Director of Literacy and Humanities Katherine Tarca did the presentation.
This is an outgrowth of DESE's 2019 Literacy Strategic Plan, which set as priorities "high quality core instruction" and "evidence-based early literacy." This report speaks to the latter.
There is grave concern regarding not simply early literacy but demographic differences among our students in literacy; grade three MCAS is the earliest statewide data available and "suggests that many, many of our children are not developing early literacy and writing":
The Department will issue literacy guidance to the field related to early literacy in order:
- to provide information about reading and writing acquisition and instruction based in current evidence
- to describe evidence-based literacy practice to seek to have used in schools and in ed prep programs
- to compile quality instructional resources and useful references
Teaching is "an extremely complex activity" and DESE heard in developing the strategic plan of the wish for trusted resources
content will be on the Department website
new "Literacy Champions" advisory panel, also national and international researches engaged in
will be developing guidelines about reading difficulties
will be capturing video of excellent teaching
will offer early grades literacy grant for PD and instructional resources
Department-led professional development : conference and networks
develop free resources PD and curricular materials
new tools for ed prep, as well
DESE has also applied for the Comprehensive State Literacy Development grant; applied for about $20M from fed; "extensive support to our high need districts in support" awards expected to be announced in August
Moriarty: "incredibly excited" about this work
"systematic racism exists in a lot of different places...and we have to call that out and we have to own it and we have to act with real attention"
"otherwise whatever statement we want to make is a platitude"
disparities between Holyoke and the surrounding communities
impact on children's lives if they're not going into fourth grade reading proficiently
"I've been living with the third grade MCAS ever since"
"If it doesn't start right, it doesn't tend to get right, in any endeavor in life, and that includes K-12 education"
"If it doesn't start right, it doesn't tend to get right, in any endeavor in life, and that includes K-12 education"
"something like this cannot stand"
"if we can provide the resources and the intentionality and support"
"if we can provide the resources and the intentionality and support"
West: echo enthusiasm for this initiative
"because of the equity implications that he's spelled out so clearly"
aligning current practice with research done elsewhere
what students need to be come proficient readers
appreciate that it extends into educator preparation as well
also issues with the MTEL
Peske: revising the grounds on which teacher ed programs are evaluated
"evidenced based early literacy" training will be part of that
also including in networks and conferences
Tarca: MTEL is not revised continually, only occasionally
dovetails perfectly with this guidance
foundations of reading test; reading specialist test; general curriculum test; early childhood test
reading specialists seen as reading experts in their buildings, really giving them up-to-date knowledge
how it connects to CURATE and the overall curricular network for our schools?
Tarca: curricular materials that are in use in schools often dictate pedagogy and how students are taught
have worked to ensure as we review curricular materials for CURATE
discovering many of the products on the market have gaps in them
hoping for funding to produee open source reading materials
"there is no one thing that a school can go out and buy"
high level literacy development includes phonics and phonemic awareness, and also, equally important, includes authentic engagement with text and language and language-based materials
"both of those are evidence-based practices and both of those are provided in our guidance"
Hills: what districts do you expect to take advantage of this?
Tarca: sense is these resources will have broad relevance
virtually all of our districts are interested in best practices
Hills: do you expect broad interest?
Tarca: different districts take different approaches to early literacy that are in different spaces in aligning with best practices
Peske: if federal grant is received will be targeted at highest need districts
multi-prong report
Stewart: "anti-racist MCAS notwithstanding"
have a whole cohort of students who are far behind due ot COVID
outreach for parents?
Tarca: web based and interactive
designed to be navigable by parents and families
series of webinars in center of instructional support for educators
planning for re-entry
look at a valid and reliable screening assessment
Stewart: anything that the Department can do to ameliorate costs for screening and such
what is the direct actual outreach that is planned for families; how are parents supposed to know that this is a resource
Tarca: at least one assessment approved is free; typical cost is $1 to $7 per pupil
Peske: try to have stakeholders in mind in design
would welcome invitation with parent groups from anyone on the Board
hope that federal grant would eleviate some of cost of doing some of this work
Morton: offer enthusiastic support
would like to hear more in future "is the why behind it's important for us to do this work"
economic and social determinants impacted by third grade reading
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