Early literacy: Board of Ed

Report on early literacy: the slide deck isn't posted, but there's a backup here.
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"

"something like this cannot stand"
"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

Rouhanifard: have seen firsthand the imporance of phonics, phonemic awareness

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