Improving Adolescent Literacy: Five Recommendations

1. Improving Adolescent Literacy: Five Recommendations

2. THREE TASKS IN ADOLESCENT LITERACY • RAISE EXPECTATIONS • INCREASE CAPACITY • MEASURE and REPORT PROGRESS High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

3. ACT. (2008). The Forgotten Middle. (p. 18) High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

4. READING NEXT: INSTRUCTION • Direct, explicit comprehension instruction • Instruction embedded in content • Motivation and self-directed learning • Text-based collaborative learning High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

5. READING NEXT: INSTRUCTION • Strategic tutoring • Diverse texts • Intensive writing • Technology component • Ongoing formative assessment High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

6. READING NEXT: INFRASTRUCTURE • Extended time for literacy • Professional development • Summative assessment • Teacher teams • Leadership • Comprehensive coordinated literacy program High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

7. NOT ALL OF THEM ALL THE TIME High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

8. READING NEXT available: • http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/adlit • WRITING NEXT available (same location High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

9. COGNITIVE TARGETS High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

10. COGNITIVE TARGETS High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

11. NAEP 2009 READING FRAMEWORK http://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/reading09.pdf High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

12. DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECOMMENDATIONS • Consensus • READING NEXT • Evidence-based • Practice Guides • Meta-analyses High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

13. STRONG EVIDENCE • Studies with high internal and external validity • Systematic review of research that meets WWC standards • No contradictory evidence of similar quality High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

14. STRONG EVIDENCE • Several well-designed, randomized controlled trials or quasi-experiments that generally meet WWC standards • One large, well-designed, randomized controlled, multisite trial that meets WWC standards • No contradictory evidence of similar quality High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

15. MODERATE EVIDENCE • Studies that support strong causal conclusions but generalization is uncertain • Studies that support the relationship but where causality is uncertain • Experiments or quasi-experiments meeting WWC standards with limited generalizability • No contrary evidence High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

16. MODERATE EVIDENCE • Comparison group studies not meeting WWC standards but • (a) consistently show enhanced outcomes • (b) have no major flaws • Correlational research with strong statistical controls for selection bias • No contrary evidence High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

17. LOW EVIDENCE • Expert opinion • derived from strong findings or theories in related areas. • based on evidence that does not rise to moderate or strong levels. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

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21. FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS First three are about strategies teachers can incorporate into instruction. The fourth is about strategies for improving students’ motivation and engagement. The fifth is about remedies for struggling readers—usually not in class. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

22. PROVIDE EXPLICIT VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION • Devote time to explicit instruction • Expose new words in multiple contexts High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

23. PROVIDE EXPLICIT VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION • New vocabulary in multiple contexts • Independent vocabulary learning High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

24. POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK • Teachers may not know how to select words to teach, especially in content areas. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

25. ONE SOLUTION • Vocabulary should be selected on the basis of how important the words are for learning in a discipline, NOT the tier in which the word is located. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

26. DIRECT EXPLICIT COMPREHENSION STRATEGY INSTRUCTION • Select carefully the text to use when teaching a strategy. • Show students how to apply strategies to different texts. • Use text appropriate for the reading level of students. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

27. DIRECT EXPLICIT COMPREHENSION STRATEGY INSTRUCTION • Use direct explicit instruction lessons to teach strategies. • Provide the appropriate amount of guided practice. • Talk about comprehension strategies while teaching them. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

28. POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK • Most teachers lack the skills to provide direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

29. ONE SOLUTION • Professional development in explicit instruction of comprehension strategies will assist all teachers (language arts and content-areas) in teaching. Coaching is a good example. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

30. EXTENDED DISCUSSION OF TEXT MEANING AND INTERPRETATION • Select engaging materials and develop stimulating questions. • Ask questions to provide continuity and extend discussion. • Use a specific “discussion protocol.” High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

31. META-ANALYSIS Murphy, K., Wilkinson, I., Soter, A., Hennesey, M. & Alexander, J. (In Press). Examining the effects of classroom discussion on students’ comprehension of text: a meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

32. THREE TYPES OF DISCUSSION • Efferent • Unpacking the facts of the text • Aesthetic • Expressive—affective response—“say what you think” • Critical/Analytic • Debate ideas • Interrogate the text, author, issue High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

33. CONCLUSIONS • Few approaches increased literal or inferential comprehension and critical-thinking and reasoning. • Efferent discussions increase student talk and comprehension more than other types. • The amount of time was related to success. • Greatest effects for below-average and average ability students. • Putting students into groups to talk is not enough to enhance comprehension and learning. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

34. POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK • Teachers lack the skills in behavior management, discussion techniques, or critical thinking to guide productive discussion and analysis of text meanings. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

35. ONE SOLUTION • Content-area teachers should experience these kinds of discussions themselves as a way of learning what it feels like to participate in effective, open discussions. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

36. INCREASE MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT • Meaningful and engaging content learning goals around the essential ideas of a discipline. • Provide a positive environment that promotes student autonomy in learning. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

37. INCREASE MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT • Make literacy experiences more relevant. • Promote higher reading engagement and conceptual learning. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

38. POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK • Some teachers think that motivational activities must entertain students and often create “fun” activities that are not necessarily focused on learning. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

39. ONE SOLUTION • Teachers should closely connect instruction and student performance to learning goals. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

40. INDIVIDUALIZED INTERVENTIONS FOR STRUGGLING READERS • Screening assessments to identify students with reading difficulties. • Formal and informal assessments to pinpoint students’ instructional needs. • Intervention that provides an explicit instructional focus for each student. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

41. INDIVIDUALIZED INTERVENTIONS FOR STRUGGLING READERS • Greater instructional need, more intensive intervention. • Intensity of interventions is related to size of instructional groups and instructional time. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

42. POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK • Some middle and high schools may not have the specialized personnel, time, and resources to conduct efficient screening to identify students’ reading needs. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

43. ONE SOLUTION • Results from standardized tests can be used to determine which students are reading below grade level. Classroom teachers can administer group screening tests that will identify students who may have reading problems. High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

44. PRACTICE GUIDES • Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/ practiceguides/adlit_pg_082608.pdf High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge

45. http://dww.ed.gov

46. DWW Goal Translate research-based practices into practical toolsthat support and improve classroom instruction

47. Website Tour Research base/Instructional presentations Expert interviews • School site videos and slideshows • Interviews and sample materials from schools • Tools and templates to implement practices

48. http://dww.ed.gov

49. THE END High School Redesign Institute, Baton Rouge