Teachers are more likely to value and implement new learning when professional development is related to their own questions, wonderings, or problems in their own classrooms (Carr, Shearer, & Vogt, 2019).  Therefore, literacy leaders should implement needs surveys to determine teachers’ professional development needs and questions.  Specific professional development can then be planned that is meaningful to teachers.

It is also helpful for teachers to see a strategy in action or within a classroom context.  This assists teachers in implementing what they learned effectively in their own classroom.  Technology has helped make this easy through video clips.  These can easily be found and shared with teachers in a professional development setting. 

Teaching Channel is a website that has countless videos to watch and share so that educators can learn new strategies and help their students grow. This is a wonderful resource for literacy leaders to use when providing professional development to teachers.  Specific videos can be searched for by grade level, subject, and topic.  

Through searching for videos on the Teaching Channel website, I found a video on the importance of play.  This video would be appropriate for educators that work with students PreK through 1st grade.  If a school or a group of educators were interested in exploring developmentally appropriate instruction through play, this video would help stimulate conversation on this topic and model what it may look like in the classroom.  This video specifically focuses on the life skills, such as communication, working with others, and solving problems that students develop through play. 

References: 

Carr, D.A., Shearer, B.A., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

TeachingChannel. The work of play [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/work-time-as-play

Here are 10 websites that would be helpful for literacy leaders! Hopefully there is a new website here that could be helpful for you! 

• Scholastic: Scholastic Book Clubs is a helpful resource for literacy leaders in staying up to date on picture books and literature for kids of all ages.  There are great prices for purchasing books for schools, students, and classroom libraries.  There are various collections of books to view in their catalogs.
• International Literacy Association: ILA provides literacy research and professional development through research journals, conferences, publications, and building a community of educators. Their mission is global and they have a goal to strengthen literacy education around the world.  Currently, their global community stretches to 86 countries. 
• ReadWorks: ReadWorks is a website that has a library of fiction and nonfiction articles for teachers to use for free!  These articles are to support the reading comprehension growth of students.  They can be viewed online and displayed on an interactive whiteboard, or they can be downloaded and printed.  Along with individual texts, there are paired-texts and Article-A-Day sets.  When articles are viewed online, there is also an audio reading of the article.  Each article has comprehension questions that can be used along with the text.  You can search for articles by grade level, lexile range, topic, and text type.  You can even search by skills and strategies (author’s purpose, character, main idea, setting, cause and effect, etc).  I like how many of the texts are fairly short and concise.  They can be used in countless ways to support literacy learning!   
• Reading Rockets: The goal of this website is to share research-based information about reading with teachers, parents, librarians and more.  There are many articles, videos, and lists that help to explain what works in reading instruction in easy to understand terms.  This website is a wealth of knowledge for reading tips! 
• Jan Richardson-Guided Reading: Jan Richardson is a leading expert in guided reading.  Her website has information about the Common Core State Standards, her books and products, literacy tips, research, and resources.  Under the resources tab teachers can download comprehension scaffolds for students, such as 5 finger retelling, contrast cards, SWBS, and inference cards.  There are also templates for Lesson plan forms for guided reading  (Emergent, Early, Transitional, and Fluent).  Resources to download for guided writing, guided word study, assessment and much more are available as well.  The video clips on her website are free and showcase how to use various strategies with students for word study, guided reading, and guided writing. 
• Jennifer Serravallo: Jennifer Serravallo is a speaker, author, and literacy consultant.  She has a website that shares information about her books, publications, speaking calendar, and blog.  Literacy leaders can find information about her books to stay up to date on current literacy trends and strategies.  The Reading Strategies Book and The Writing Strategies Book are New York Times Bestselling books.  She also has blog posts on her website on literacy topics.
• Florida Center for Reading Research: Their mission is provide information on research-based practices for PreK-12 literacy instruction. There are a variety of resources available for teachers, literacy leaders, and administration. There are also many examples of literacy activities that could be implemented in the classroom for various grade levels and literacy skills. 
• The Children’s Book Council: This website is a fantastic resource for literacy leaders in need of book suggestions. There are book lists for STEM, science, social studies, young advanced readers, various themes, diverse books, and newly published books.  Many of these lists are organized by age to assist in finding appropriate books.  There are even helpful lists for those looking to build a home library.  Lastly, CBC has a national award program every year where book winners are selected solely by kids and teens. 
• Press Community: PRESS supports teachers in analyzing data and making instructional decisions, implementing reading interventions, and providing quality core instruction.  It is not a curriculum, rather it can be used with a variety of literacy curriculums and assessment systems.  This online resource is not free, as there is a membership fee, usually paid for by schools that implement PRESS.  Literacy leaders can seek out PRESS as something that they might implement in their school or district.  It is a wonderful resource for reading interventions and word lists, assessments, progress monitoring lists, and videos can all be accessed by teachers. 
• International Dyslexia Association: This website provides information on the signs, symptoms, screening, and diagnosis of dyslexia.  There is also information on components effective reading instruction, dyslexia in the classroom, and teacher preparation.  The free handbook available on the website would be helpful for literacy leaders to share with teachers.

