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Differentiating Literacy Instruction for Culturally, Linguistically and Ability Diverse Students

Case Study

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A District-Wide Literacy Initiative in Rockyville

In a small skiing community at the base of the Rocky Mountains rests the Rockyville School District (fictitious) comprised of approximately 1,400 students. About 10% of Rockyville's students receive special education services and 13% receive free or reduced-price lunch. The district has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Most students who graduate from the Rockyville High School remain in the community and work in the many tourist and vacation businesses in the small town. All schools in Rockyville are an inclusive environment; that is, students with disabilities receive instruction in the same settings as their peers without disabilities and can receive support from paraeducators and aides if necessary.

Rockyville educators show they are dedicated to providing quality education to all schools within their district for they frequently participate in professional development opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills. The EMSTAC Linking Agent, Litty Allaround, often attends events the state university offers at its local campus. At one such event, Litty learned about a literacy initiative that the Mountainview School District implemented throughout its district. To learn more about the initiative, Litty arranged a visit with her colleagues in the neighboring school district, 50 miles away. She was excited to obtain a better understanding of the program and to gain some insight on its costs and benefits. She was especially interested to know the impact that the district initiative had on student achievement as well as the impact the literacy program had on teacher instruction and classroom practices. Litty scheduled an appointment with the district literacy coach, Mr. Litcoach, who was able to answer her many questions. The following details the conversation Litty had with Mr. Litcoach:

Litty: Please describe the organizational structure of the literacy program in Mountainview's elementary schools.

Mr. Litcoach: Mountainview received a professional development grant last year to implement a district-wide literacy initiative. Our goal was to use this federal Department of Education grant to implement a literacy program in every classroom, including non-academic subjects such as physical education and art. The program requires all faculty to incorporate writing, reading, and speaking curricula related to their unique instructional topic in classroom instruction. We provide ongoing training and guidance to faculty throughout the year, but, we also provide staff with a lot of autonomy to develop literacy strategies that coincide best with their class. For example, students are expected to write about a specific topic such as The Importance of Exercise or A Description of Art, read their writing assignment to the class, and discuss the subject with their peers during a specified class time. We believe that instead of separately teaching reading, or writing, or speaking, our integration of these literacy-building skills into all of a student's subject classes provides real-life relevance and context for the student and allows him/her to apply the skills in across various instructional settings to better reinforce those skills.

Litty: How do faculty know how to implement the literacy program and what kind of support do they receive once the program is in place?

Mr. Litcoach: We were able to provide training to four educators to become Literacy Coaches. Literacy Coaches provide training, support, and materials to their colleagues through the school year that focus on meaningful and tangible ways to incorporate literacy into their curriculums. They also provide support to their fellow educators regarding how to evaluate student performance in the context of the educator's specific subject. Mountainview has allocated time for literacy coaches to participate in ongoing professional development and to spend time with their peers to support their work.

Litty: How do you know what impact the literacy initiative has made on student achievement?

Mr. Litcoach: We use a student assessment tool, called the Moon Reading Assessment Program (fictitious). Moon Early Literacy is a computer-adaptive assessment and database that helps identify a student's command of phonemic awareness, phonics, and other readiness and literacy skills. Moon Early Literacy provides immediate, accurate, and reliable feedback on a students' literacy progress. This information enables us to monitor a student's performance on a regular basis to ensure that the student's literacy goals are consistent with their needs. These data are helpful as we interact with families and provide feedback to parents regarding their child's performance.

Litty: We have had an increasing number of students for whom English is a second language. Would a literacy initiative such as this one be appropriate for Spanish-speaking students?

Mr. Litcoach: Our program does have components for ESL students, including adapted lesson plans, lesson extensions, and even a Spanish version.

Litty: Are there other benefits to implementing a district-wide literacy initiative (benefits for both students and teachers)?

Mr. Litcoach: Our district-wide literacy initiative has had the following six benefits:

1. We observed a positive impact on student transition from across grades and schools - since the program is pervasive throughout all levels and all buildings. Teachers in the higher grade to which the student is moving expressed that they feel students are better prepared to meet the academic instruction levels of the higher grade.
2. The use of Literacy Coaches has resulted in increased collaboration among faculty across disciplines. This collaboration has extended among school buildings and across grade levels. Teachers and staff are talking to each other - not only focusing on literacy - but, also on other topics.
3. The test scores of our students have risen on state assessments in reading. As accountability becomes more stringent at the local level, it is important that Mountainview remains committed to promote effective communication of student literacy and achievement.
4. Our faculty, including those who teach non-academic subjects, appear to have greater pride in their teaching. I spoke with our physical education teachers who indicated that they feel that they have a greater impact upon student success and performance since they have integrated the literacy curriculum into their classes.
5. Community and business leaders have participated in specific aspects of the literacy program. They have volunteered as guest speakers (to demonstrate speaking on particular subjects) and have provided feedback on students' reflection statements following the presentations. As a result of this involvement, we believe that we have fostered better relationships within our community.
6. Our students appear to be better prepared to meet the demands of the workplace when they graduate from our high school. They are able to conceptualize ideas, put these ideas in writing, and talk about their ideas. We have received positive feedback from area employers about the reading, writing, and speaking skills of our graduates.

Litty left the Mountainville School District office of Mr. Litcoach with a desire to learn all she could about district-wide literacy initiatives. She decided to contact her Technical Assistance Liaison at EMSTAC to acquire more resources that would help her develop and implement a literacy program. Litty also posted a message on the EMSTAC Listserv, LA-Exchange, to find out whether other Linking Agents in districts across the nation were implementing similar programs. She realized that any resources she acquired would have to be carefully examined to ensure that the programs/interventions were consistent with needs of the students in Rockyville. Litty also understood that once the literacy program was integrated across subjects within her school and district, she would have to use the tools and resources available through EMSTAC to continuously monitor and evaluate the program's appropriateness for the various instructional settings. She was excited about this opportunity to learn about infusing literacy programs in all classrooms throughout her district.

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