SEDE 7340: Assignment One

Focused: Two Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs 

A panel consisting of leaders in the field of educational research, like Gina Biancarosa and Dr. Catherine Snow, came together to discuss what components are the most effective for literacy instruction in middle and high schools. To this effect, they were able to determine a list of 15 elements that can be used immediately to improve the literacy achievement of striving readers. 

https://www.ocmboces.org/tfiles/folder888/15KeyElementsReadingNext.pdf

Best Practices for Improving Middle and High School Literacy Programs

Formative Assessment

I have been teaching for three years in Texas; before that I taught both high school and middle school in California and in Kentucky.  During this time, I have observed how three different districts in three different states have attempted to improve literacy for both middle school and high school students.  For this purpose of this blog, I will focus mostly on my experiences in Texas.  I have found that I work more with other teachers in my field here than in any other state.  The expectations for student success and achievement are more clearly stated, and the teachers in my department work more closely together to develop lessons than in any other district or state where I taught. However, at times the emphasis on test scores is paramount to student growth. That is why I was especially interested in reading about Best Practices for Improving Literacy. 

Implementing frequent, informative, and informal assessments of students into current instructional practices is one of the most important “best practices” for leading students toward literacy.  Currently, in our school, teachers meet with department heads to develop periodic assessments to measure student mastery. These assessments are designed to “mimic” the standardized assessments, allowing students to demonstrate mastery or demonstrate the need for remediation.  I feel that these tests hold value, but I believe that more informal assessments would be more beneficial. As a middle school language arts teacher, I at times feel that these assessments are limited in their relevancy and validity.  Their intent is purposeful, and yet because these tests are given at designated times, they do not take into account student needs.  There have been times when I felt that students were being tested before they had time to master the concepts. 

Incorporating more frequent informal assessments would be beneficial if teachers are allowed to use this information to pace their class instruction.  Teachers need to be able to identify when students are experiencing hurdles in learning and need to know how to correct the learning behavior more quickly.  Most importantly, teachers need the flexibility to redesign lessons or postpone unit assessments if students continue to struggle. Currently, testing times are preset, and if students are not ready, the justification for going ahead is that they will receive additional practice time. Our school has remediation sessions to allow students to meet in small groups with a teacher.  The teacher is supposed to reteach the skills and then retest.  To progress out of the intervention class, students must meet 85% mastery.  This number to me seems arbitrary and at times unrealistic.  Instead, I would like to see growth as the primary measurement.  Student growth is recognized periodically at different times of the year but much less frequently than other assessment measurements. 

I do feel that in the math department of our school, teachers are better prepared for identifying when and how a student is struggling.  Part of that reason is that when students show their work, teachers can identify the exact moment when thinking goes wrong.  I feel that this practice is applicable to improving literacy. Improved professional development that shows teachers how to identify problems and how to remediate them would be helpful.  

This is where the best practice of using frequent informal assessments becomes important.  When teachers stop and check to see if students have mastered a concept, this allows a student time to digest the information being taught and allows the teacher to identify who is struggling.  Such assessments allow teachers to remediate immediately and not wait for a more formal assessment to identify who is struggling.  Because literacy is such a private and personal skill, correcting roadblocks to literacy as they occur can help students gain mastery.

Incorporating frequent informal assessments into the classroom can be improved when the school administration understands the importance of doing so and allows teachers the latitude to adjust testing schedules. 

Intensive Writing

Another best practice I feel is imperative toward guiding students to literacy is intensive writing. This includes instruction connected to the kinds of writing tasks students will have to perform well in high school and beyond.  Much professional literature has been dedicated to the importance of teaching students to write by providing them with authentic tasks that mimic real world and academic writing.  Our junior high requires students to write frequently.  However, sometimes because of time constraints, we ignore the recursive nature of the writing process and expect students to produce essays based on a provided prompt.  These writing assignments mimic the type of writings students will need to complete on state standardized assessments and fail to take into consideration the best practices toward teaching students to write.

Since the inception of the Bay Area Writing Project in 1974, many researchers have written about how students best learn to write.  When students are part of the prewriting experience, recognize the authenticity of a writing task and are taught rhetorical techniques designed to improve the quality of writing, their writing improves and thus their literacy.  Most importantly, however, students who read, edit, conference, and revise their work are students who are more likely to demonstrate proficiency in writing.  In our school, little accommodations are currently made to allow students to experience the entire writing experience.  To meet the needs of my students, I frequently schedule before school and after school opportunities for students to conference with me.  I provide them with examples of quality writing, allow them to dissect the examples, and encourage them to experiment with style. Of course, this instruction involves teaching them how to create a thesis statement, identify major points, and use transitions.  These skills along with instruction in syntax and grammar provide students with the tools to be successful communicators. 

In addition to using the writing process to lead students toward literacy, some writing experiences need to be as simple as writing a couple of sentences to explain one’s thinking so as to encourage metacognition or as complex as creating their own stories. There is a place for both short and longer writing activities within the classroom.  Immersing students in literacy experiences such as frequent writing improves literacy and can serve as informal methods to gauge student learning.

Incorporating frequent, informal assessments into classroom instruction and allowing students to participate in an intensive writing program will improve literacy.  In order for me and other teachers in my school to become effective in implementing these best practices, we need more opportunities to meet with master teachers who have already demonstrated success in doing so. Our district already provides some of these opportunities but can continue to build on this idea. I enjoyed working with other teachers from other schools this past summer. We shared some of our assessments and our lesson plans, and I feel that more of these experiences would be beneficial.  To improve the effectiveness of this practice, school administrators need to identify master teachers who have demonstrated proficiency in using best practice and encourage them to share. In addition, administrators need to ensure that frequent practice testing does not interfere or replace informal assessments or discourage it.

Additional Resources: 

Why Students Should Write in All Subjects

Why Formative Assessments Matter

5 Reasons Your Students Should Write Every Day