Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School is a large, diverse school with approximately 3,400 students. Since Hialeah-Miami Lakes (HML) opened in 1971 in Dade County, Florida, a number of changes have occurred in the curriculum, teaching staff, and the composition of the school’s population. In 1971, eighty-five percent of the students were white, non-Hispanic, while today, the majority of the students are Hispanic and many of their parents are non-English speaking. In addition, many of the students are limited-English proficient (LEP), and the student body has a wide range of skill levels and abilities. To address these challenges, the leadership at HML sought out literacy initiatives to help improve students’ reading and writing skills and provide professional development to teachers across the curriculum. In the 2001, they unveiled several literacy programs to be used at the senior high school. For example:

• Project CRISS: A national program, Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies), is a part of the HML School Improvement Plan. The project offers training for content teachers in reading/learning strategies, motivating strategies for students to employ while reading, and activities for meaningful discussions that connect to reading and writing. Currently, ninety percent of the teachers, regardless of the subject they teach, have been trained in CRISS learning tools and strategies. The goal is to implement these strategies in all grade levels.
• USA Today: The newspaper is used as a tool by teachers in all subjects to engage students in current issues and connect to specific subject areas, utilize CRISS learning/reading strategies while reading for information, elevate instructional conversation and questioning, and give students an opportunity to read and white about what they are learning in a real world context.
• Intensive Reading: Intensive Reading is a course designed for students who are struggling with reading, especially those who are at risk of failing the state mandated reading test. The course is a replacement for an elective course, and focuses on teaching the students several strategies needed to understand the text used in their grade.
• Freshman Experience: The freshman experience course is offered as a transition from middle school to high school for all freshmen. The purpose is to develop the skills needed to be successful in high school early, including important reading strategies. The curriculum incorporates plans and materials for teaching reading from Project CRISS and USA TODAY. The course was designed by HML faculty with the aim of developing students’ reading proficiency so that they better could comprehend the challenging informational and literary texts required in senior high school.
• Literacy Council: With the support of Florida’s Literacy and Reading Excellence Project, teachers at HML volunteered to create a ten-member literacy council responsible for promoting reading and literacy among students, faculty and the community. The literacy council has initiated a school–wide movement to provide teachers with quality professional development aligned to the school’s vision and mission. Some of the Literacy Council’s initiatives include: a homeroom period designed for students to read material of their choice for thirty minutes everyday, student and faculty book clubs, faculty study groups, teacher “read alouds”, book fairs, author visits, reading rallies, and homeroom libraries.

Results:

While the literacy program is still new, there have been some measurable results since its implementation two years ago. For example:

Percent Meeting High Standards in Reading:

Percent Making Learning Gains in Reading:

Lowest 25% Making Learning Gains in Reading:

Contact(s):

Elliott Berman
Principal, Hilaleah-Miami Lakes
Phone: 305-823-4092

Jennifer Velazquez
Language Arts Department Chair, Hilaleah-Miami Lakes
Phone: (305) 823-1330
E-mail: velazjo@dadeschools.net

Web site: http://www.dade.k12.fl.us/hml/