The Impact of

Reading Apprenticeship
on Biology Scores
Jessica Currin
Your Residency School Context
- Comprehensive High School
- EVAAS Growth: Index Score= +4.83 Status: Exceeded Growth
- School Letter Grade: B School Performance Score: 73
- 4-year cohort graduation rate: 86.0%
The Problem
Students are struggling in Biology. It is a required course for high school
graduation. Biology has an end of course assessment that all students take.
During the 2018-2019 school year, 51.9% of students at Sanderson High were
proficient in Biology and 45% of students at Sanderson were considered college
and career ready in Biology. 27% of black students were proficient compared to
76.3% of white students. During the 1st quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, 27
students scored an F and 23 students scored a D.
Current Biology Demographics and Data:
Students enrolled in Biology - 206
SPED students enrolled in Biology - 30
LEP students enrolled in Biology - 9
Students identified as SPED and LEP enrolled in Biology - 1
Females enrolled in Biology - 92
Males enrolled in Biology - 114
Current Biology Demographics and Data:
Current Biology Demographics and Data:
Assumptions
Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension are critical components to
a student’s success in Biology. With a focus on literacy skills in the
content areas, specifically Biology, students will have greater access
to the curriculum resulting in higher achievement scores.
Assumptions
Students in academic level Biology classes need the literacy support. No students
failed an honors level class and 27 students failed an academic level class.
Logic Model Overview
Resources
- Biology Teachers
- Ms. D - 7 years experience
- Ms. H - 19 years experience
- Ms. V - 3 years experience
- Literacy Coach - 19 years experience
- Principal Resident
- Assistant Principal of Instruction
- Reading Apprenticeship Program
Activities/Interventions
- Reading Apprenticeship Training - 3 days, WCPSS, All
Stakeholders
- Reading Apprenticeship Fidelity Checks - Principal
Resident, Literacy Coach, API
- Teacher Surveys - Beginning, Middle, End; Principal
Resident and Teachers
- Student Surveys - Beginning, Middle, End; Principal
Resident and Teachers
Activities/Interventions
- PLT Conversations - Biweekly, Data Focused, CFA;
Teachers and Principal Resident

- Coaching Conversations, Co-Teaching, Modeling -

Teachers, Principal Resident, Literacy Coach
Desired Outputs
- Biology teachers trained and implementing Reading
Apprenticeship with fidelity

- Teachers engaged in data conversations during PLT meetings

- Teachers creating and using CFA using strategies from RA

- Students accessing Biology content with greater success

Desired Outcomes
Short-Term:
- Increase in students’ engagement, fluency, and comprehension of
Biology texts
- Decrease in the number of students scoring D’s and F’s on report
cards

Long-Term:
Increase overall student proficiency on Biology EOC to 60% or
greater
Desired Impact
Students will have a deeper understanding of Biology content and
feel success in Biology.

Students will be equipped with skills necessary to increase

engagement, fluency, and comprehension of other content area
materials and texts.

All teachers trained and implementing Reading Apprenticeship.

Evaluation and Evaluation Questions
The program is intended to benefit students enrolled in biology at Sanderson High.

The effort intends to provide students with literacy skills to access content-area
curriculum.

The activities will take place between now and April 2020. This will cover the end
of second quarter, third quarter, and part of 4th quarter.

This effort is important to Sanderson High School because we need our students’
proficiency in Biology to increase. We also need are students to be able to access
texts with greater confidence and skills.
Evaluation and Evaluation Questions Continued
I will track students’ grades on interim reports and report cards. (2nd quarter
interim, 2nd quarter report card, 3rd quarter interim, 3rd quarter report card, and
4th quarter interim)

I will track students’ responses to student survey.

Do you feel successful in Biology? Yes or No
Do you understand the texts you read in Biology? Always, Sometimes, Never
Do you ask for help when you don’t understand something? Yes or No
(More questions to come after my training next week.)

I will track teachers’ responses to teacher survey.

(Questions will be based on what I learn in training next week.)
Evaluation and Evaluation Questions Continued
I will conduct biweekly fidelity checks based on criteria from Reading
Apprenticeship program training. This data will be analyzed and discussed with
teachers at PLT meetings.
Evaluation and Evaluation Questions Continued
Did the Reading Apprenticeship program impact students’ Biology grades in a
positive way?
What are your questions?