How Academy Leaders Can Improve Literacy and Learning National Academy Foundation 2010 Institute for Staff Development July 11–13, 2010 Presenter: Julie Meltzer PCG Education
How Academy Leaders Can Improve Literacy and LearningDescriptionThis workshop will run for two consecutive sessions. This highly interactive workshop will introduceacademy leaders to a research-grounded leadership model for improving adolescent literacy. Participantswill learn how a systemic focus on literacy can be used to improve student academic and career success.The presenter and participants will discuss what literacy looks like in each of NAFs career areas and thehow academy leaders can better support literacy-rich teaching and learning. Participants will receive acopy of the book Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy as well as a packet of session handouts andtemplates. Participants are encouraged to attend in teams of 2-4 from their school.Dr. Julie MeltzerSenior Advisor for Strategy, Research and Design at PCG EducationJulie is responsible for the design of consulting services related to 21st Century Teaching and Learning,Response to Intervention (RtI), and Literacy and Learning. As director of the Adolescent LiteracyProject at the LAB at Brown University, she developed the Adolescent Literacy Support Frameworkshowcased on the Knowledge Loom Web site and was on the development team for the Council ofChief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) Adolescent Literacy Toolkit. A sought-after keynote speaker, author,reviewer, conference presenter, and workshop leader, she seeks to empower educators to applypromising research based practices to support the literacy development and learning needs of students.Julie is a coauthor of Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy: Practical Ideas for Literacy Leaders (withJudith Irvin, Martha Jan Mickler, Melvina Phillips, and Nancy Dean, 2009), and Taking Action on AdolescentLiteracy: An Implementation Guide for School Leaders (with Judith Irvin and Melinda Dukes, 2007). She isalso the author of Adolescent Literacy Resources: Linking Research and Practice (2002), and articles that haveappeared in Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, Principal Leadership, In Perspective and othereducational publications. She brings substantive experience as a teacher, teacher educator, andleadership coach to her work in the areas of systemic school improvement, capacity building, and designof professional development services and materials. Julie and her colleagues work with schools anddistricts throughout the country. Julie can be reached at email@example.com
High School VignetteAs you enter the front corridor of Lakeview High School, you immediately notice that literacy isa focus at the school. Watching the morning announcements on the television just outside thefamily welcome center, you learn that the speech and drama clubs are meeting between fifth andsixth periods and that the literary magazine and newspaper editors are presenting their ideas tothe English faculty meeting during lunch. You see student art work and science projectsprominently displayed in the area as well. You also notice that all of the signs are in English andSpanish, which makes sense when you learn that more than 40% of Lakeview students speakSpanish at home.You are greeted by LaTasha and Alberto, two tenth grade students who have made rapid gains intheir grades during the first half of the year and, as a result, were invited to be tour guides for visitors.Your first stop is the history wing where you find students who are reading, writing, and discussingas they work on the computer alone or in pairs. When asked what students are working on, one talllanky boy explains, “We are working on our research project on the economic costs of malnutritionand we have to come up with solutions that are economically sound. We have a lot of content tocover so we are doing a jigsaw to distribute the work load.” In the next classroom, students arecomparing their answers on last night’s anticipation guide with the information from a Renaissancetext.You move on to the English wing where you find an equally diverse array of activities. Somestudents are working in small groups on a Romeo and Juliet webquest requiring them to rewrite ascene in contemporary language and specific style. Others are doing reciprocal teaching with asection of Grapes of Wrath. In another room, students are doing “book commercials,” that theirpeers rate using a rubric. Student writing is posted everywhere.You wonder if math teachers are also providing students with inventive ways to integrate literacyinto their study of algebra, geometry or calculus and you are pleased to see that this is indeed thecase. In one geometry class students are reading and discussing a section of Flatland. In thealgebra I class students are reading and coding the text in pairs; in another, they are workingtogether to develop problems to be included on the test. Word walls are in every classroom;triple entry vocabulary journals are evident on many students’ desks.In the science wing, embedded