Sight words are so tricky for some primary students! Jan Richardson, in her books The Next Step in Guided Reading and The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading describes how we want students to learn to visually scan sight words.  Students need to know and quickly recognize the whole word—they can’t stretch it and sound it out. 

I have been using the steps Jan Richardson outlines to teach a new sight word this year in my guided reading groups.  I have seen that it has made a difference, and my students even think it is fun. The part of this sequence that involves guessing the missing letter, is a fun game for them!

You will need the following materials to implement this strategy, however you can get creative/flexible with some materials if you don’t have them: 

• magnetic letters
• dry erase board
• dry erase markers
• erasers
• index cards 

I have outlined the steps for teaching a new sight word below. This strategy is great as it assists students in developing visual scanning skills from left to right. It also supports students in committing the new sight word to mastery as they see it, say it, build it, write it, and recall it from short term memory. 

*This is from Jan Richardson’s book The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading (2016, p. 78, 130).  This was also printed in her original book The Next Step in Guided Reading (2009, p. 90, 124). It is outlined in the “Emergent” and “Early” lesson plan sections of both books. 

Teach a New Sight Word (3 minutes) 

Step 1: Teacher builds/writes word and says it. 

• Visual scan from left to write with index card

Step 2:  What’s missing? 

• Teach turns board around and erases one letter. 
• Ask “What’s missing?.” Students respond
• Teacher writes missing letter in the word
• Repeat this procedure a few times erasing different letters
• Visual scan whole word again with index card at the end

Step 3: Build It

• Students build word with magnetic letters
• Scan with finger left to right
• Push up each letter one at a time, left to right

Step 4: Mix and Fix 

• Students mix letters and rebuild the word.
• Scan with finger to check
  

Step 5: Table Writing

• Students write word on the table with their index finger. 

Step 6: Write It (and Retrieve it) 

• Cover word they built with magnetic letters with index card. 
• Students write the word on dry erase (correct their errors, don’t let them practice incorrectly)
• “Check it” 
• “Say it” 
• Erase sight word and have dictate to students a familiar word to write. 
• Then dictate sight word again for students to retrieve from memory and write. 
• Students lift up index card to check.

Have you used this sight word strategy before?

What do you use to teach sight words and help students commit them to memory?

Reference:

Richardson, J. (2016). The next step forward in guided reading: An assess-decide-guide framework for supporting every reader grades K-8. Scholastic.      framework for supporting every reader grades K-8. Scholastic.

Professional development can be provided in a variety of ways: peer coaching, conversations across grade levels, workshops, in-services, observing, and more. No matter the format in which it is delivered though, there are some important components and characteristics that make professional development highly effective.  

Not all professional development is equal and Lyons and Pinnell (2001) outline 8 principles to consider when teaching adult learners, such as in professional development with teachers.  These principles are rooted in the constructivist teaching theory and can be meaningfully applied to the planning and organizing of professional development opportunities (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  I will comment on each principle and its connection to the characteristics of adult learners and teacher professional development.  

Principle 1: Encourage Active Participation 

Although there is some room for lecture and presentation in teacher professional development, there should be a great amount of teacher involvement and active discussion in order for it to be highly effective.  Any presentations should be very focused, brief, and still foster active participation (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  The same strategies and approaches we use to engage our own students, should be used in teacher professional development.

