November 1999 Guide Compiles Resources for Reading Reform
Since the introduction of state standards in reading, schools and districts across the country are focusing on reading like never before. The enormous interest reading is receiving at the national, state, and local levels spurred NWREL’s Assessment and Evaluation Program to host a regional conference exploring reading assessment and evaluation in February 1999.
"Educators revealed the need for practical, hands-on applications of reading practice in the classroom." While the Assuring Competency in Reading Advisory Conference was originally planned as an invitational event for 50 participants, NWREL received more than 1,000 calls from educators in several states hoping to attend. Participation was limited to 275, but the overwhelming interest prompted the Laboratory to make the conference proceedings and handouts widely available. Assuring Competency in Reading: Resources for Reading Reform, a new publication featuring abstracts, handouts, and activities from the conference, stemmed from the enthusiasm and interest the topic generated.
Echoing the conference, the information in the resource guide is organized into three core areas:
Promising Practices
Produced by NWREL’s reading experts, materials from these sessions highlight a variety of reading research and development activities being undertaken by the Laboratory. This information is designed to share current reading research and suggest practical classroom applications of promising instructional practices. Among the included materials are: "Tips for Parents About Reading," "Reading Comprehension: The Middle School Dilemma," "Learning to Read and Write: A Place to Start," and "The Traits of an Effective Reader: A Framework for Addressing State Standards in Reading."
Master Teacher Talks
Master teachers from around the country who have been recognized by their schools, districts, and states for their exemplary work were the source for these materials. Focusing on ways to help student readers improve skill and understanding, these materials share classroom activities, apply research to the classroom, and present ideas for changing instruction in the wake of a standards-based implementation. Titles include: "Using Multiple Intelligences to Meet Academic Needs and Achieve Student Success," "If We Did It, You Can Too! Changing Instruction to Meet Demands," "R.E.A.D. in Montana," and "Developing Reading Through Writing."
Successful School Shares and Comprehensive Reform
Teachers and administrators from schools and districts that have markedly raised reading test scores through purposeful program development share their plans and tips for success in these materials. This information is designed to demonstrate the process, or variety of processes, involved in implementing large-scale reading reform. Titles include: "Model Classrooms Project (Washington)," "Successful School Share: Village Schools in Alaska," "Toppenish (Washington) High School 1998-1999 Reading Program," "Kennewick (Washington) School District Comprehensive Reading Plan."
"The information gleaned from these presentations is practical, focused on achieving standards, and reflective of student growth and achievement," note Dr. Lesley Thompson and Kevin Dwyer of NWREL’s Assessment and Evaluation Program, who organized the conference and compiled the resources for the guide. "These conference handouts are intended to provide educators with planning tools to help shape their classrooms, buildings, districts, and state plans for helping students meet reading standards."
The guide’s concluding chapter features the results of focus group questions and feedback from conference participants. Data from a concluding conference survey is also included to demonstrate various points of interest educators have regarding reading assessment, curriculum, research, theory, and instruction.
What was learned from participating educators? In both focus group sessions and survey responses, participants concluded that staff development focused on good reading instruction and assessment is primary to the development of good readers. Northwest educators supported the national trend toward developing strong reading identities in kindergarten through third-grade students. They also felt that continued training for teachers in reading strategies was most helpful in a sustained, long-term effort. In terms of the relationship between standards and reading, participants felt that building support of the interpretation, alignment, and implementation of standards was paramount for all students ultimately achieving success in reading and becoming lifelong learners.
"Educators revealed the need for practical, hands-on applications of reading practice in the classroom," stress Thompson and Dwyer. "They asked for publications, training, conferences, and administrative support for their continued growth as reading teachers."
To order a copy of Assuring Competency in Reading: Resources for Reading Reform, please see the Document Order Form.
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