literacy learning is evident. In one class, the small engine repairteacher and the physics teacher are co-teaching to help students build real-world connectionsbetween theory and application. In another, students are conducting research using streampollution data collected in a nearby stream. Students are working in groups to create summariesof articles related to aspects of habitat and biodiversity; working in pairs to fill out a semanticfeature analysis on characteristics of diseases; working on their own to write persuasive essaysabout the pros and cons of genetically altered foods. Words, books and discussion are happeningeverywhere. The voices are those of the students, not the teacher, and just about everyone seemsto be on task.LaTasha and Alberto point out several classes where one of the English-as-a second-languageteachers co-teaches with a content area teacher. You remember that you noticed that almost halfof the classes you observed had two teachers. LaTasha explains, “A lot of our special educationteachers and literacy coaches co-teach classes with regular classroom teachers so that all studentscan be successful learners.” Alberto pipes up, “Yeah, students say they like classes with moreThis vignette is a shortened version of one contained in Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: An Implementation Guide forSchool Leaders published by ASCD in 2007. Do Not Duplicate. For permission to use locally, contact Dr. Judith Irvinjirvin@NationalLiteracyProject.org or Dr. Julie Meltzer firstname.lastname@example.org
than one teacher because there is more than just one person to go to for help; it mixes it up a littleand makes it more interesting.”The vocabulary, reading, and writing emphasis continue when you tour the unified arts andvocational classes. Students are reading and discussing articles, creating repair manuals, writingart critiques, completing nutrition logs, and writing work sample reports, much of which goesinto a portfolio that is showcased at the end of the year in juried presentations.Before returning to the principal’s office you visit the media and technology center that isorganized around a flexible scheduling model. The media and technology specialists areavailable to all teachers for planning and integration of technology and information literacy. Inone corner you notice that a student is videoconferencing with his elementary reading buddy inthe school down the street. Together they are reading and discussing Frog and Toad. Yourguides explain that some kind of literacy community service is expected of all students duringtheir four years at Lakeview High. Students can choose to read the newspaper to blind people.create books on tape for the elementary school students, tutor in the after school program, workon the school newspaper or literary magazine; translate and record school newsletters for parentswho do not speak English or who do not read, and write letters for nursing home residents.As you meet with the principal to debrief your visit, you learn what has transpired in the last fewyears that lead up to the high degree of literacy focus at Lakeview High. The principal says, “Mymain job has been to be out there leading the charge. Of course, I was lucky that I have two goodliteracy coaches and that my district and community members were supportive of the changes wewanted to make. We did a lot of discussion and visioning; we had a number of book discussiongroups; we made a literacy plan that we monitor and revise annually; we did a lot of teacherprofessional development. We worked it out with the district so that teachers could get in-servicepoints towards their re-certification. We had to get the intervention piece right, too. That took alot of finagling with the master calendar to free up time for students as well as for teachercollaboration and planning. At first, we merely offered a reading course for students scoringbelow level. We realized that the one course was not enough. We began our summer readingcamp three years ago. That did a lot to provide additional support for students who scored at thelowest levels.”All in all, you conclude that Lakeview High School teachers, staff, and administrators have workedhard to build a culture of literacy for all of their students. Now you wonder how their success can bereplicated at other schools.This vignette is a shortened version of one contained in Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: An Implementation Guide forSchool Leaders published by ASCD in 2007. Do Not Duplicate. For permission to use locally, contact Dr. Judith Irvinjirvin@NationalLiteracyProject.org or Dr. Julie Meltzer email@example.com
A Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy Judith L. Irvin jirvin@NationalLiteracyProject.org Julie Meltzer firstname.lastname@example.org Melinda S. Dukes email@example.com Irvin, J., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M. (2007) Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: AnImplementation Guide for School Leaders. ASCD: Alexandria, VA This book describes the components of the Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy.