I attended the Happy Go Teach conference put on by Kayla Delzer and Jen Jones.  This day of professional development was extremely interactive and even began with a morning meeting, just as teachers use in their own classrooms.  The goal was not to provide “sit and get” professional development, but to teach teachers as we teach our students.  This day was full of meaningful learning for me, that I could directly apply to my own classroom.  This conference met my own high expectations I had going in to the workshop, which encouraged me even further.  Adult learners often have high expectations because they have had so many learning experiences, both positive and negative.  Following these eight principles are a helpful way to meet those high expectations.  

Professional development should be (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001):

• interactive 
• allow for small group discussions
• include a rationale
• be relevant to teachers’ needs and questions

Principle 2: Organize Small-Group Discussions Around Common Concerns

Professional development should be highly connected to teachers’ needs and concerns.  Teachers are often very goal oriented and are working to address current challenges they are facing in their school or classroom.  When teachers have been asked or surveyed about a current need, they are then very engaged in professional development opportunities to address that need.  Time for discussion amongst teams, grade-levels, and instructional support staff is an important part in addressing needs within a school or district.  Collaborative conversations lead to great learning (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).

Principle 3: Introduce New Concepts In Context 

This is important if teachers are to truly understand how to apply a new teaching concept or strategy.  Just as we apply context for our students, teachers need this as well.  Outlining specific ways a strategy can be used or applied makes professional development effective (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  Demonstration is a great way in which to accomplish this goal, and is further described in Principle 8 below. 

Principle 4: Create a Safe Environment 

Most adult learners are motivated to learn new things, as they want to model lifelong learning for their students.  They strive to improve their teaching in order to increase their students’ learning and growth.  However, adult learners need to feel that the environment they are learning in is safe.  No matter their age, all learners have this need and want to feel comfortable as they try new things. A positive approach is allowing teachers to try a new instructional strategy out in their own classroom and then share out and reflect with their colleagues, such as in a PLC.  Establish an environment where mistakes can be shared and questions asked.  Implementing group norms for conversations or PLCs is an important part of this process.  Asking teachers what supports they need and not observing in a judgmental manner are meaningful ways to encourage implementation of new strategies (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  

Principle 5: Develop Participants’ Conceptual Knowledge Through Conversation Around Shared Experiences 

It is important to remember, when planning professional development, that teachers come from a variety of backgrounds and have diverse experiences and skills.  Over their years of teaching experience, teachers have developed well-established beliefs, opinions, and values.  Although teachers’ experiences vary greatly, there is also a vast amount of shared experiences.  Time for discussions surrounding shared experiences, is a powerful way to build understanding around new concepts (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  “Listening to others’ experiences, thereby developing independent and collective rationales for and ideas about the impact of a specific technique on student learning, shifts the whole group’s understanding” (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001, p. 5).  Hearing others’ experiences who potentially work with different student populations is a powerful way to learn through conversation. 

Principle 6: Provide Opportunities for Participants to Use What They Know to Construct New Knowledge 

Connecting new learning to specific classroom observations and experiences is important.  Teachers can analyze work samples, running records, student data, and data on student behavior and engagement and make connections to their new learning (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001). 

Principle 7: Look for Shifts in Teachers’ Understanding Over Time 

Professional development does not lead to instantaneous change and takes time.  When coaching teachers through new learning, such as applying a new instructional strategy or a curriculum, be patient and look for evidence of small changes.  Encourage teachers as they move through various stages of understanding the new learning.  Be understanding of their need for time.  Adult learners have many responsibilities and demands on their time (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).  Understand that teachers are focusing on building their understanding of a new process, but it does take time. 

Principle 8: Provide Additional Experiences for Participants Who Have Not Yet Developed the Needed Conceptual Understanding 

It is crucial that teachers have the prerequisite skills before jumping in with a new teaching strategy or process.  It is very important to explain why a particular  technique is being demonstrated and how it will impact their teaching.  There needs to be meaning behind it other than a mandate by district administration; Otherwise there is little buy-in from the teachers (Lyons & Pinnell, 2001).

The next step is to provide clear examples, which is often best done through demonstrations and observations.  This allows them to build understanding in a meaningful way. 

