Early Learning and Literacy

1. Early Learning and Literacy Deborah Riddle Alaska Department of education & early development April 6, 2019

2. Agenda • Reading in Early Grades • Priority One- Reading • Making Progress • Roles

3. Learning to Read • Birth through preschool • Experiment with language- imitating sounds • Learning that symbols can represent meanings • Begin to process letters Single most important activity • Reading aloud to children

4. Learning to Read • Kindergarten • Letter shapes, sounds and words • Vocabulary development • Beginning to read some words • Beginning to write

5. Learning to Read • Primary Grades • More formal instruction • Decoding • Comprehension • Independent practice • Begin the reading-writing connection

6. Reading in the Early Grades • Fundamental Reading Skills • Readily teachable • Alphabet, letter sounds, spelling rules, decoding

7. Reading in Early Grades • Knowledge acquired gradually through experience • Important for long term literacy success • Vocabulary, background knowledge, understanding complex text

8. Good Readers • Choose books that are “just right” • Read independently • Ask questions and predict • Form opinions about characters • Use text features • Figure out unfamiliar words • Read aloud fluently

9. Reading and thinking go hand in hand, and students should do both regularly in all classes.

10. The Most Magnificent Thing

12. Priority One Support ALL students to read at grade level by the end of grade 3.

13. Research • Improving future student outcomes • Closing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic achievement gaps • Experience later academic success • Attain higher levels of education and secure employment • Yearly progress to successful graduation

14. Progress

15. Standards What we want students to know and be able to do.

16. Foundation Skills Print Concepts (K-1) Phonological Awareness (K-1) Phonics and Word Recognition (K-5) Fluency (K-5)

17. English Language Arts Standards • Reading • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language

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24. Roles in Early Literacy

25. Parent’s Role Encourage Listening Encourage Speaking Encourage Reading Encourage Writing

26. Teacher’s Role • Effective Instruction • Opportunities to read a variety of books • Provide a literacy rich environment • Positive relationships • Reading and writing activities

27. School Board’s Role • Set direction • Establish an effective structure • Provide support • Ensure accountability • Advocate for children

28. Involve Parents

29. Implement Effective Screeners Ensure accurate identify struggling readers • Students at risk for poor reading outcomes Effective Screeners • Examine early literacy skills • Effectively determine students at risk • Efficient and easy to administer • Valid and reliable

30. Implement Effective Curriculum • Curriculum refers to the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn • Learning Standards • Lessons and assignments • Instructional materials- textbooks

31. Reading Block • A dedicated amount of time for reading instruction • 60 or 90 minutes

32. What Progress Looks Like by 2025 • K-3 reading measures submitted to the department will show positive trends. • The number of student in grades 3-5 who are proficient on the statewide English Language arts assessment will double. • The number of students in grade 3-5 who are proficient on the statewide math assessment will double. • Student absenteeism will be reduced by at least 20 percent.

34. Deborah Riddle Division Operations Manager Deborah.riddle@Alaska.gov 907-465-2892