Literacy Position Statement

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Arkansas State University, Main Campus *

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5653

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Arts Humanities

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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pdf

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1 Assignment 1.3: Literacy Position Statement Grace Dial Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Special Education Arkansas State University ELSE 5653: Literacy and Language Development for Exceptional Learners Dr. Deborah Wammack January 22, 2023

2 Assignment 1.3 Literacy Position Statement Reading and literacy is the foundation of all learning. Without the needed literacy skills our students eventually suffer in all aspects of their education along with struggles socially. Literacy should be our number one focus and priority in education especially at the early stages. Literacy instruction and learning begins at the foundational level of life. Language is programmed in our brains before we are even born. Our brains are made to learn to speak but they are not wired to learn to read. We have to train the brain to read and that learning should begin as early as possible. I have been a part of many Science of Reading programs and workshops in the last few months and it has completely changed my outlook on reading. Literacy learning truly begins in the first stages of life when learning how to talk. I would like share some of the things I have learned in these workshops with the world so more parents understand the importance of talking and reading to their children. When it comes to literacy instruction, I believe it should be explicit, multi sensory, and with a systematic approach. Each student deserves to have engaging instruction that is comfortable and achievable for them. The last thing we need is students getting frustrated and putting up mental blocks that make it harder for their literacy skills to grow because something was too difficult for them. The learning of literacy is an ongoing process and students should have the opportunity to practice their skills every day to better serve them in all subject areas. Literacy encompasses much more than just reading, writing, and language. It also involves social and intellectual practices that students use every single day. Our students deserve strong literacy programs that are going to support them and aid them in the growing of their literacy skills through all content areas. (Shaum 2015)

3 There are five foundational reading skills that students must master to become proficient readers. According to the Science of Reading those skills are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These skills start at the base level for students with phonics and phonemic awareness. Students must understand the sounds associated with what they are seeing on the page in order to decode. Once students can decode we move into fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The rate that students can decode should become automatic and accurate in order to begin to comprehend. Students need to have the vocabulary to understand what the words mean in order to begin to comprehend the meaning of what they are reading. While it is important to look at these skills together as a whole, it is crucial that students have mastery in each skill in order to be successful in literacy. (Snowling, 2005) The early identification of reading difficulties has a crucial impact on a students reading success. Struggling readers can be identified through benchmark assessments and have their needs met through interventions. The RTI (Response to Intervention) process is a wonderful tool for catching struggling readers early. It is a tiered system with 3 tiers in which students receive targeted instruction and individual attention to their literacy skills. Every students starts in Tier 1 which is the general education classroom. Benchmark assessments are used to discover students who are at risk for literacy struggles. These students are then place into Tier 2 where they begin receiving interventions. These interventions take place in a small group setting and target the crucial skills that the student might be missing. The student’s progress is monitored and if there is growth they can often be released back to Tier 1. The students who do not show growth through these assessments after 6 to 8 weeks of interventions are moved through the testing process. They can be tested for further disabilities that may be affecting their success in reading. Those students are then placed on an IEP or 504 plan and receive Tier 3 interventions usually

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