Observation and demonstration can be done in a variety of formats: 

• Bringing teachers into classrooms to observe teaching 
• Watch video tapes of specific teaching techniques from classrooms 
• Having teachers simulate the use of a teaching strategy 

If you are a literacy leader in a school or district and are providing, planning, or organizing professional development for teachers, consider applying these principles to your planning.  In the words of Kayla Delzer and Jen Jones, the co-creators of Happy Go Teach, “Life’s too short for average PD!” 

How will you improve the PD you are providing to your teachers, to make it so much more than average? 

How can you professionally express to administration your need for highly effective PD? 

What professional development experience have you had that was highly effective?

References:

Lyons, C.A., & Pinnell, G.S. (2001). Systems for change in literacy education: A 

guide to professional development. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 

Successful readers are built from quality core instruction as well as through tiered support.  However, as teachers it can be challenging to know next steps to take for students who are struggling. Have you ever had a student struggle in areas of early literacy, but not know how to support them? Have you ever been unsure which intervention to implement in your classroom? Do you wonder how to make data-driven decisions? PRESS is a program that can help with these challenges that elementary literacy teachers face.

What is PRESS?

PRESS stands for Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites.  “PRESS offers a research base for multi-tiered systems of support in elementary reading” (PRESS, 2016).

Here is a brief introductory video that explains what PRESS is: 

How Did PRESS Get Started? 

PRESS was born out of a partnership between the Minnesota Center for Reading Research, Minnesota Reading Corps, and the Target Corporation. In 2014, after completion of a successful pilot, PRESS began providing professional development and resources to elementary schools in the Midwest. 

Why PRESS?

PRESS supports teachers in analyzing data and making instructional decisions, implementing reading interventions, and providing quality core instruction.  It is not a curriculum, rather it can be used with a variety of literacy curriculums and assessment systems.  

This infographic shows the 4 Pillars of PRESS

PRESS outlines interventions in these areas of literacy:

• phonemic awareness
• phonics
• fluency
• comprehension
• vocabulary

My Experience With PRESS

This is my second school year implementing PRESS into my classroom.  I have seen the power when PRESS is used as a school-wide initiative.  My school received training in PRESS, and I have been able to use it to improve my intervention and instruction in the areas of early literacy.  

PRESS has assisted me in: 

• Learning to analyze whole class data and determine if a whole class intervention is needed, or if just a small group of students need the intervention. 
• Use decoding inventories to determine what phonics intervention students can benefit from.
• Using progress monitoring data to report progress during an intervention. 
• Increasing my repertoire of phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency interventions.

Through my school’s implementation of PRESS, I have gained membership to the PRESS community.  This allows me to print word lists, assessments, progress monitoring lists, and access tools and videos.  It is helpful to see videos of each intervention in action alongside reading the instructions in my teaching manual. 

PRESS has been a wonderful resource at my school to promote literacy success for all students.  It is so important to have tools and support in instructing students in the classroom, as well as smaller groups of students in tiers 2 and 3.  

Have you heard of PRESS? 

What system does your school use to support students getting additional tiered support in the area of literacy? 

Resources:

presscommunity.org

Schools and districts strive to have effective and comprehensive literacy programs.  However there are many aspects to consider when planning out a program in regards to both teachers and students.  Creating an effective literacy plan, while time consuming, is a great way to establish a focus for the literacy program.    

A creating of a literacy plan often begins with the drafting of a vision statement.  Having a vision statement, helps to share with parents, families, students, and the community what the literacy goals of the school or district are.  

Local literacy plans should be visible to all in the community and are often easily found a school’s website or searched for by typing in a school’s name followed by “literacy plan.” I encourage you to look up and read some local literacy plans for schools in your area.  These can help you get to know the school or district better. 

A core focus of an effective literacy plan is on the specific curriculum and strategies being utilized.  The ultimate goal of a literacy plan is student achievement (Irvin, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007).  Therefore, when writing various components of a literacy plan, one can ask the following question: How does this positively impact student achievement? 

There are 5 essential components to an effective literacy plan, as described in Chapter 5 of Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy (Irvin, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007):  

1. Strengthening literacy development across the content areas 
2. Literacy interventions for struggling readers and writers
3. School policies, structures, and culture for supporting literacy 
4. Building leadership capacity
5. Supporting teachers to improve instruction 

The authors point out that these 5 areas cover various aspects of literacy within a school, and it is clear how each impacts student achievement.  Within a local literacy plan, there needs to be a focus on students, teachers, leadership, and families/community.  These five components address things such as curriculum being utilized, intervention plans in place, literacy assessments and data being collected on students, professional development supports for teachers, and often specific literacy goals outlined for a school or district. 

