35j Literacy Grant
In the Spring of 2024, the Michigan Department of Education awarded a grant to Eastpointe Community School District totalling $319,170.00 to “improve literacy instructional practices by investing in high quality, research-based best practices, and professional learning.”
Curriculum
This generous and timely award helped fund the purchase of our new K-5 ELA Curriculum: i-Ready Literacy Portfolio. Magnetic Reading and Magnetic Reading Foundations are aligned to the Science of Reading.
The following materials were adopted in the Spring of 2024 and implementation began in the Fall of 2024.
K-2 Resources:
- Magnetic Reading Foundations
- Ready Reading
- Teacher Toolbox & Ready Writing
- i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment
- i-Ready Personalized Instruction
3-5 Resources:
- Magnetic Reading
- Ready Writing
- Phonics for Reading
- i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment
- i-Ready Personalized Instruction
Professional Development
The 35j legislation states that all pre-K to 5 teachers, building administrators, and instructional coaches must complete the selected professional learning.
With the adoption of new ELA curricular resources, we developed a robust plan to support our staff throughout various stages of implementation.
All staff participated in a full day i-Ready Literacy Portfolio Activation PD on August 21, 2024 to kick-off implementation.
In addition, the curriculum department, principals and instructional coaches in each building are supporting all teachers to ensure 100% Implementation with fidelity.
Throughout the school year, new teachers are onboarded with i-Ready videos and activation resources from the teacher toolbox. Weekly PLCs and frequent instructional coaching cycles are an additional layer of support.
We have also committed to support implementation of the i-Ready Literacy Portfolio with the following ongoing, contracted PD opportunities at various times throughout the 2024-25 School Year:
September 30, 2024 (DPPD DAY)
i-Ready Literacy: Monitoring and Assessing Student Performance (including use of Personalized instruction) .5 Day in each Lower EL
Using i-Ready Data to Inform Magnetic Reading Instruction (including Personalized Instruction) .5 Day in each Upper Elementary
October 1, 2024
i-Ready PD for K-5 Principals and Instructional Coaches: Leading Your Language Arts Core Implementation (8:30-11:30 am at Central Office)
October 7, 2024
K-5 ELA Learning Walks with i-Ready consultant; All 4 Buildings
October 8, 2024
K-5 ELA Learning Walks with i-Ready consultant; All 4 Buildings
October 25, 2024
i-Ready Leadership Consultancy: Principal Implementation Check-Ins tailored to building's needs; approximately 1 hour one-on-one sessions
January 10, 2025 (DPPD DAY)
i-Ready ELA (K-2) "Strengthening Instructional Routines"
i-Ready ELA (3-5) "Implementing Buddy Reading / Nurturing Young Writers"
January 28, 2025
i-Ready Leadership Consultancy: Principal Implementation Check-Ins tailored to building's needs; approximately 1 hour one-on-one sessions
February 10, 2025
K-5 ELA Learning Walks with i-Ready consultant; All 4 Buildings
February 11, 2025
K-5 ELA Learning Walks with i-Ready consultant; All 4 Buildings
35j Benchmark Assessment
Eastpointe Community Schools use NWEA MAP Growth as our current MDE-approved Benchmark assessment tool for students.
K-5 teachers also utilize the i-Ready Reading Diagnostic and Fountas and Pinnell (F&P) assessments throughout the year.
This is an exciting time for our staff and students! We are fully committed to living in to our strategic plan goal of a guaranteed and viable curriculum and supporting the implementation of high quality resources. We value learning and growing together and cannot wait to see the impact that this has on student outcomes.
