One way to identify students who are becoming accomplished readers and writers is to observe the degree to which the examples of coaching presented in this chapter are taken from my research as a participant in a statewide literacy professional development initiative: the Literacy Specialist Project (Kinnucan-Welsch, 2003a, 2003b; Rosemary, Grogan, et al., 2002).

The central aim of the Literacy Specialist Project, launched in 2000 by the Ohio Department of Education, is to provide professional development to educators in the state of Ohio that supports enhanced understanding in the teaching of reading and writing. The professional development incorporates foundational knowledge of literacy processes and pedagogy represented in a series of professional development sessions known as "Teaching Reading and Writing: A Core Curriculum for Educators" (Roskos, 2000). In 2002-03, 158 literacy specialists worked with more than 1,100 teachers in 79 districts using the Core Curriculum materials.