Considerations and Choices in Selecting/Adopting a Literacy (Reading and/or Language Arts) Curriculum/Program Melissa D. H. Keenan, Ed.D. Educational Consultant/Literacy Specialist NH Reading First Professional Development Provider

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Considerations and Choices in Selecting/Adopting
a Literacy (Reading and/or Language Arts)
Curriculum/ProgramMelissa D. H. Keenan,
Ed.D.Educational Consultant/Literacy
SpecialistNH Reading First Professional
Development Provider

• 2006 Best Practices Conference on
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
• The New Hampshire School Administration
  Association (NHSAA)
• Thursday, January 26, 2006
• Concord, NH

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Overall Purpose of Presentation

• What are the research and practical
  considerations to keep in mind in adopting and
  implementing a reading/language arts curriculum
  for your school or district?
• Dr. Mark V. Joyce, Executive DirectorNew
  Hampshire School Administrators Association

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Background

• Elementary School Dick and Jane
• Middle School Open Classroom with SRA
• High School Literature and Essays
• College Directed Reading Teaching Approach
• Preschool/Daycare Developmentally Appropriate
  Practices
• 6th Grade Teacher Basals/Essays to
  Reading/Writing Workshop
• Masters Program Literacy, Society, and Culture
• 3rd Grade Teacher Whole Language/Integrated
  Curriculum/Inquiry
• Doctoral Program Reading Recovery Reader
  Response Research
• Tutorials Embedded and Explicit Instruction
• College Teaching Apprenticeship Model
• Reading Excellence Act Fountas Pinnell/Four
  Blocks to Core Programs
• Reading First Comprehensive Reading Program

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Definitions

• Best Practices Research
• Language Arts Literacy
• Curriculum Programs

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Best Practices Research

• Scientifically Based Research
• Employ systematic, empirical methods that draw on
  observation or experiment
• Involve rigorous data analyses that are adequate
  to test the stated hypotheses and justify the
  general conclusions
• Rely on measurements or observational methods
  that provide valid data across evaluators and
  observers, and across multiple measurements and
  observations and
• Be accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or
  approved by a panel of independent experts
  through a comparatively rigorous, objective, and
  scientific review.
• Stanovich Stanovich, 2005
• National Institute for Literacy

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From Language Arts to Literacy

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

• Receptive
• Expressive
• Print
• Oral

Sociocultural Context
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Curriculum Program

• Curriculum Addresses The What and the When
• What do we want our children to know and be able
  to do with respect to language arts?
• Program Addresses The What, the How, the Who,
  the Where, the When, and sometimes even the Why
• Instructional programs are our tools for
  addressing our curricular expectations and for
  carrying out instruction.

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Underlying Assumption

• Inevitably, programs inadequately meet our
  expectations and therefore must be strengthened
  and enhanced by the decisions we make to
  establish a comprehensive literacy program.

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Programs and Materials

• Core Programs and Materials
• Supplemental Programs and Materials
• Intervention Programs and Materials

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What are our choices/options?
Audience Design Options Program Options
State Systemic Design Comprehensive Program
District Pre-Packaged Design Core Program
School Research Theory-Driven Design Supplemental Program
Classroom Practical Resources Self-Design Intervention Program
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A Sampling of Programs and Materials
Core Programs Pre-Packaged Resources Core Programs Pre-Packaged Resources Supplemental Programs Intervention Programs (Fluency Intensive) Intervention Programs (Fluency Intensive)
Harcourt Crystal Springs/SDE Accelerated Reader Elements of Readg Fluency Corrective Reading
Houghton Mifflin Fountas Pinnell Destination Reading Fluency First! Horizons
Macmillan McGraw Four Blocks Early Success Soar to Success Fluent Reader Reading Mastery Classic
Open Court Heinemann Stenhouse Headsprout Great Leaps Reading Recovery
Reading Mastery Literacy Collaborative Reading A-Z Fluency Passages QuickReads Read Well
Rigby Scholastic Reading/Writing Workshop Leveled Libraries Read Naturally Spell, Read, P.A.T.
Scott Foresman Strategies That Work Reading Counts Soliloquy Success for All
Success for All Trainings Workshops Waterford Voyager
Voyager Wilson Reading
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Resources

• Consumers Guide for Evaluating Programs
• Reviews and Ratings of Programs
• Research
• Presentations by Publishers
• Close Examination of Programs/Materials
• Consultations with other Districts/Schools
• Piloting of the Programs

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Issues to Address

• Teacher Autonomy Professional Judgment
• Philosophical Orientation
• Fidelity of Implementation
• Program Evaluation

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Leadership, Coordination, and Communication

• Prioritize Principal, as Instructional Leader
• Appoint a Literacy Coordinator
• Expect All Staff Responsible for literacy
  instruction to play a role in the process
• Establish Instructional Teams
• Bring on the Literacy Coaches
• Work with all constituents who have an impact on
  literacy instruction

