Bright Futures
GOAL3
As a team, we believe language and literacy are basic human rights, therefore we will provide guidance and support to impact the strategies and approaches implemented across the region. We commit to making changes in our community that effectively close equity gaps by sharing expertise and insights, making recommendations, and connecting authentic relationships and resources.
CHARTER
Strength in Interconnected Family & Community Systems
The physical, cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development of children are all connected and all essential. Success for our children is dependent on and interrelated to their family and community context, and the relationships that surround them. By implementing strong cross-agency/organization collaboration, coordination, and integration we can meet the entire range of needs of families in an effective and responsive manner.
Childrens’ Right to Access Equitable Opportunities
Equity is the just and fair inclusion into a society where all can participate and reach their full potential. It is not enough to understand that there are disparities among children and families, we must actively pursue transformative change (in policies, practices, and resource flows) to eliminate inequities, including those created by structural racism, sexism, able-ism, poverty, and other forms of systemic exclusion and discrimination. We know that a more equitable society will be better for everyone, and is necessary for creating a healthy, safe, thriving County.
Culturally Responsive Practices
We will use culturally responsive and reflective practices that promote social-emotional well being to the care and services we provide. The cultural strengths of the child, parent, and family will be identified, honored and nurtured to support culturally and linguistically diverse students succeed. We work to assure the literature that we expose students to is intentional, academically rich, and diverse. Because they engage in and are inspired by literature when their lived experiences are reflected in what they read, multicultural texts allow students to connect their home and school identities.
Co-Created Solutions
We believe in working with, for and by children and families- creating systems and practices that enable authentic community leadership of individual and community-wide solutions. We believe it is essential that community voice is at the table while programs are being designed, implemented, and evaluated to ensure they are effective in meeting the intended needs and are sustainable. All strategies will reflect our local context and respond to local priorities, cultures and values.
Practices Informed by Research & Results Focused
Practices and approaches taken to develop projects are based on current and sound research and above all, are relevant to the expressed needs of our community. We look to the tangible impacts of our actions to measure our success. Research, evidence and local data will be used to identify needs, evaluate change, and accelerate growth.
• PSDA
• Continuous Monitoring
• Review for Improvement
INDICATORS
51% of students who enter school fluent in English read and write on grade-level at the end of 3rd grade. 35% of English learners are re-designated as fluent by 5th grade, and 64% of those students read and write on grade-level in 5th grade.
STRATEGIES and DESCRIPTORS
- Create opportunities to collaborate and coordinate P-3 systems alignment
- Provide strong communication and resources throughout the community to support healthy child development
- Locate and develop high quality resources to support language development in P-3
- Locate and develop high quality resources to support early reading skills in P-3
- Ensure access to culturally responsive pedagogy
- Grow and expand high quality language development experiences, including access to dual immersion programs
- Increase opportunities to engage in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in both languages and multiple settings
- Provide families and caregivers equitable access to developmentally appropriate early learning resources
- Highlight family care practices that encourage healthy choices and build strong home-to-school partnerships
- Increase local family literacy support efforts
- Increase access to before and after school learning programs
- Prevent summer learning loss through school and community learning events and activities
- Provide opportunities for exposure to reading and writing outside of the P-12 classroom setting
- Identify/Communicate available community-wide resources and opportunities for local families
- Ensure explicit instruction in foundational reading skills (all students)
- Increase access to multi-tiered interventions through ongoing progress monitoring (individualized)
- Create opportunities to apply reading skills through deeper learning contexts
- Support curriculum implementation process
- Provide access to high quality, ongoing professional learning supports for teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals
- Increase funding and resources to reduce inconsistencies with teacher quality
- Create opportunities for new teachers to receive support, coaching and mentoring
- Build teacher efficacy and coherence
2020-2021 ACTIVE PROJECTS
• BUDDY READING PROJECT: A virtual cross-age read aloud library. An accessible tool for teachers and a read aloud opportunity for students and families. Features Monterey County high school students as readers of their favorite stories.
• LITERACY TOOLKIT: A literacy toolkit to guide parents and informal teachers of children in
PK-3 grades to support reading development. The toolkit includes activities and strategies for addressing reading challenges and meeting benchmarks at each grade level.
• COMMUNICATION CORNER: A quarterly newsletter to inform educators, families, and community members of new resources and upcoming events in Monterey County that extend language and literacy opportunities for primary-aged children.
• LOCAL STUDIES to SUPPORT LANGUAGE & LITERACY OUTCOMES: The Bright Futures, Goal advisory committee works in partnership with local communities to determine needs and best practices in Language & Literacy.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Our committed partners in advancing and accelerating language and literacy outcomes for Monterey County children.
Dr. Rosa G. Hernández
Director of Teaching & Learning, PK-12
Monterey County Office of Education
Dr. Caryn Lewis
Assistant Superintendent of Ed. Services
Monterey County Office of Education
Raquel Camberos
Program Coordinator: Early Language & Literacy
Monterey County Office of Education
