The Pinellas County Schools Early Literacy Initiative (PELI) focuses on improving literacy outcomes for pre-K children, ensuring they are prepared for kindergarten. In partnership with Pinellas County Schools and the Pinellas County Early Learning Coalition (PCELC), principals, assistant principals, directors, coaches, teachers and associate teachers are engaged in on-going, high-quality professional development through Early Literacy Courses and bi-monthly Early Literacy Communities of Practice.
The Lastinger Center partners with Pinellas County Schools to support the design, implementation and evaluation of a research-based literacy professional development system for the district’s teachers, instructional coaches and administrators in order to bolster students’ literacy achievements. Professional learning experiences include:
- Access to online Literacy Matrix professional development content
- Summer virtual professional development for Literacy Matrix participants
- Summer Bridge reading camp
- Literacy coaching professional development
- Leaders of Early Literacy professional development
- Access to digital leveled-library and virtual resources
“The idea of collecting data and sharing that when coaching to discuss equity and being critically conscious was the most helpful.”
“It was eye-opening to learn about the science of reading. I am teaching 3rd grade, and many of my students are not able to read yet. This helped me better understand why.”
About PELI
Reading is vital for success in school and in life
The Pinellas Early Literacy Initiative (PELI) is a Lastinger Center initiative developed with the Pinellas Education Foundation and Pinellas County Schools that aims to improve kindergarten readiness rates and literacy proficiency among Pre-K and elementary school students.
The objective: to increase the number of students who are reading on grade level before they reach the third grade, when academic progress is assessed.
By marshaling resources to enhance support of Pre-K and K-2 teachers, leaders hope to impact the number of students who are kindergarten-ready and developing grade-appropriate literary skills.
Comprehensive Partnership Components
The initiative is rooted in the belief that teachers and leaders are the vital to higher student achievement. Teachers and other school leaders are using the resources and tools below to build their skills to develop the ability to transform reading instruction the county’s youngest scholars.
- Flamingo Literacy Matrix
- Flamingo Literacy Coaching
- Flamingo Small Group Literacy Instruction
- Flamingo Reading App
- Flamingo Early Literacy
- Family Engagement via the New Worlds Reading Initiative
It’s Working
The initiative is producing terrific readers. In the 2021-2022 school year, PELI-participant schools saw a 32% improvement in the number of second-grade students expected to reach proficiency on the third-grade Florida assessments, compared to a 4% improvement in non-PELI schools.
Partner with Us!
Contact our Language and Literacy Partnerships Manager Jessica Richards at jessica.richards@coe.ufl.edu to learn more about bringing the PELI model to your professional setting!
Florida Philanthropic Site Visit
Members of the Florida Philanthropic Network (FPN) visited Highpoint Elementary school on June 15, 2022, to see a charitable investment in action. The Helios Education Foundation and The Pinellas Education Foundation invested in reaching-based, high-quality professional development in the Science of Reading. Now highly skilled teachers are using their new skills and tools to help striving readers grow into confident reading scholars. Attendees:
- Visited a classroom to see the Lastinger Center’s Flamingo Small Group Reading Instruction Model in action with young scholars.
- Heard teacher testimonials on how the job-embedded professional development and coaching revolutionized their literacy instruction.
- Learned how this philanthropic investment has changed the trajectory of a school and children’s lives.
FPN Members can contact Bill Hoffman for more information.
Map
9:00 AM on June 15, 2022
Highpoint Elementary School
5921 150th Ave. N.
Clearwater, FL 33760