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Resources

• Planning and Evaluation Tool for Effective
  School-wide Reading Programs
• Principal Tools to Support A School-wide Reading
  Initiative
• Coaching Resources
• Instructional Team Guidelines

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Curriculum

• Local language arts curriculum
• What do we want our children to know and be able
  to do?
• Informed by
• Overall Goal and Vision Statement
• Community Expectations
• Scope and Sequence Charts
• NH Language Arts Frameworks
• Grade Level Expectations
• National Standards
• Research

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Curriculum

• What are our tasks?
• Become well informed by reading curricular
  documents and research
• Divide up the work by specializing
• Be patient with the process and give it time
• Develop a clear understanding of the continuum of
  skills (to ensure systematic instruction) and map
  these skills across year
• Align curricular expectations to progress
  reports/report cards

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For exampleFrom Reading to Essential Elements

• Scientifically Based Reading Research
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

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Overview Documents
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(No Transcript)
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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Assessment

• We need valid and reliable tools, as well as
  informal tools.
• We need tools for different purposes
• Screening
• Progress Monitoring
• Diagnostic
• Outcome

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Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills
(DIBELS)
Five Essential Components DIBELS Measure Kindergarten Kindergarten Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 1 Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 3-6 Grade 3-6 Grade 3-6
Five Essential Components DIBELS Measure F W S F W S F W S F W S
Phonemic Awareness Initial Sound Fluency X X
Phonemic Awareness Phoneme Segmentation Fluency X X X X X
Phonics (Alphabetic Principle) Letter Naming Fluency X X X X
Phonics (Alphabetic Principle) Nonsense Word Fluency X X X X X X
Fluency Oral Reading Fluency X X X X X X X X
Vocabulary Word Use Fluency X X X X X X X X X X X X
Comprehension Retell Fluency X X X X X X X X
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Issues to Address

• Importance of Valid and Reliable Data
• Consistency and Efficiency
• Time for Training, Calibration, Data Entry, and
  Analysis
• Teacher Ownership vs. District Ownership
• Data Informed Instruction

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Data Informed Instruction
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Resources

• DIBELS (http//dibels.uoregon.edu)
• Big Ideas in Reading Assessment
• Analysis of Reading Assessment Instruments
• Assessment Analysis Coding Forms

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Instruction

• Instructional
• Settings
• Tier I
• Tier II
• Tier III

• Instructional
• Routines
• Whole Group
• Small Group
• Independent Practice

• Instructional
• Strategies
• Lesson Phases
• Characteristics of Effective Instruction
• Content Specific Strategies

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3-Tier Reading Model
I
Core classroom instruction
All students
II
Approximately 2030 of students
Strategic Intervention
III
Approximately 510 of students
Intensive intervention
(may include special education students)
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Apprenticeship Model of Instruction Goal Foster
Independence through effective and systematic
instruction.


To
With
By
Student Gradually Assumes Responsibility
Teacher Gradually Releases Responsibility
Orientation Explicit Systematic Extensive
Modeling
Guided Practice Corrective Feedback Maximize
Engagement
Relevant Independent Practice
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Example Research Based Strategies for Fluency
instruction 
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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Needs of Special Populations

• Special Education
• Socioeconomic Level
• Race
• English Language Learners
• Migrant/Homeless
• Transient
• Troubled/Difficult
• Gifted

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Access to Print

• Library programs and resources
• After-school programs
• Summer programs
• Tutorial programs
• Family Literacy/Parent Education programs
• Community-based programs

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Professional Development

• Ongoing
• Job-Embedded
• Data Driven
• Responsive and Supportive
• High-quality, knowledgeable trainers
• Opportunities for modeling, demonstration and
  practice

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Resources

• Professional Development Guidelines from
  Professional Organizations
• Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science What Expert
  Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do
  (Moats)
• Every Child Reading An Action Plan (Partnership
  for Reading)
• Tips for Designing A High Quality Professional
  Development Program (National Center for Reading
  First Technical Assistance)

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Comprehensive Program

• Leadership, Coordination, Communication
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Instruction
• Programs and Materials
• Needs of Special Populations
• Access to Print
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance
• Program Evaluation

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Technical Assistance

• Logistical support
• Technology support
• Administrative support
• Coordination and Communication
• Change Process

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Program Evaluation

• Student Achievement
• Program Implementation
• Summary of Effectiveness

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In summary . . .
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Leadership, Coordination, Communication Inform
All Activities
Technical Assistance
Curriculum Reading Writing Listening Speaking View
ing Content Areas
Evaluation Reporting
Professional Development
Assessment Screening Tools Diagnostic
Tools Progress Monitoring Tools Outcome Based
Tools Informal Tools
Instruction Explicit or Direct Modeling Guided
Practice Application
Programs and Materials Core Programs Supplemental
Programs Intervention Programs
Access to Print Activities
Meeting the Needs of Special Populations
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Contact Information

• Melissa D. H. Keenan, Ed.D.
• Lancaster Learning Center
• PO Box 269, 97 Main St.
• Lancaster, NH 03584
• Phone [phone]
• Email mkeenan_at_ncia.net