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Transformative Literacy Leadership

By Cathy Buyrn, M.Ed.

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The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has identified that the goal of Literacy Instruction in Virginia is to ensure that all children have the necessary skills to become successful as they progress and transition through the stages of their lives (VDOE, 2021). To that end, VDOE has sponsored at least three focused literacy events over the past couple of years. In 2020 alone, the VDOE held two literacy summits to address the reduced Standards of Learning pass rate for students in grades 3 through 5 and the drop in Virginia students’ scores on national reading tests.

The Board of Education's 2018-2023 Comprehensive Plan requires that “all children in the Commonwealth have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for successful, healthy, and fulfilling lives” (Virginia Board of Education, 2017, p. 10). Dr. James Lane, State Superintendent of public education, supports this goal through his focus on equity and effective instruction. He sent the following message to encourage attendance at the literacy summits: 

There is no more important skill taught in our schools than reading, and it is critical that every school in the commonwealth provide students with systematic instruction that reflects the five components of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In addition, all students should have daily opportunities to read and analyze challenging, grade-level fiction and non-fiction texts. (VDOE, 2020, para. 6)

The Commonwealth of Virginia has further emphasized the importance of reading intervention through the passage of House Bill 1865, signed by the Governor on March 18, 2021 (Virginia Administrative Code, 2021). This bill addresses the provision of reading intervention services based upon diagnostic data, specification of evidence-based services grounded in the Science of Reading, and requirements for parental notification of service delivery and progress monitoring. The bill can be accessed at https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+HB1865 https://openstates.org/va/bills/2021/HB1865/.

Teachers that follow practices supported by the Science of Reading focus on the foundational reading skills that enable students to read words, relate those words to their oral language, and read connected text with sufficient accuracy and fluency to understand what they read (Institute of Educational Sciences, 2016). For students to receive this level of high-quality instruction, teachers must discontinue ineffective practices and adopt those that will support students in learning to read and reading to learn. This article focuses on two of those practices that need to be removed from instruction and identifies better options, along with resources to support the adoption of these practices.

Ineffective Practice: Use of leveled text to support phonics instruction

Effective Practice: Use of decodable text to support phonics instruction

Leveled texts tend to promote an overreliance on sight-word memorization and the use of context clues to help students recognize unknown words, as students are encouraged to ask themselves, “what makes sense” when they encounter unfamiliar words. With decodable texts, however, students rely on their developing phonics knowledge to attack unfamiliar words (Mesmer, 2001). Decodable texts contain previously taught phonetic concepts and new phonetic instruction. This is critical, because instruction and the text used to support instruction cannot be separated. For example, if the text used to support instruction contains the three sounds of /ea/, the student must have been taught all three sounds of /ea/ (e.g., The peach spread was great)…no guessing necessary! Check out the resources below, then think about the sequence of your instruction. Free examples of decodable texts are provided to help you see how you can easily use texts that support the skill(s) taught.

The Drudgery (and Beauty) of Decodable Texts

Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System: Doesn’t Look Right, Sound Right, or Make Sense (speaks to leveling inconsistencies)

Free Decodable Text

Additional Free Decodable Reader Resources

Ineffective Practice: Use of implicit instruction for struggling readers and students with disabilities

Effective Practice: Use of explicit instruction for struggling readers and students with disabilities

Converging evidence from multiple disciplines indicates the efficacy and necessity of explicit instruction when teaching students who struggle with learning (Friend & Barron, 2021; McLeskey et al., 2017; Vaughn & Fletcher, 2021; Vaughn et al., 2012). This is because implicit instruction relies on the expectation that students will create their own learning by drawing their own conclusions, creating their own conceptual structures, and consolidating the new and existing information in a way that makes sense to them (Smith, 2017). Explicit instruction, however, peels back the layers of content knowledge and guides students through the maze of learning using unambiguous, structured, supportive, cumulative, and systematic methodology for teaching academic skills. This approach is helpful for all students, harmful for none, and crucial for some (Redford, 2019; Snowling & Hulme, 2005). Within the co-taught classroom, the general educator with expert content knowledge and the special educator with intensive strategy knowledge may combine their skills to provide a lesson that meets the needs of all students (Conderman & Hedin, 2013). Visit the links below (and see our additional resources) for more information on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of implementing explicit literacy instruction in your classroom.

Intensive Interventions for Students Struggling in Reading and Mathematics (p. 20) -Intensive Interventions for Students Struggling in Reading & Math.pdf (readingrockets.org)

Video from Anita Archer - Why Explicit Instruction? - Bing video

Explicit Phonics Lessons from M. A. Rooney Foundation

Equitable education ensures that all students develop the skills they need for success in school and in adult life. Reading is the foundation for this success across the contexts of living, learning, working, and thriving. As you reflect upon your current literacy practices, consider:

•  What ineffective practices do you need to change?
• What would this look like?
• What barriers might you face in implementing the effective practices described in this article?
• How might these changes help culturally diverse students in your classroom?

If you would like to discuss your thoughts and concerns with a specialist at TTAC W&M, fill out a request for assistance form. We would welcome the opportunity to support you!

References

Conderman, G., & Hedin, L. R. (2013). Co-teaching with strategy instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic, 49(3), 156-163.

Friend, M., & Barron, T. (2021). Specially designed instruction for co-teaching. Marilyn Friend.

Institute on Educational Sciences. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/21

McLeskey, J., Barringer, M-D., Billingsley, B., Brownell, M., Jackson, D., Kennedy, M., Lewis, T., Maheady, L., Rodriguez, J., Scheeler, M. C., Winn, J., & Zeigler, D. (2017, January). High-leverage practices in special education. Council for Exceptional Children & CEEDAR Center. https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CEC-HLP-Web.pdf

Mesmer, H. A. E. (2001). Decodable text: A review of what we know. Reading Research and Instruction, 40(2), 121-142.

Redford, K. (2019, March 19). Explicit phonics instruction: It’s not just for students with dyslexia. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-explicit-phonics-instruction-its-not-just-for-students-with-dyslexia/2019/03

Smith, H. (2017, June 28). Implicit vs. explicit instruction: Which is better for word learning? Fast Forword: Carnegie Learning.  https://www.scilearn.com/implicit-vs-explicit-instruction-which-better-word-learning/

Snowling, M. J., & Hulme, C. (2005). Learning to read with a language impairment. In M. J. Snowling & C. Hulme (Eds.), The science of reading: A handbook (pp. 397-412). Wiley Online Library.

Vaughn, S., & Fletcher, J. (2021, May/June). Explicit instruction as the essential tool for executing the science of reading. The Reading League Journal, 2(2), 4-11.

Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Murray, C. S., Roberts, G. (2012). Intensive interventions for students struggling in reading and mathematics: A practice guide. RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction. Intensive Interventions for Students Struggling in Reading & Math.pdf (readingrockets.org)

Virginia Administrative Code. (2021). House bill 1865. https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+HB1865 https://openstates.org/va/bills/2021/HB1865/

Virginia Board of Education. (2017). Virginia Board of Education comprehensive plan: 2018-2023. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/plan/comprehensive-plan.pdf

Virginia Department of Education. (2021). Literacy. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/english/literacy/index.shtml

Virginia Department of Education. (2020, February 20). State superintendent Lane calls summit on literacy and reading achievement [Press release]. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2020/index.shtml