QuotesI realized when I started at this school that I needed instructional leaders to work side by side with me. SoI chose the department chairs––they were the group I decided to invest in. I started with the people whowere open to people coming into their classrooms. —High school principalModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________We analyzed the classroom assessments and they were very elementary, but students have to take thestate test at the high school level. We saw clearly that there was a mismatch between what students wereexpected to do in class and what they were expected to perform on the state test. —Literacy team memberModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________One of my teachers brought it to my attention that there wasn’t one reference to our new literacy focus onour Web site. I started looking around and realized that we needed literacy to be more visible to parents,visitors, district personnel, and students. —High school principalModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________I hear teachers say, “I don’t want to teach reading,” and I know they are just uncomfortable because theydo not feel prepared. So I had to help teachers understand that literacy learning in our school was notoptional. —Middle school principalModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________I knew we needed a literacy coach to move this effort forward, but the money just wasn’t there. I took theproblem to the literacy team and we brainstormed ways of getting the support for teachers. By changingthe schedule some, we were able to free up two teachers for one half day each to act as mentor teachers. —Middle school principalModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________Developing a literacy plan seemed like just one more exercise until we got the whole faculty involved.Then it became the vehicle to examine how we actually do business in this school. It now guides thedecisions we make every day. —Middle school literacy coachModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________My assistant principal and I are constantly monitoring what is going on in the classroom. My teacherswere not used to being observed. In fact, one teacher said to me, “What are you doing on the third floor?”I just said, “I’m here because that is where your classroom is…and I’ll be back here again tomorrow.” —High school principalModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________When I visited classrooms, the students were not engaged in learning. Three or four hands were up, butfor the most part, students were merely going through the motions to finish assignments. Where was thereal learning? —Middle school literacy coachModel Component(s) __________________________________________________________________Quotes taken from Taking action on adolescent literacy: An implementation guide for school leaders, byJ. L. Irvin, J. Meltzer, and M. Dukes. (2007). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and CurriculumDevelopment, pp. 18–22. Used with permission.
Literacy Action Rubric 2: Literacy Across the Content Areas24 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Little or No Evidence of Evidence of Emerging Evidence of Consistent Evidence of Exemplary Desired Outcome Components Implementation Implementation Implementation Implementation Teachers Content area reading and Content area reading and Content area reading and Content area reading and consistently writing instruction and writing instruction and writing instruction and writing instruction and integrate high vocabulary development vocabulary development vocabulary development vocabulary development are quality reading, are strongly emphasized in are strongly emphasized in are strongly emphasized in strongly emphasized in writing, and only a few classes on a some classes on a given most classes on a given almost all classes on a given vocabulary given day. day. day. day. instruction to improve all Few teachers use Some teachers use Most teachers consistently Almost all teachers students’ literacy classroom routines to classroom routines to use classroom routines to consistently use classroom development and involve students actively in involve students actively in involve students actively in routines to involve students content learning. reading, writing, and reading, writing, and reading, writing, and actively in reading, writing, learning. learning. learning. and learning. A Few teachers select, Some teachers select, Most teachers select, Almost all teachers select, teach, model, and use teach, model, and use teach, model, and use teach, model, and use instructional strategies to instructional strategies to instructional strategies to instructional strategies to strengthen content strengthen content strengthen content strengthen content learning Classroom Instruction learning while supporting learning while supporting learning while supporting while supporting literacy literacy development. literacy development. literacy development. development. Few teachers encourage Some teachers encourage Many teachers encourage Most teachers encourage students to select and use students to select and use students to select and use students to select and use literacy support strategies literacy support strategies literacy support strategies literacy support strategies that match the content area that match the content area that match the content area that match the content area demands and the task at demands and the task at demands and the task at demands and the task at hand. hand. hand. hand. Few content area courses Some content area courses Most content area courses All content area courses include the development of include the development of include the development of include the development of specified literacy habits and specified literacy habits and specified literacy habits and specified literacy habits and skills, types of text, and skills, types of text, and skills, types of text, and skills, types of text, and amounts of reading and amounts of reading and amounts of reading and amounts of reading and writing. writing. writing. writing. Course content and literacy In some departments, In most departments, In all departments, course B development does not build course content and literacy course content and literacy content and literacy by grade level. development builds by development builds by development builds by grade level. grade level. grade level. Curriculum Alignment Only a few students have Only some students have Most students have All students have access access to rigorous course access to rigorous access to rigorous course to rigorous course content content and strong literacy course content and content and strong literacy and strong literacy support. strong literacy support. support. support.