Cohort 4 Model Demonstration Projects

Tiered Approaches for Improving the Writing Proficiency of High School Students

In January 2010, OSEP funded the fourth cohort of Model Demonstration Projects. Cohort 4 consisted of two projects focusing on tiered approaches to improving the writing proficiency of high school students.

Features of these models include the following:

Universal screening to assess students’ writing proficiencies

Evidence-based core instruction on writing proficiencies and the application and transfer of skills across academic content areas

Use of data to monitor students’ progress and make instructional decisions

Interventions at different levels of intensity for students who do not make adequate progress.

Cohort 4 projects provided professional development and ongoing coaching to help instructional staff deliver high-quality core instruction, used data to understand students’ strengths and weaknesses, adjusted core instruction based on students’ needs, and identified students who needed additional support.

Cohort 4 models were launched in 2010 and concluded in 2013.

Cohort 4 Grantees

University of Hawai’i at Manoa (Dr. Robert Stodden)

University of Kansas (Dr. Suzanne Robinson and Beverly Colombo)