Blog Post 4: Comprehensive Literacy Programs
Welcome back! Today we’ll be looking at comprehensive literacy programs.
What’s Required?
Per the state of Minnesota, all public school districts are required to have a comprehensive literacy program that is posted on their website for the public to read (Look yours up!). The point of this plan is to reach Minnesota’s goal of having every child reading at or above grade level by the end of 3rd grade. Every plan requires the following 5 things:
- A process to assess children’s reading ability using a data-supported assessment program.
- A process to notify parents of the results.
- A process for determining the correct reading intervention for students below grade level.
- Evidence-based intervention programs and a progress monitoring system.
- Identify staff needs, and have a plan to meet those needs.
These are the requirements for ALL Minnesota public schools, and yet, some schools have better programs than others. So what are the best schools doing that make their literacy programs so effective? Let’s see if we can figure it out.
User Friendly Plans
As I was preparing for this blog post, I visited several school’s literacy plans. While trying on the perspective of a non-teacher, I noticed that some plans were much easier to read than others. Plans that used fewer words, and replaced paragraphs with bullet points and graphics were easier to understand. I also felt that the plans that defined basic literacy terms at the beginning of the plan made the more technical aspects of the plan easier to understand. If the purpose of publishing the plan online is to make is accessible to the public, we need to make sure that the plan itself is easy to understand.
This is also important for teachers! When a plan is easy to read and contains useful information, teachers will reference the plan. A plan that is so bogged down in minute detail and educational jargon is often put on the website and forgotten. So I feel one of the most important aspects is to make the plan user friendly.
The Best Plans Connect the Dots
In my opinion, making a plan useful means connecting the dots. Identify the program goals. What do we need to accomplish? What are the small steps that need to be taken to meet those goals? And finally, what data will we have that shows we have met our goals? For each requirement of the plan, explain how you will reach that step. What does it look like in the classroom? Describe how often students are getting assessed. Maybe (and this will help keep it from getting too wordy) include a calendar chart showing when assessment happens.
The best programs explained, ‘here are our goals, here’s what we are doing to meet those goals.’
- During the school day all students will have 90 minutes of literacy.
- Within that block, we’ll cover the different literacy components of fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, etc.
- This time will also be used for small group and independent work.
- Throughout the school year, the teacher will assess students using this specific program.
- If your student is below grade level, we have all of these wonderful research-based interventions ready to go to help your student.
- We’ll be collecting this type of data during class time and/or interventions.
- And also parents, we’ll be letting you know just how your student is doing.
- Here is when and how you can expect to hear from us: phone calls, emails, conferences.
- Our teachers will be continuing to grow right along with your student.
- Our school has set aside this amount of time for teachers to be trained on the best learning techniques for literacy instruction.
The best programs were well aligned. These are our goals (And teachers have received training on them). This is our curriculum that helps us reach those goals (and teachers have received training on how to use it). These interventions support our curriculum (and teachers received training on how to use them). These assessments measure what was taught in our curriculum and interventions (and teacher received training on how to use it). See a theme? Every piece supports each other, and teachers are also receiving support along the way.
And finally, make it so that both the teachers and the public are able to easily see and follow along with the literacy plan. A well-thought out plan is only effective if it’s used. And it needs to be used by everybody. A broken link weakens the whole system.
Thanks for coming along and learning about comprehensive literacy plans. If you don’t already know your school’s literacy plan, check it out! Make sure that YOU are supporting literacy in your classroom.
References
Bloomington Public Schools. (n.d.). Bloomington Public Schools #271 local literacy plan. Retrieved from https://www.bloomington.k12.mn.us/sites/default/files/content_file_attachments/Bloomington%20Literacy%20Plan.pdf
Butler, B., & Freitag, J. (2019). Glencoe-Silver Lake ISD #2859: Local literacy plan. Retrieved from https://www.gsl.k12.mn.us/cms/lib/MN02202474/Centricity/Domain/8/2019-2020%20Literacy%20Plan.pdf
Irvin, J., Melzer, J., & Dukes, M. (2007). Develop and Implement a Schoolwide Literacy Action Plan. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Develop-and-Implement-a-Schoolwide-Literacy-Action-Plan.aspx
Proctor Public Schools. (2013). ISD 704 Proctor Public Schools local literacy plan: Minnesota statute 120B.12 “Reading well by third grade”. Retrieved from https://courses.css.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1992656-dt-content-rid-22558072_1/courses/201990-EDU6380-700-19SU-70233-N/Proctor%20revised_5-27__lit__plan.doc
Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. (2018). Sec. 120B.12 MN Statutes. Retrieved from https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/120b.12
Shearer, B. A., Carr, D.A. & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World: Fourth Edition (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Ms. Carlson for EDU 6380 
Hi Ali,
Thanks for the thoughtful insight about plans.
