Moving All Students to Literacy Proficiency: Five Goals to Implement

Introducing the five goals

Five school-wide goals will make a difference 4 Read 25 books 4 Write weekly 4 Use reading and writing strategies 4 Write research papers 4 Teach all ELA classes as if gifted

All students will read the equivalent of 25 books per year across the curriculum to increase their understanding of the content of all classes.

Reading is the single most important social factor in American life today. 1. The more you read, the more you know. 2. The more you know, the smarter you grow. 3. The smarter you are, the longer you stay in school. 4. The longer you stay in school, the more diplomas you earn and the longer you are employed—thus the more money you earn in a lifetime. 5. The more diplomas you earn, the higher your children’s grades will be in school. 6. The more diplomas you earn, the longer you live.

The opposite is also true. 4 The less you read, the less you know. 4 The less you know, the sooner you drop out of school. 4 The sooner you drop out, the sooner and longer you are poor. 4 The sooner you drop out, the greater your chances of going to jail.

Poverty and illiteracy are the parents of desperation and imprisonment. 4 82% of prison inmates are school dropouts. 4 Inmates are twice as likely to be in bottom levels of literacy. 4 60% of inmates are illiterate.

Where are we now? 4 Less than half of high school seniors score high enough to be ready for college, but two-thirds attempt to go. 4 80% of college faculty report that entering freshmen cannot read well enough to do college work. 4 About one-third of seniors and one-fourth of 8 th graders are proficient readers.

Describing the proficient reader through SREB’s assessment

To raise their reading skills and to increase understanding of the content of all classes, 4 Students must –read more and a wider range of materials. –read both fiction and non-fiction, including technical manuals and journal and magazine articles. –prepare written reports. –make oral presentations. –perform tasks that are described in the text. 4 Teachers should –assign reading appropriate to the course content. –expect students to demonstrate understanding of what they read. –give students choice in the selection of materials.

Can we ask students to read more?

Reading more = scoring higher High School: 4 Seniors who read an assigned book outside class and report on the main ideas several times during the year score 26 points higher than those who don’t. 4 Students who read at least two hours outside class each week score 11 points higher. 4 Students who read at least five books in English scored 15 points higher. 500-point scale

Reading more = scoring higher Middle Grades 4 Eighth-graders who read 11 or more books each year score 35 points higher than those who read none. 4 Students who read an hour outside of school each day score 16 points higher. ½ hour = 12 points 4 Those who read an assigned book outside class and demonstrated understanding only once per semester score 9 points higher. 300-point scale

But teachers aren’t asking students to read… NumberMiddle GradesHigh School None47%33% 1-228%36% 3-512%18% 6-87% 9+7%5%

Why don’t we ask students to read more? 4 Believe students aren’t good readers 4 Believe students don’t have time 4 Believe that reading detracts from teaching “my” content 4 Lack of materials 4 Teachers aren’t readers 4 Sage on stage

Do students have time to read?

High School 4 44% of the students watch TV three or more hours per day 4 7 percent watch over 6 hours! Middle Grades 4 51% watch TV or play computer games three or more hours each school day. 4 17% watch over 5 hours!

Do The Math 4 Goal of 25 books 4 Average reading rate 250 words per minute words per page pages per book school days equals less than 30 minutes per day to reach goal!

All students will write weekly in all classes to help them understand and use the content of their classes.

Writing is not a special language that belongs to English teachers and a few other sensitive souls who have a “gift for words.” Writing is the logical arrangement of thought. It enables us to find out what we know, and what we don’t know, about whatever we’re trying to learn. William Zinsser

Focusing on the goal: Students will write weekly in all classes.

To raise their writing skills and use them to increase and demonstrate understanding of the content of all classes, 4 Students must –Complete short writing assignments each week. –Write something everyday. –Write in multiple formats for different audiences and purposes. –Revise their writing frequently. –Understand the standards for good writing. –Examine models of good writing. –Use word processing in the writing process. 4 Teachers should –assign writing appropriate to the course content. –expect students to demonstrate good writing skills. –give students choice in what they write.

Why is this goal important?

4 Writing across the curriculum is about a method of discovering and uncovering knowledge. 4 Nonfiction writing is the key to adult success. 4 Writing is required in every postsecondary class. 4 Writing is required in virtually all professions. 4 Writing is the number one thinking skill. 4 Our future is technology.

Where are we now? 4 About one-fourth of the students complete short writing assignments no more than once a semester. 4 Over one-third of the seniors went through the writing process no more than once a year. 4 Nearly half of the students never completed a joint writing assignment for English and another class. 4 One-third of the CTE students said they never wrote in CTE classes.

Why don’t we ask students to write more? 4 Believe students aren’t good writers 4 Believe it isn’t necessary 4 Believe that reading detracts from teaching “my” content 4 Lack of good assignments 4 Teachers aren’t writers 4 Lack of confidence in scoring

Types of writing 4 Writing to learn 4 Writing to demonstrate learning 4 Authentic writing

Ways to address problem 4 Someone has to teach process 4 Begin with group writing 4 Models 4 Student choice 4 Rubrics 4 Technology

Revise writing to improve quality 4 Key is to make students care—authentic writing 4 Student ownership 4 Peer review 4 Publishing 4 Electronic tools

Write explanations 4 Writing-to-demonstrate learning 4 In-depth, conceptual learning 4 Test preparation 4 Logs, journals, notebooks 4 Open-response on every test 4 Strategies to respond –Graphic organizers –Understand question

Use a word processor 4 Drafting 4 Revising 4 Publishing

All students will use reading and writing strategies to help them understand and use the content of all classes.

4 Close to 50% of students say their teachers never or seldom show strategies for understanding what they read

All students will write research papers in all classes.

Research involves a process : 4 Define the question 4 Locate information 4 Evaluate quality of information 4 Summarize and paraphrase information 4 Combine information in a logical piece of writing –Organize for purpose and audience 4 Document sources

Teachers must share the stage so that students become experts!

To be successful, schools must design… 4 Research continuum 4 Schoolwide style guide 4 Common rubric 4 Shared papers across classes 4 Alternating schedule

All students will be taught as if they were in honors English classes.

What does this mean? 4 Read books annually, including assigned summer reading. 4 Make an oral or written report on each book read. 4 Participate in some type of writing-to-learn activity daily. 4 Complete at least one formal research paper annually. 4 Demonstrate what they have learned in writing or in an oral or group presentation each week. 4 Develop a minimum of one piece of authentic writing addressed to an outside audience each month. 4 Participate in a cooperative learning team at least once each week. 4 Review and critique others’ work at least once a month.

Pulling it all together Making a plan that can be accomplished. Making a commitment that we will do the work.