The TSLP online course is designed to be taken by a team of leaders at a site or campus. Throughout the TSLP and the course, this team is called the site-based leadership team (Age 0 to School Entry) or campus-based leadership team (Kindergarten through Grade 5, and Grade 6 through 12). This team might be formed for the purpose of using the TSLP and the online course to guide improvement initiatives or might be an existing group, such as a campus-based team or committee focused on school improvement efforts that include literacy instruction. In either case, the team should be comprised of administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders who are informed about and involved in literacy instruction. More information about site- and campus-based leadership teams can be found in lesson L1—Site/Campus-based Leadership Teams.
For each age/grade level, you will find seven modules—one for each of the LASERS components of the TSLP and one on Implementation of the TSLP. Each LASERS module has lessons that explain the Action Steps of the component. The purpose of each lesson is to explain the key elements of a particular Action Step and provide resources for leadership teams to explore further. The lessons average about 2500 words, with a few lessons closer to 1200 and a few about 5000 words.
Within each lesson, you find the following sections:
Action Step: Lists the Action Step(s) the lesson focuses on,
Orientation: Outlines what information is provided in the lesson,
Part 1–3: Describes and explains key elements of the Action Step(s),
Assignment: Directs participants to the reflective task and resources for completing it, and
References: Lists sources used in creating the lesson content
Each lesson has Part 1 and Part 2 content; some lessons also have Part 3. Links included in the content—in Parts 1–3—should be reviewed as part of the reading of the lesson.
Some additional features in the lesson are as follows:
Scenarios: A narrative description of the Action Step or Indicators being put in place in a school context, used to illustrate the content of the lesson
To Learn More: A list of resources that support further exploration of the topic of the lesson or tools for implementation; these resources might be reviewed during participation in the lesson or at a later time.
Next Steps: A list of suggested actions a leadership team might take when ready to focus their efforts on that Action Step, depending on their level of implementation at the time
The Implementation module is structured differently from the LASERS modules. This module illustrates a cyclical six-step process for leadership teams to use in implementing literacy improvement plans based on the TSLP. This module can be used with any component of the TSLP and can be repeated as your team focuses on different areas of improvement over time.