pages to support planning and instruction. The structure of the lessons and the training the district provided these TAP teachers has benefitted many classroom teachers, as TAP teachers share ideas during Professional Learning Community (PLC) planning meetings that can then be incorporated into classroom writing lessons.

Instructional Coach Kristine Wahlund told the Board of Education earlier this year that feedback from students and staff after the first year of TAP was overwhelmingly positive, with 97 percent of teachers stating that their students were much better - and more confident - writers than when they began the program.

In 2015, a total of 570 District 54 students met the state of Illinois' English proficiency criteria as measured by the ACCESS assessment; in 2016 this number jumped to 707 students - 24 percent of District 54's English Learner students, compared with 15.9 percent of English Learner students statewide.

"Students have told me they have fun going to the program, and they have been able to take what they are learning in writing and apply it to what they do in their classroom. Their confidence has increased as writers/authors, and the first-graders have also increased their confidence levels as readers," said Aldrin Principal Mary Botterman. "We had some children who only signed up for one of the two days (each week). After experiencing only one day of TAP, those students' parents called and told us they had rearranged their after-school commitments so their children could attend both days."