Literacy Strategies in Every Classroom
By: Cynthia Clingman, English Language Arts Consultant, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Michigan

Searching for strategies to support your goal of improving reading and writing across the curriculum? Explore the possibility of research-based literacy strategies for your adolescent readers and writers. Click here to learn how educators in Michigan are using the findings from recent national and federal initiatives to apply literacy strategies in all content areas.

Working on improving students' reading comprehension? Looking for examples of good reading action plans? Click on the following links to see sample plans developed for the elementary and secondary levels.

• Elementary level sample reading action plan
• Secondary level sample reading action plan

These plans appear in our Reading Assessment Guides which contain a wide array of additional resources for school improvement committees working on improving students' reading skills. To order these guides, visit http://www.ncacasi.org/catalog/category?category=Publications.

• Useful websites for reading strategies and resources
• Communication: Reading for Elementary Level Assessment Guide
• Communication: Reading for Secondary Level Assessment Guide
• Breakthrough School Improvement™ -- An Action Guide to Greater and Faster Results
• The October 2005 issue of Education Leadership published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development http://www.ascd.org is focused on Reading Comprehension. It contains numerous articles aimed at helping schools improve students' reading skills.

Promising Practices: Focusing on Freshmen Reading at Bellmont High School, Indiana
"We decided to use NCA as the means to move our school improvement efforts forward."
Adrian Richie, Principal

Located in Decatur, Indiana, Bellmont High School serves 935 students in grades 9-12. The school has engaged all faculty members, students, and the school community in pursuing their school-wide goal of improving reading comprehension. Click here to read about how they are focusing on freshmen literacy as a starting point to improving school-wide reading performance.

Success Story: Developing Writers at Mentone Elementary School, Mentone, Indiana
We featured Mentone Elementary School in our September Raising Student Achievement: Practices that Work e-series. We are providing a link to it for those of you who have not had a chance to read it. The school goes beyond helping students improve their writing performance on state tests. They focus on developing writers, and the results have been tremendous. In 2001, only 18% of third graders received a passing score on the writing development portion of the ISTEP (Indiana's statewide assessment). In 2004, 73% received a passing score. Click here http://www.ncacasi.org/publications/eseries/2005-09.pdf for the full story.

Assisting Schools Impacted by Katrina - www.sacscasi.org Our sister accrediting organization in the South, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), has created a special portion of their website devoted to matching schools in need with schools who are able to provide needed resources. To view a list of schools in need and to post resources/supplies that you would like to donate, visit http://www.sacscasi.org. Special thanks go to the following NCA schools that have posted materials and offered assistance on the network:

• State Street Elementary School, Kansas (conducting a student-led fundraiser from October-December called "Dimes for Disaster" - student population is 80% free and reduced lunch)
• Harvey Elementary School, Michigan (organizing a new/gently used tradebook collection)
• Dakota High School, Michigan (posting textbooks for donation)
• Isabel High School, Oklahoma (posting textbooks for donation)
• Harrisburg High School, South Dakota (posting textbooks for donation)
• Alma Scrader Elementary School, Missouri (posting desks for donation)
• C Bar V Ranch School, Wyoming (conducting a student-led fundraiser to raise money to purchase crayons and other supplies for a Katrina impacted school)

NCA CASI, SACS CASI, and NSSE Partnership. In several communications we have shared with you our recent partnership with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) and the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE). We are pleased to announce that we have established a name for the partnership - the International Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (ICASI). Representing 30 states, 22,000 schools, and 5,000 school districts, ICASI is dedicated to:

• Helping schools maximize student success;
• Building the capacity of schools and school systems to pursue excellence through high standards, quality assurance, and continuous improvement;
• Bringing together research and resources for student, school, and system improvement.

Click here to read the latest progress of our work through ICASI.

NCA CASI's 111th Annual Meeting: Learning Matters
April 2-5, 2006- Chicago Downtown Marriott, Chicago, IL
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Rick DuFour
Educator, Consultant
"How to Build Professional Learning Communities"

Dr. Ruby Payne
Founder and CEO, Aha! Process, Inc.
"A Framework for Understanding Poverty"

Join us for NCA CASI's 111th Annual Meeting "Learning Matters." Participate in the over 100 practitioner-led concurrent sessions. Sign up for one of several pre-conference sessions focused on topics related to improving student performance. In addition, each keynote speaker will be offering special in-depth sessions for interested conferees.

For schools wanting support and training in the NCA CASI school improvement process, we are offering a conference strand on the eight phases process. We are also offering for the first time a special strand designed specifically for private schools.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.ncacasi.org/event/meeting.

State Workshops
NCA CASI offers national and state conferences and workshops on all aspects of school improvement. Click here http://www.ncacasi.org/members/documents/member_catalog.pdf to view a catalog of the over 325 offerings available across the region.

Introduction to Systems Thinking
For Educators Interested in Pursuing District Accreditation
Producing great results in student performance requires high performing systems at every level of operation in a district. This introductory workshop is designed to help districts: 1) align improvement efforts throughout the district, 2) make sound decisions based on data, and 3) increase the efficiency of operations that lead to improved student performance. The workshop focuses on systems thinking, process management, and the capacities necessary to create high performing districts.

For more information and to register, visit: http://www.ncacasi.org/district.

NCA CASI/UNL School Improvement Specialist Program
NCA CASI has teamed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to offer a series of graduate-level web-based courses focusing on the school improvement process. Don't miss out on this great opportunity. This interactive web-based program allows you to seek continuing education while accommodating demanding work and personal schedules. Join fellow NCA CASI teachers and administrators beginning their school improvement journey. The next class begins Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Register today by going to http://extended.unl.edu/ncaimprove or by calling or mailing 402-472-4340 or ncaimprove.unl.edu. Click here to read a testimonial of a recent graduate.

About e-News
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Thank you for reading this issue of NCA CASI e-News. To view past issues of e-News, go to http://www.ncacasi.org/enews/index. Please report problems to enews@ncacasi.org.

North Central Association
Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement
P.O. Box 871008
Tempe, AZ 85287-1008
800-525-9517
http://www.ncacasi.org

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