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Little or No Evidence of Evidence of Emerging Evidence of Consistent Evidence of Exemplary Desired Outcome Components Implementation Implementation Implementation Implementation Few teachers use flexible Some teachers use flexible Many teachers use flexible Almost all teachers use grouping to meet the grouping to meet the grouping to meet the flexible grouping to meet literacy needs of students. literacy needs of students. literacy needs of students. the literacy needs of students. Teachers seldom use Teachers sometimes use Teachers often use Teachers routinely use instructional materials that instructional materials that instructional materials that instructional materials that are aligned with varying are aligned with varying are aligned with varying are aligned with varying C reading levels and/or reading levels and/or reading levels and/or reading levels and/or student interests. student interests. student interests. student interests. Differentiation Teachers seldom provide Teachers sometimes Teachers often provide Teachers routinely provide students with specific provide students with students with specific students with specific strategies to use if they specific strategies to use if strategies to use if they strategies to use if they experience difficulty with an they experience difficulty experience difficulty with an experience difficulty with an assignment. with an assignment. assignment. assignment. Teachers seldom give Teachers sometimes give Teachers usually give Teachers routinely give specific and timely specific and timely feedback specific and timely specific and timely feedback feedback on student on student performance. feedback on student on student performance. performance. performance. Rubrics and models are Rubrics and models are Rubrics and models are Rubrics and models are seldom used to sometimes used to typically used to routinely used to communicate expectations communicate expectations communicate expectations communicate expectations D for quality work. for quality work. for quality work. for quality work. Feedback and Few teachers use grading Some teachers use Many teachers use grading Almost all teachers use Grading Practices practices that support grading practices that practices that support grading practices that redoing, revising, and support redoing, revising, redoing, revising, and support the redoing, making up of work. and making up of work. making up of work. revising, and making up of work. (Continued)25
26 (Continued) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Little or No Evidence of Evidence of Emerging Evidence of Consistent Evidence of Exemplary Desired Outcome Components Implementation Implementation Implementation Implementation Reading and writing Reading and writing Reading and writing Reading and writing assignments seldom have assignments sometimes assignments often have a assignments typically have a purpose that is have a purpose that is purpose that is meaningful a purpose that is meaningful to students or meaningful to students or to students and/or meaningful to students acknowledge an audience acknowledge an audience acknowledge an audience and/or acknowledge an beyond the teacher. beyond the teacher. beyond the teacher. audience beyond the teacher. Assignments seldom Assignments sometimes Assignments typically Assignments always require higher order critical require higher order critical require higher order critical require higher order critical thinking about content. thinking about content. thinking about content. thinking about content. Assignments seldom Assignments sometimes Assignments often require Assignments almost always require students to work require students to work students to work require students to work E collaboratively when collaboratively when collaboratively when collaboratively when reading, writing, or reading, writing, or reading, writing, or reading, writing, or Assignments investigating. investigating. investigating. investigating. Assignments seldom Assignments sometimes Assignments often include Assignments routinely include choice about what include choice about what choice about what students include choice about what students read, write, or students read, write, or read, write, or investigate. students read, write, or investigate. investigate. investigate. Few assignments require Some assignments Many assignments require Most assignments require students to use require students to use students to use students to use technology to research, technology to research, technology to research, technology to research, write, or present. write, or present. write, or present. write, or present.
Literacy Across the Content Areas Group Rubric Responses Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Component Little or No Evidence of Evidence of Emerging Evidence of Consistent Evidence of Exemplary Implementation Implementation Implementation Implementation ClassroomA Instruction CurriculumB AlignmentC Differentiation Feedback andD Grading PracticesE Assignments Research andF Use of TextReflection on Assessment of Comments:This rubric is part of A Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy, a project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Do Not Duplicate. Permission is granted touse locally. Version 4.0.