Minnesota literacy plans specifically address Minnesota Statute 120B.12, which states that “The legislature seeks to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than the end of grade 3, including English learners, and that teachers provide comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction.”  Literacy plans outline the comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction they are providing as well as how they communicate with families if their child is not reading at grade level.  Some schools even include a letter that they use to communicate this with families. 

When a school or district is determining specific literacy goals for their literacy plan, there are many factors to consider:

• What does our current data say on student literacy achievement?  Where are there opportunities for growth? 

• What school resources or policies are either limiting or encouraging literacy growth? 

• What teaching practices currently in place encourage literacy? 

• What do teachers need? Do we have survey data on their professional development needs? 

• How can our literacy leaders support our literacy goals? 

In conclusion, it is important to note that although a literacy plan can incorporate all of these essential components and be very well written, if action is not taken, then there is no real purpose.  Although state legislation may require a local literacy plan be written, they should not just be written for the state.  They need to be written for the school and made personable so that they encourage actual implementation and action.  Literacy plans should be written in ways that make them actionable and the progress measurable.  They should encourage literacy growth within a school or district. Effective plans do need to be communicated and should not be kept secret or only known to a small group of literacy leaders.  Support from teachers is crucial in a successful literacy plan, so they must feel that they have been aware of and involved in the process of its creation and implementation (Irvin, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007). 

Here is a helpful link to the Minnesota Department of Education website on local literacy plan development. 

References: 

Irvin, J.L., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M.S. (2007). Chapter 5: Develop and     implement a schoolwide literacy action plan. In Taking action on adolescent literacy. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/ books/107034/chapters/Develop-and-Implement-a-Schoolwide- Literacy-Action-Plan.aspx

Federal Legislation

In 2015, No Child Left Behind was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) when signed into law by President Obama.  This act focuses on preparing all students for college and career.  Each state has flexibility in how they will create these paths to success and must submit their plan to the U.S. Department of Education.   

Here are a few main components of this act and the impact they have on schools: 

• Each State has the ability to set their own rigorous academic standards.  Additionally, each state has tests administered to measure students’ achievement agains those standards.
• Information about students’ achievements against these standards on state assessments is communicated annually with families and the community.  This information can be viewed State and Local Report Cards.  Here is a helpful guide for parents on how to interpret the information presented on these report cards. 
• Focuses on accountability for lowest performing schools, schools with low graduation rates, and where specific subsets of students are not making progress. There is also a focus on action to change and improve performance through improvement plans for schools. 

Here is a link to view each individual State’s ESSA Plan.

State Legislation 

Along with federal legislation, states also have statutes that impact instruction.  Minnesota statute 120B.12 states that “The legislature seeks to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than the end of grade 3, including English learners, and that teachers provide comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction.”  There are subdivisions within this statute that outline identification of students, parent involvement, intervention, staff development, and local literacy plans. 

• Every school district must identify kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students that are reading below grade level at the end of every school year.  Students in grade 3 or above and have a reading difficulty are included in the report as well. 
• Annual communication to parents about a students’ reading proficiency, reading-related services, as well as strategies for parents to use at home to support learning at school is required for students not reading at or above grade level. 
• Districts must provide reading intervention to those students reading below grade level and continue to provide intervention services after grade 3 if the student does not reach grade level by the end of that year. 
• Districts must use data on student reading achievement to identify specific staff development needs. This includes training in scientifically-based reading instruction, culturally responsive instruction, and English Learners. 
• Every district must have a local literacy plan that outlines how they will have every child reading at or above grade level by the end of 3rd grade. 
• In 2018, there is a new requirement for districts to report the number of students who have been screened or identified for dyslexia or convergence insufficiency disorder, which is a vision disorder in which the eyes turn inward.  A challenge in this requirement is that schools do not have the tools currently to test for dyslexia.  It will be interesting to see what this new legislation leads to in the realm of education. 

