1. Department members will engage in collaborative, grade- level discussion groups to identify successful instructional practices.

2. Content area teachers will incorporate research-based strategies into their daily objectives and practice.

3. Content area teachers will encourage the use of metacognitive strategies in their daily lesson plans and practice: vocabulary, prior knowledge, engagement, self-monitoring, questioning the author.

4. Content area teachers will attend grade-level data based decision-making meetings to analyze formative assessment data, organize data, and determine student outcomes that will inform their instruction.

5. Content area teachers will continue to develop formative assessments that mirror the CMT in reading comprehension.

6. Reading intervention programs for struggling readers will be implemented.

7. Teachers will establish a home-school connection to enhance communication.