TAKING THE LEAD ON ADOLESCENT LITERACY194(Continued) Component Indicators I. Recognition of Student Work • Student work is prominently displayed. • Academic achievement is publicly recognized. • Upper Elementary: Fourth-grade teachers reserve one large bulletin board for posting exemplary student work. They clearly explain the rubric designed to help students understand the criteria for displaying student work. One section of the bulletin board includes teacher-selected exemplary features of the work highlighted. Another section of the bulletin board is selected by a team of students who create the rubric, select the work, and post the work. This team’s responsibility is rotated monthly so each student has a chance to select student work for display. Another section of the room has students’ reading charts posted. Students who meet their reading goals are celebrated weekly with a visit from the principal. The teacher also calls home to celebrate literacy accomplishments with families. • Middle School: Each middle school team has a special bulletin board in the hallway of the school. Language arts teachers post exemplary written compositions, book reviews, and poems; math teachers post exceptional tests, concept maps, and homework; social studies teachers post student-produced geography maps, concept maps, and essays; science teachers post well-written lab results, diagrams, and concept papers. The bulletin boards are changed monthly. In addition, teachers sponsor a Wall of Fame, highlighting students who have met their reading and vocabulary mastery goals. The Wall of Fame is updated monthly, and parents are invited to view their students’ work. • High School: The school has installed display cabinets for each department to use to display student work. Each department has a student committee that helps the teachers select work for display, based on a departmental rubric. The teachers and students meet monthly to decide on student work to display, and the display is arranged by students in the cabinets monthly. Parents are informed when their students are honored in the display so that they can come to the school and see the work, and students who are featured in the display cases are honored on the morning announcements.LITERACY ACTION RUBRIC 2:LITERACY ACROSS THE CONTENT AREAS Component Indicators A. Classroom Instruction • Instruction includes a plan for active involvement in reading, writing, and vocabulary development. • Teachers use instructional strategies to strengthen content learning and support literacy development. • Students independently use literacy strategies. • Upper Elementary: Fourth graders have been introduced to all of the elements of Reciprocal Teaching (RT) and use this strategy when they read nonfiction text. Students take turns predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing. All classrooms have Interactive Word Walls where the words pertain to current units of study and vocabulary are reinforced through word games and word sorts. • Middle School: All seventh-grade teams have introduced students to a set of graphic organizers they can use to analyze their reading and plan their writing. In the fall, teachers model how and when to use each organizer and give students multiple assignments, requiring that they use each. After using the organizer, students discussed how the organizer helped them complete the assigned task. During the second half of the year, students are encouraged to choose which graphic organizer they want to use to help them complete a reading or writing assignment. A brief discussion ensues after each assignment is completed as to which graphic organizers students used and if they thought they had made a good choice.
RESOURCE C 195Component Indicators• High School: Across the six sections of biology and chemistry, students use specific discussion protocols for every reading assignment. When given an assigned reading, students quickly get into groups and begin the task of working through the text. Students also use systematic note taking to organize their notes when reading or listening and vocabulary journals to keep track of vocabulary. They use a peer revision and editing protocol when writing lab reports prior to turning papers in for a final grade.B. Curriculum Alignment • Content area courses include development of literacy. • Course content and literacy build by grade level. • Students have access to rigorous content and strong literacy support.• Upper Elementary: A grade-level team gets together and reviews the fifth-grade curriculum for all content areas and identifies the types and amounts of text that students will be supported to read and write in each content area. They meet weekly to develop common rubrics, discuss how they are modeling for students, and to share ideas about how to increase the amount of reading and writing in all classes.• Middle School: A middle school teaching team identifies five power strategies that they will use regularly: text coding, QAR (Question-Answer Relationship), use of graphic organizers, two-column note taking and RAFTS (Role, Audience, Format, Topic). For each strategy, the team identifies who will explicitly teach and model each strategy and how they will all provide reinforcement and practice opportunities. They pledge to have students use each strategy 12 to 15 times in their core classes throughout the year. Team meetings with the literacy coach focus on how strategy instruction and use is going and how they can make the use of the strategies as powerful as possible.• High School: A high school decides that as part of its annual course catalog, it will publish course descriptions, along with the literacy habits and skills that will be focused upon in each course. Professional learning community meetings over the course of the following year will include checking in with each teacher as to how she or he has included a focus on these every month in every class taught.C. Differentiation • Teachers use flexible grouping. • Teachers use different materials to accommodate different interests and skill levels. • Teachers use specific strategies to support various learning needs.