Legislation has a definite impact on literacy learning at both the federal and state levels. Unfortunately there are many students who are not “reading well” by 3rd grade, and I am not sure that requiring districts to report this information is changing the narrative at all.  There are other changes that will need to take place to ensure reading success by this critical age. 

Here is a short video clip by the Children’s Literacy Initiative discussing improving literacy rates that I encourage you to watch. 

References: 

[Children’s Literacy Initiative]. (2014, September 11).  Children’s literacy initiative: Improving literacy rates Retrieved from: https://cli.org/2014/09/11/why-reading-why-third-grade-why-cli/

ed.gov. (2018, November). A parent guide to state and local report cards [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/index.html

Minnesota Department of Education. (2018). Frequently asked questions: Read well data and plan submission [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/datasub/ReadK3/

Officer of the Revisor of Statutes. (2018). 2018 Minnesota Statutes. Retrieved from https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/120B.12

U.S. Department of Education. Every students succeeds act (ESSA). Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=policy

The focal point of assessment should be to inform teaching and learning, when it is done effectively.  There are many types of assessment, and they all can help inform instruction in various ways; some more meaningful than others. There are state-mandated tests, screening assessments, progress monitoring assessments, and formative and summative assessments to name a few. 

Screening assessments that are used at the start of the school year, mid year, and at the end of the year can provide meaningful data in various aspects of literacy and show the amount of growth a student is making.  These assessments are often used to determine students that are in need of Title 1 support or reading intervention services.  These screening assessments often measure against a grade-level standard, as well as peers, and give teachers a general assessment of their students’ abilities and literacy needs.  Data from screening assessments is helpful in guiding conversations between teachers and additional literacy support teachers, as the school strives to meet the needs of all students in a grade level.  

Students initially screened and identified as possibly needing additional literacy support can be assessed further with more specific, diagnostic assessments (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  These can measure specific areas that a student is struggling with and provide meaningful data for small group instruction. Teachers can group students with common needs and ability levels to provide instruction at their point of need.  The data gained from these assessments should be used to plan specific instruction. 

Additionally, data gained from screening and diagnostic assessments are often the first step in beginning a conversation with families regarding any concerns a teacher may have about a student’s literacy achievement.  Sharing this data with parents helps them understand their child’s literacy needs and involves them in the process of their child’s instructional plan.  Parents need to know how they can support their child’s learning and what their child will be working on at school.  The process of placing a child in a reading intervention group or to receive Title 1 services, does not just involve the classroom teacher and literacy leaders at the school.  Families need to be involved as well, as they have important information that they can share about their child’s needs and learning.  

This leads me to discuss contextualized assessment.  This is defined as using “in-classroom activities and processes generated during contextualized learning as formative assessment” (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p. 109).  Not only does a students’ current instructional context play a role in their literacy development, but as does their background.  Assessment that takes into account a students’ home, background, prior experiences, and culture is valuable; contextualized assessment does just that (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  Parents have an important role to play in this regard.  Surveys in which parents have opportunities to share about their child’s learning style and culture are valuable. 

Contextualized assessment reminds us that other types of assessment such as student work, interviews, and observation are also valid assessments that provide meaningful data when making instructional decisions (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  Embedded assessment is that which takes place daily in the classroom and “provides rich information that directly informs students’ instructional needs and modifications” (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p.111).  Collaboration, observation, and assessment data all play a role in establishing an instructional plan for a student (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  Teachers cannot just focus on screening or diagnostic data.  Continued research is showing that literacy behaviors are complex and change based on the context of the situation.  Therefore, our assessments should strive to measure these complexities (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019). 

In summation, as teachers it is our job to notice when an instructional strategy in the classroom or first approach to intervention isn’t working and to try again to search for a more appropriate context for that student (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  Progress monitoring assessments are helpful in determining if an intervention is working or not for a particular student  (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  Teachers and literacy leaders can then make adjustments for that student.  It is important to remember that contexts can be as simple as changing the group size or more drastic such as changing a strategy entirely.  Every student deserves a context in which they can learn.    

References:

Shearer, B.A., Carr, D.B., & Vogt, M. (2019).  Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world (4th ed). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press

How do you develop a diverse classroom library?  

