Though some researchers disagree, as a language arts teacher for 10 years in Chicago, I can testify that students (even students lacking foundational reading skills) can make significant gains in reading comprehension in one year. My students made such gains in their reading comprehension through daily opportunities to actively and purposefully read difficult text with teacher support. Although there are many research-based reading strategies, I stand strong with close reading. It is one of the most effective and manageable ways to read and comprehend difficult text.
In the 21st century, students need to be literate not only in all content areas but also in “real life.” The Common Core reignites the need to infuse literacy—reading and writing—in all content areas so that all students can read independently and proficiently at, at least, their grade level text complexity span by time they graduate from high school. To remain competitive in their global world, students also will need to be masterful in their communication (reading, writing, listening and speaking) skills.
So as educators and leaders of K–12 schools, I ask: How do we enhance the effectiveness of our current literacy programs and systematically expand content area reading and writing opportunities for our students?
If students had a chance to practice purposeful reading through complex text daily with their teacher through high-yielding instructional reading practices (effect size of .4 or higher), such as close reading, then all students can make visible learning/literacy gains of one year’s growth or more in their school year.
An effect size of .4 refers to John Hattie’s hinge point for visible learning, year of growth for a year or more. Hattie, a director of Melbourne Education Research Center, spent 15 years studying the most effective instructional factors that have an effect size of .4 or more.
In the same way we underuse close reading, I believe we also underuse writing as a key strategy to develop intellectual knowledge. Writing, combined with close reading, can be among one of the most valuable elements of schools. As educator and author Mike Schmoker writes, “Reading, writing and discussion—these three—are the foundation for a well-equipped mind; the key to equity, access, and economic opportunity.”
As principal of North Tahoe School, a school with more than 65% of the student population below proficiency on statewide language arts standards, I sensed the urgency to make literacy a schoolwide focus. More than half of the population of this North Lake Tahoe, CA, school is considered to be of “low socioeconomic status” and more than 30% of the student population speak as English as a second language.
The goal was to raise students’ reading comprehension levels. We already had a block of time built into master schedule—30 minutes a day—for response to learning devoted to intervention and/or to acceleration. We were all in the era of the Common Core State Standards, understanding literacy—reading, writing, listening and speaking—shifted to the responsibility of all content teachers. The Common Core Standards and 21st century also made a call for more instruction by all teachers to include a deeper learning of complex information text by students.
We used some of our weekly collaboration times to prepare staff for a successful schoolwide literacy plan. Each teacher received a packet of information and instructional reading/writing tools to support the instruction of close reading to increase grade level (and beyond) comprehension through informational text. Part of this collaboration was devoted to staff, independently, in pairs and/or in small teams, having time to digest the information and how they may best organize this information for daily close reading lessons.
If your school has a fair number of students below grade level in their reading comprehension or lacking in their writing abilities, you too sense that urgency. The Common Core era gives us permission to share in the responsibility of teaching reading and reading comprehension to all our students. The benefits and data give this school and other schools the permission to continue with some sort of schoolwide literacy initiative. North Tahoe’s Literacy deployment, three years running now, is just one of the many ways your school can move one step closer to a systemic and effective literacy program.
Teresa Rensch is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Konocti Unified School District in California. Previously, she was a principal of North Tahoe Middle School for 10 years.