What Administrators Say About Partnering with the California Writing Project

We have been working closely with the Northern California Writing Project (NCWP) to improve the teaching and learning of writing in our entire district. Our experience with NCWP has been exemplary. Their professional development has been flexible, rigorous, high quality, and relevant to our teachers. Our experience last year was so positive that we have already arranged for forty hours next year.

Dave Schumaker, Superintendent, Mountain Valley Unified School District

The Whittier Union High School District has worked with the South Basin Writing Project for six years. We have found their expertise and support invaluable in coaching teachers, deepening understanding of instructional techniques, helping teachers develop curriculum and become curriculum experts, and providing assessment in writing for our ninth-grade students. The writing project continues to support our five comprehensive high schools in all areas of literacy.

Nancy R. Bosserman, Director of Staff Development and Accountability, Whittier Union High School District

We have greatly enjoyed and benefited from our partnership with the UC Merced Writing Project.
Probably the activity that has produced the greatest impact on our teachers has been the very strong support for the augmentation of writing in our newly adopted Reading/Language Arts texts. Without this help and support, our new text implementation and the concomitant need for enhanced staff development would not have been met.

Susan Delaware, Assistant Superintendent, Atwater Elementary School District

Intensive professional development is one key element in improving instruction. Teachers need on-going professional development to examine and re-examine their practices in addressing the needs of our diverse student population. The Bay Area Writing Project has an excellent track record working with teachers to use “best practices” in aligning the curriculum to the standards and using research-based strategies.

Anita Lau, Principal, Francisco Middle School, San Francisco Unified School District

A partnership between the Siskiyou County Office of Education and the Northern California Writing Project makes it possible to engage teachers in our small, rural, isolated schools with engaging and relevant programs that not only increase their content knowledge and pedagogical skills, but also build their leadership capacities.

Karen Holmes, Curriculum Specialist, Siskiyou County Office of Education

Our partnership with the UC Merced Writing Project has given our teachers the skills they need to provide students with a strong and effective standards-based writing program. I have seen significant growth in our students’ achievement since our partnership began and look forward to our continued association in support of our students.

Alan Rasmussen, Superintendent, Merced City School District

SAUSD has a long history of collaboration with the UCI Writing Project. Our most recent collaboration has been with the Pathway/OBEMLA dissemination grant (2001-2004). I have been encouraged by the compelling statistical evidence of success with our LEP students who have been taught using writing project methods. I have been encouraged by the professionalism of our teachers who have received staff development and demonstrated these new strategies to their colleagues. Perhaps most impressive has been the California High School Exit Exam Pathway scores where 74 percent passed on the first attempt and 22 percent on the second attempt. The Pathway average of a 96 percent pass rate far exceeds both district and rates.

Al Mijares, Superintendent, Santa Ana Unified School District

The partnership between the Great Valley Writing Project and Teel Middle School has improved student writing—especially for our high-risk and English learner students. Teel teachers continue to build on the foundation laid down by our staff and the writing project. The partnership provided strong work, and I am pleased to see vast improvements in the teaching of writing. I sat in recently on a writing scoring session and listened to the teacher’s positive remarks about the partnership and witnessed a dramatic improvement in EL student writing from fall to spring as evidenced by the improvement in scores and the quality of the writing.

Melva Rush, Principal, Teel Middle School, Empire Union School District

More than 200 Saddleback Valley Unified School District teachers have participated in UCI Writing Project summer institutes. These teachers have returned to their schools to conduct inservices with other teachers on classroom pedagogy in reading and writing, all learned from the UCI Writing Project. With our new high stakes tests in California, strategic reading and the ability to respond to on-demand writing tasks are crucial skills students need command of. Teachers need professional development from the writing project to prepare their students appropriately.

Tony Ignoffo, Assistant Superintendent, Saddleback Valley Unified School District

The Compton Unified School District has had a long, wonderful relationship with the South Basin Writing Project. From K-12 professional development in the teaching of writing and literacy to student writing assessment at the fourth, seventh and eleventh grades, we have relied on the expertise and support of the writing project. We know that South Basin and Dr. Ron Strahl have an unwavering commitment to our district and to high-risk students in general.

Chiung Sally Chou, Deputy Superintendent, Instructional Services, Compton Unified School District

As the administrator in charge of the English Learners Department at Webster Middle School, I appreciate and value the support provided to our staff and students by the Great Valley Writing Project. Over the last two years, GVWP provided coaches who work closely with our ELD/SDAIE core teachers and also with general education teachers who serve our EL students. This partnership has enabled us to comply with the requirements of the California Compliance Review Team for our English Language Development Program, which impacts over 200 students.

Naheem Akhtar, Assistant Principal, Webster Middle School, Stockton Unified School District

The San Jose Area Writing Project has been most valuable in assisting the Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District with the on-going support for teachers in the area of writing. Summer staff development seminars, as well as the school year programs, have been well received by our teachers and have extended the use of integrated writing in their classrooms. This was particularly apparent in our summer school classrooms and subsequent student writing displays.

Sue Tacke, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District

Our district has made substantial improvement in the area of writing. Through our partnership with the Central California Writing Project, it is our plan to develop an integrated model of staff development that will result in a long-range, systemic effort to improve student writing and literacy. Our current efforts have been productive. We need to reach even more teachers through collaborative efforts to examine student work and inform instruction.

Ray Blute, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Thanks always to the South Basin Writing Project for simply great teacher training! Our new and veteran English and ELD teachers continue to participate in droves and continue to rave about AND IMPLEMENT what they have learned.

Jane Davis, Program Administrator, Professional Development, Anaheim Union High School District