• Upper Elementary: Fifth-grade teachers work with one small group of students on activating prior knowledge about bees while a second group uses Reciprocal Teaching with an assigned article on the social hierarchy of a bee hive and a third group, broken into six pairs, is engaged in paired reading and summarizing of a short story about beekeeping.• Middle School: Seventh-grade English language arts teachers do a quick book commercial for each of the memoirs students can select to read. As part of the commercial, the teacher mentions what makes each choice interesting as well as the relative difficulty of the text. Students preview their choice and read to test the difficulty using a teacher-developed test on the first three pages. Students are placed into literature circles based on their final choices.• High School: The eleventh-grade American history teachers know that their textbook is written at the college level and is too hard for many of their students to read and understand. To make the text more accessible to students, they preteach vocabulary. They have collected a set of articles and videos related to each chapter, and they provide time at the beginning of each unit for students to explore these in small groups and develop collaborative charts based on these resources. Teachers then use Think Alouds to model the reading of the textbook. The small groups convene throughout the unit to add to and modify their charts. (Continued)
TAKING THE LEAD ON ADOLESCENT LITERACY196(Continued) Component Indicators D. Feedback and Grading Practices • Specific feedback is given on student performance. • Teachers use Rubrics and models. • Grading practices support revising work. • Upper Elementary: When fifth-grade students write, they always share what they write with two peers. The teacher provides targeted areas for comment such as voice, organization, or idea development, depending on the assignment. The two peer reviewers make suggestions relative to the specific area, and the author revises based on that area before working with a peer editor using an editing checklist. • Middle School: Middle school students know that they must continue working on an assignment until they achieve a specified level on the associated rubric. Students get feedback and assistance so that they can pass a class because they completed all of the essential assignments. Students receive no grade penalty for a late key assignment that has been successfully revised or reworked. They are expected, however, to continue other assignments so that they do not get behind. The result is often that students work harder in the first place and pay more attention to the rubric earlier in the process so they do not have to keep redoing assignments. • High School: Ninth-grade English students conference in groups of four to brainstorm ideas and then conference again before passing in their major papers. At the second meeting, the students read each others’ papers and use the schoolwide rubric to rate each paper on each dimension of the rubric: content, organization, logic, and presentation. Then each reviewer provides feedback on what the author could do to make the paper one ranking higher on each dimension where they have not ranked it at the highest level. The author takes this specific feedback and works on the paper again before turning it in. E. Assignments • Assignments have a meaningful purpose. • Assignments include high-order thinking. • Students have various ways to demonstrate learning. • Assignments use technology. • Upper Elementary: Fourth-grade students are responsible for creating podcasts on three books they read during the year. Students describe what they liked and did not like about the book, provide a summary of the plot without giving away the ending, discuss the character they most identified with or would like to meet and why, and describe what type of reader would like the book. When students cannot find a book to read during sustained silent reading time, the teacher suggests they listen to the podcast reviews of books. After listening to a podcast, students can rate the helpfulness of the podcast in assisting them to find a book and can post comments if they read the book as to whether they agree or not with the original podcast and why. • Middle School: For a year-end review project, eighth graders create a pre-algebra handbook for students in Kenya who cannot afford math textbooks. They examine what they like and do not like about math textbooks and compile a criteria list for a quality handbook. The class divides up what they see as the most important topics, and each work group votes for five topics to focus on. Students work in small groups to develop the text and graphics they need to communicate key concepts about their topics. Each group reviews the work of two other groups to provide feedback and ensure quality control. Workgroups then revise and edit based on the feedback they receive. The class asks three math teachers to review and check all content in the handbook before sending the handbook to their peers in Kenya. • High School: Tenth graders in pairs prepare multimedia presentations comparing and contrasting their perspectives on the uses of science and technology with the responses of three community elders they previously interviewed, demonstrating their understanding of the interactions between science, technology, and society. The presentation rubric requires them to show intergenerational similarities and differences and discuss the causes and effects of these similarities and differences. The presentations need to showcase comments about at least four technologies and must incorporate images, charts, and quotes. The presentations will be shown at two area senior centers where students will ask for feedback on their work before posting the work on the Web.