I strongly believe that classroom libraries should be diverse to meet the reading interests of all students!  Not only does this mean diverse in regards to culture, but also diverse in genre, author, characters, theme, reading level, interest level, and type of text.

The books in our classroom libraries should reflect our students’ cultures, backgrounds, families, experiences, and community.  Rudine Sims Bishop refers to these types of books as “mirrors,” as students are able to see themselves in these books.  However, it is just as important to have books that are “windows,” as they allow students to see something other than themselves or their own experiences.  Books that are “sliding glass doors” take it a step further and allow students to “enter” that world.  

Please take a moment to watch this brief video clip of an interview, with Rudine Sims Bishop, on the importance of diverse books.  

It can be powerful to analyze your classroom library and think about the windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for each individual student in your classroom.  In which of those categories do you need more books in your classroom library? It is important to note that having a bin in your classroom library labeled “cultures around the world,” does not automatically make your classroom library culturally diverse.  

A great resource for diversifying your classroom library is the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books.  This organization has a website and also partners with Scholastic Book Clubs to create a catalog for ordering books.  Many teachers utilize Scholastic Book Clubs to promote reading and new books to their students and their families. This catalog is created a couple of times a year for both younger and older students.  There is a large variety of books that are diverse in numerous ways.  It is a great resource in staying current on new picture books and chapter books that are diverse.  

As an ending thought, we often forget or don’t realize that our classroom libraries express what we value and think is important as teachers. What message does your classroom library send your students?  What messages are you unintentionally sending? How do you locate diverse books to show that you value diversity and providing “windows” and “mirrors” experiences for all your students? Share your thoughts and diverse books resources below! 

References: 

[Reading Rockets]. (2015, January 30). Mirrors, windows, and sliding doors . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AAu58SNSyc

Being a literacy leader is quite the balancing act! Literacy leaders take on a variety of roles and responsibilities in a school or district.  They can be found planning professional development, coaching and observing teachers, teaching in a literacy intervention role, serving on the literacy team, developing school or district-wide literacy programs, and more.  Many literacy leaders even split their time between coaching teachers and teaching students.  Literacy leaders are becoming increasingly important in K-12 school settings, as they support both teachers and students!   

Many schools strive to build capacity in their schools and district through literacy leaders (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019).  These leaders coach and support teachers and also work collaboratively such as on a literacy team.  Literacy has changed drastically over the past few decades and “…it seems obvious that no one person can have the knowledge, expertise wisdom, time, or experience to do it all and do it well.  Literacy teams make sense today more than ever” (Shearer, et al., 2019, p. 72). These literacy teams are able to provide support to teaching staff in a variety of roles, while supporting the literacy goals of the school or district.  A real difference is seen in student literacy achievement when capacity has been built in regards to effective literacy instruction across the teaching staff.  

Literacy is ever-changing as new research is developed and new literacies, including technology are required to be incorporated into the classroom.  Literacy instruction is not simple, rather it is quite complex to teach effectively.  Additionally, students in our classrooms have a diverse array of literacy and instructional needs.  Teachers need specific support to best meet their students’ needs, and literacy leaders play a crucial part in accomplishing this.  

Literacy leaders support teachers and students in a variety of ways, but here are a few ways in which these leaders are vital to K-12 schools:

• Observe and coach teachers in planning literacy instruction
• Help plan professional development opportunities 
• Instruct children who need additional literacy support (Title 1 or intervention teacher)
• Assist in curriculum design 
• Guide teachers through self-reflection and assessment 
• Support school or district assessment initiatives  (Shearer, et al., 2019).

Literacy leaders make a meaningful difference in schools through a variety of roles.  Their work to build capacity, in regards to literacy, in their schools and districts is vital. However, there are great disparities in schools that are able to fund literacy leaders and those that are not financially able. 

I will leave you with this video that discusses the challenge we have here in the United States in regards to illiteracy.  I believe that literacy leaders have the capability to change this narrative and better the literacy instruction in our schools by supporting both our teachers and students.  

How do you think we can use literacy leaders to help change this narrative and ensure that more students aren’t left behind? 

References:

Shearer, B.A., Carr, D.B., & Vogt, M. (2019).  Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world (4th ed). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press

[BBC News]. (2017, October 30). The americans who can’t read-BBC news . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UdvAg9SA14