overview
Writing at High Levels in the Intermediate Grades
Holly M. Searl
Session Description:
NCLB requires all schools to continually improve so that all students make progress over time. In this session, participants will examine reading performance data of high achieving students, align the data with the demands of national and state writing standards, and identify strategies for offering more focused writing instruction at a high level in order to increase student achievement.
Holly M. Searl
Holly Searl is a school-based staff development teacher in Montgomery County, MD. Her multiple roles include coach, mentor, resource provider and program manager as she supports staff in the implementation of school system initiatives to improve student achievement. She has spent much of her career focusing on improving teaching and learning in Title I schools, by serving as a teacher, reading specialist, mentor and literacy coordinator in elementary and middle schools. Recently, she was part of a collaborative effort to restructure one of the lowest performing schools in the county. Through the focused efforts of the staff and school system, the school made AYP in all categories in 2003 and now serves as a model for schools with similar needs. Searl believes that all children can learn rigorous material given the appropriate instruction and adequate time.