RESOURCE C 197Component IndicatorsF. Research and Use of Text • Students read a variety of text. • Regular research with synthesis of multiple sources is used. • Students have multiple opportunities to present findings.• Upper Elementary: In a fifth-grade classroom, students are studying the colonial era in American History. Students choose from several historical novels, conduct Internet research on the time period, and read from the textbook. They compare and contrast the information in each source and use what they have learned to make up a fictional character and write “A Day in the Life of . . . ” paper. Papers are compiled into a class book, and copies can be made for everyone in the class.• Middle School: In an eighth-grade classroom, students are studying the Civil War and are reading and discussing packets of letters from soldiers to their loved ones. Using clues in the letters, students are figuring out and making a case for when in the war the letter was written, based on whether if it was written by someone on the Union or Confederate side someone wealthy or poor, and as much else as can be inferred from the letter. Next, students work in pairs to research a specific battle, using printed and electronic resources, and present the implications of the outcome of the battle for the war. They will also write “A Letter From a Soldier” in that battle. Students then create podcasts juxtaposing the real and the student-written letters and ask listeners to vote on which are the authentic letters.• High School: In a high school health classroom, students working in small groups choose a lifestyle habit that is contributing to the huge healthcare costs in this country based on the reading of several articles provided by the teacher (e.g., smoking, sugar content of soft drinks, not exercising). Students then read two scientific studies on the topic, two articles in the popular press, and information on two reputable Web sites on the subject. They then create an informational brochure that persuades people to change their lifestyle habits to be healthier. The brochures are reviewed by the other groups for accuracy and persuasiveness and then published and distributed to the nurse’s office, science classes, and the cafeteria as well as dropped off at convenience stores around town.LITERACY ACTION RUBRIC 3:LITERACY INTERVENTIONSComponent IndicatorsA. Reading Assessment • Ready access to current assessment data is available. • Students with scores two-years behind are tested further. • Reading assessment data are collected at least three times a year for intervention planning.• Upper Elementary: All students are screened at least once a year to monitor their progress in reading. Benchmarks or growth rates (or a combination of the two) are used to identify children at low, moderate, or high risk for reading difficulties. Students who are at risk of reading problems or those who are performing two or more years below grade level are further assessed using the Developmental Reading Inventory as well as informal assessments to plan for appropriate interventions. All teachers receive professional development on methods for collecting and interpreting student data on reading efficiently and reliably.• Middle School: Students’ assessment and intervention data are sent from elementary school to the middle school. Student records and portfolios are also sent to the receiving school. All teachers receive professional development on methods for collecting and interpreting student data on reading efficiently and reliably. The school’s intervention specialist regularly monitors the progress of designated students and provides further assessment data as warranted. (Continued)
Explanation of the Five Action Points from A Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy 1 Develop and Implement a School-wide Literacy Action Plan Why is this component important? A school-wide literacy action plan is an essential blueprint for improving student achievement. An effective plan requires the skillful use of data about student performance, literacy needs and expectations in the school and community, school capacity to support literacy development, current teaching practices, and effectiveness of the literacy program. To generate change, leaders must actively use a literacy action plan to guide decision-making around instruction, programming, and resource allocation. Page 117 Support Teachers to Improve Instruction Why is this component important? Effective instruction in content area literacy is essential to improving student achievement. The role of school leaders is to ensure that all teachers have the support and guidance they need to improve students’ literacy development. School structures and a school culture that encourage collaboration, collegiality, and coaching can help teachers and administrators successfully play their part in the literacy improvement effort. Page 144 Use Data to Make Decisions About Literacy Teaching and Learning Why is this component important? Too many decisions about classroom practices are based on preference, tradition, intuition, or unsubstantiated beliefs. Collecting and analyzing data on student performance in the areas of reading and writing provides school leaders with the information they need to make appropriate decisions about students’ placement in literacy intervention classes and the level of literacy support they need. Page 158 Build Leadership Capacity Why is this component important? Individual principals or district leaders cannot improve students’ literacy habits and skills by themselves. Therefore, building the literacy leadership capacity of other administrators, literacy coaches, reading and media specialists, team leaders, department chairs, curriculum coordinators, and teachers must be a priority. It is only with the collaborative effort of people in all of these roles that a school-wide literacy improvement effort can be successfully launched and maintained. Page 178 Allocate Resources to Support Literacy Why is this component important? Various resources are essential to the implementation of an effective literacy improvement effort. Leaders who strategically allocate resources such as time, space, personnel, professional development, funding, technology, and materials are more likely to meet the goals of the school’s literacy action plan. Doing so may involve a reallocation of resources or using resources in different ways than in the past. Page 2001 These excerpts are from Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: An Implementation Guide for School Leaderspublished by ASCD in 2007. Do Not Duplicate. For permission to use locally, contact Dr. Judith Irvin atjirvin@NationalLiteracyProject.org.