Middle Grades Literacy

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Middle Grades Literacy

• Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., MPH
• National Institute of Child Health and Human
  Development, NIH

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Teaching people to read

• What methods/ approaches work, for whom, under
  what conditions?
• Only a surface reflection of the complexity
  integrated yet differentiated instruction, by
  well trained teachers in environments that
  support and motivate learning.

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Reading Networks an investment in lifespan
literacy, diverse contexts and populations

• Biliteracy Research Network
• Adult Literacy Research Network
• Adolescent Literacy Research Network
• School Readiness Consortium
• Measurement Development Consortium
• Learning Disability Research Centers

Co-funding by ED, NIFL, ACF, ASPE
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What We Know About Reading

• There are key components that must be mastered
  for students to learn to read
• The phonological system (PA and phonics)
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

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And.

• Writing (listen to Steve Graham)
• Spelling instruction, through the middle grades-
  a la Moats and others, including morphology and
  language background
• Supports reading improvement, contributes to
  vocabulary growth and reading comprehension

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What is RTI? (elementary grades)

• Response to Intervention (RTI) requires high
  quality reading instruction for all students
  (Tier 1)
• For those students who do not succeed, more
  intensive classroom instruction with
  differentiated attention to areas of need (Tier
  2)
• For those still not reading, individualized or
  small group intervention specifically targeted to
  those students (Tier 3)

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The 4th Grade Slump?

• Students are moving into higher level reading
  comprehension, more difficult content
• Should have decoding skills and fluency solidly
  mastered, but may not
• Often show no/few signs of reading difficulty,
  but begin to struggle
• Underlines Importance of assessment, strategy
  instruction, vocabulary, and well trained
  teachers

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Importance of Assessment

• Without reliable, valid assessment, cannot know
  what students need
• Ongoing monitoring by teachers will enable them
  to differentiate instruction to student needs
• Assessment takes skills, time and resources (some
  assmt by teachers, some by reading specialists,
  school psychologists, etc.)

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Who are we talking about?

• Middle grades upper elementary or middle school
• Struggling lower 20 (of whom 35-70 have
  decoding problems)
• Or all readers below grade level
• How we teach (reading) varies with who we are
  talking about

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Are older students different?

• Failure may have destroyed or seriously reduced
  motivation
• Teaching single skills is likely to be
  ineffective
• Reading foundational skills, such as decoding and
  fluency, should be taught by classroom teachers
  in elementary grades and reading specialists or
  specifically trained language arts teachers when
  required in middle school

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Content Area Teachers What constitutes literacy
instruction?

• Comprehension strategies (general and domain
  specific)
• Deeper discussion of texts (interactive)
• Promoting vocabulary and questioning that require
  high level thinking
• Interesting and engaging assignments
• Teaching content (including critical vocabulary)
  to all students at various reading levels

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Instruction

• Must be systematic, explicit, challenging,
  focused on disciplinary knowledge and conceptual
  understanding
• Must have meaning in the world outside of school
• Must capitalize on students cultural backgrounds
  personal experiences to enhance engagement,
  motivation, and comprehension of content

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How Important is Professional Development?

• Teachers report that professional development,
  classroom coaches, and the adoption of core,
  comprehensive reading programs for elementary
  grades were key to their success
• Classroom observations indicated that better
  prepared teachers use their time more wisely
• Preparing teachers requires consistent resources
  and time

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What We Cannot Do Without

• Evidence-based curricula
• Materials for students
• Teacher guides, support (for specific roles re
  literacy), and materials
• A commitment to evidence-based materials and
  instruction

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Budgets - FOCUS ON LITERACY A Sound Investment
Priorities

• Solid instruction in K-3 reading
• Teacher prep/ professional development for ALL
  grades
• Teacher support roles differentiate in middle
  school and beyond (content area teachers vs.
  reading specialists, language arts)
• Materials (classroom materials as well as
  assessments)