Professional Learning Services for SPIRE 4E, SPIRE Up, or EPS Reading Accelerator

These sessions are intended for educators who are new to SPIRE (including iSPIRE and SPIRE Foundations), SPIRE Up, and Reading Accelerator. Each session is program-specific, and tailored to either teachers or leaders. It is recommended that everyone who will be implementing SPIRE, SPIRE Up, or Reading Accelerator attend a Getting Started session prior to beginning instruction with students.

These sessions are intended for educators who need extra support, or who may be restarting their implementation of SPIRE, SPIRE Up, or Reading Accelerator. Each session is program-specific, and tailored to either teachers or leaders. 

Each teacher works one-on-one with a coach who leads them through a self-reflective conversation about their implementation of SPIRE, SPIRE Up, or Reading Accelerator. Sessions focus on pacing, reviewing student work, and using the 6 "levers" to ensure successful student progress. Each 15-minute session ends with the teacher committing to a small next step to improve practice.  

EPS leader consultants work onsite with district leaders, building leaders, or instructional coaches to improve teacher coaching practice. They spend the day conducting classroom visits (10-15 minute walkthroughs) together, and learning to utilize walkthrough tools and coaching conversation protocols. The objective of this training is to equip the district team to adopt a teacher coaching practice that ensures a sustainable program implementation.  

EPS leader consultants work together with district and building leaders to assess the health of the overall literacy program (with a special focus on intervention), and create a plan for continuous improvement. The first step in the process is working with the leader consultant to select the classrooms for the instructional rounds. These should be a cross-section of classrooms that represent the range of literacy intervention initiatives. This work typically happens a couple of weeks before the rounds occur. In the virtual model, the EPS leader consultant sets expectations and explains protocols for classroom visits via video conference call. This is typically a 30-minute session early in the day. The district team (in groups of 2-4) then conducts visits to pre-selected classrooms. The next day, the district team convenes and debriefs their findings, with the EPS leader consultant leading the work via video conference.

This work can also be done onsite, with the EPS leader consultant visiting classrooms with the district leaders, and conducting the debrief in the same room. 

This 10-hour course provides each participant with an understanding of what the science of reading is, and how it can be implemented in the classroom. If a teacher is new to literacy instruction, or is making a shift from balanced literacy, this is a great first step prior to participating in program-specific training (but not required). Teachers and leaders may participate in this training.  

An experienced SPIRE trainer works with district trainers to prepare them to deliver SPIRE Getting Started training. There are two options for this service.