I picked upon two statements from your blog:
The best programs explained, ‘here are our goals, here’s what we are doing to meet those goals.
And finally, make it so that both the teachers and the public are able to easily see and follow along with the literacy plan”
To me, this really speaks to ‘Transparency’. Early in our discussions, we talked about the traits of leaders and I think there is a tie-in between transparency and leader traits.
First, why would not a leader want the crew to know what is going on and how it should go on?
Second, would not a leader want the crew to be schooled about all aspects of a project to ensure its success?
Thirdly, the crew can really pitch in and support a plan or activity, when they know what their role might be in the gran scheme of things.
So, Transparency is such a great approach when implementing plans.
Now I answer the why not or why wouldn’t a leader always have transparency in their dealings: well not enough room here, but overall two reasons: leader is merely unaware that transparency is a wonderful utility or the leader has some psychological issues, such as, insecurity, feels marginal and not up to the tasks, etc.
Thanks for bringing transparency to the forefront, Ali.
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Stephania,
It might be a slight digression from the topic, but I would chime in with a third reason for why someone in a leadership position might avoid transparency: unhealthy ambition and an overwhelming desire for absolute control in all circumstances — simply put, a wish to be absolutely and undeniably in charge. Never you mind that it’s impossible to have absolute power, but an illusion of it is enough for some. Of course, this phenomenon is not native, nor exclusive, to the world of education.
In this third case, a lack of transparency is not merely an oversight, but a convenient (and often dangerous) way to manipulate the facts, as well as to blur the lines of accountability and personal responsibility. I agree, not enough room or time here to discuss these paradoxes.
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Hi Ali,
Yes–literacy plans need to be user-friendly, and you model in your post what it means to lay things out in understandable terms. Well done! The thing with literacy plans is that they are public, as you said, and they address multiple audiences, not just the educators. So clarity is important.
I love your paragraph about alignment, and your statement that teachers are growing alongside students. So true! Teachers need training and support, not just being told that this is the plan and you are going to implement it. Success (or failure for that matter) is not a given. It hinges on what we do to make it happen (or to prevent it from happening).
As you say, the broken link can weaken the whole system. Supporting teachers means making sure no one on the staff becomes that broken link.
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Great conversation! I have another perspective to bring in to the idea of transparency. I have worked under leaders who have been experts in their field. However, they were so knowledgeable about their content, that they had a hard time simplifying what people needed to know. I know that if teachers were having a hard time understanding the document and expectations, that the public had to be struggling as well. This is where communication skills really become an important part of being an educator. In this case, the intentions of the leader weren’t bad, they just didn’t fully understand what was needed.
Thanks for the great discussion!
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This is interesting, Ali, because I’ve had a similar experience of working for someone who, unwittingly, “talked over people’s heads.”
A disclaimer: I, for one, am not for “dumbing things down,” talking down to people’s perceived levels of understanding, and oversimplifying matters. This is true even in the case of my students and my own children, let alone in a professional setting.
However, personal communication styles aside, we have all been witnesses of people using erudition seemingly for its own sake. It could be that it wasn’t merely hubris, but really a lack communication skills and being out of touch with other people’s needs, as you say. The question is, how does one help a leader who is not aware of this shortcoming without hurting their feelings or one’s own job prospects?
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Great last question– I wish I knew the answer!
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Great blog post! Literacy plans can be very transparent when you start to compare them. Some are written more broadly, where you can tell an explicit plan is not necessarily in place. Others are detailed down to how many minutes must be spent on literacy each day.
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Ali,
Being user friendly is so important. Your post was very insightful. It was amazing to see the differences in local literacy plans. You did an amazing job synthesizing information from multiple districts. The literacy plans that I was the most drawn to were the simple ones that provided concise information.
I also appreciated your thoughts on alignment and that everybody needs to be on the same page. I feel like researching my district’s own literacy plan has really opened my eyes. I knew there was one, but I had never looked at it prior to this assignment. I wonder how many teachers in my district even know such a thing exists much less are following the criteria set out.
Jodi
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I appreciate the voice in your post. You clearly are ready to speak to your school community about these issues! I noticed the clarity with which you outline how good programs align goals with PD, and assessing the success. You are very clear about articulating specifically how you will achieve the goals and sharing that with stakeholders. I think that is a crucial step that some plans miss. I agree that quality plans will identify exactly how much time teachers will spend on literacy instruction, how they will know what strategies to use, and how parents will be notified about progress, etc. I love the idea of using a calendar to chart for assessments. The same way it’s helpful for us to see a calendar version of what’s coming up in a class, it’s helpful for parents and stakeholders to clearly see when assessments happen, and then will know when they are to hear results. Thanks for your post!
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