1 - Jennifer Eubank



Jennifer Eubank

Standards for Reading Professionals: International Reading Association

These are the latest Standards, which were revised in 2010.

These are only a portion of the standards, those that pertain specifically to the role of the reading specialist/coach. For a complete listing of the standards, please refer to the webpage:



|Standard 1. . Foundational Knowledge. |

| |

|Candidates understand the theoretical and evidence-based foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction. |

| |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but is not limited to, the following –Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|1.1 Understand major theories and empirical research that describe the cognitive, linguistic, motivational, and sociocultural foundations of reading|

|and writing development, processes, and components, including word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, and reading-writing |

|connections. |

|Interpret major theories of reading and writing processes and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will |

|development to understand the needs of all readers in diverse |understand the major theories of reading and writing processes and development. An |

|context. |understanding of these theories will allow me to interpret theorist ideas to |

| |understand the needs of all readers in diverse contexts. The following theories have |

| |emerged in history: |

| | |

| |Conditional Learning/B.F. Skinner’s Behaviorism (1950-1965) |

| |Natural Learning Theory (1966-1975) |

| |Information Processing (1976-1985) |

| |Sociocultural (1986-1995) |

| |Engaged Learning (1996-present) |

| | |

| |Engaged learning is the present model driving reading and writing processes and |

| |development to meet the needs of all readers. The engaged learning era emerged as |

| |research on motivation led to the consideration of learners’ interest, goals, |

| |self-efficacy beliefs, self-regulation, cultural backgrounds, and active |

| |participation in reading and writing. Students need to become more activated and |

| |motivated in their learning experiences. In addition, as the digital age expands, it |

| |has evolved the needs of readers and writers within technology contexts. |

|Analyze classroom environment quality for fostering individual | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will assist teachers with analyzing |

|motivation to read and write (e.g., access to print, choice, |classroom environment quality for fostering individual motivation to read and write. |

|challenge, and interests.) |I can support teachers in providing choice of texts and matching students’ interests,|

| |as well as helping students’ access print that challenges them in the following ways:|

| |I will suggest the text Assessment for Reading Instruction (2nd Edition) by Michael |

| |C. McKenna and Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl to support the teacher with identifying |

| |students’ interests. Chapter nine, “Affective Factors”, provides numerous affective |

| |assessments such as: Elementary Reading Attitude Survey; Motivations for Reading |

| |Questionnaire; Reader Self-Perception Scale; Reading Activity Inventory; Title |

| |Recognition Test; and Adolescent Reading Attitudes Survey. |

| |I will suggest the website resource Kansas. to assist teachers with |

| |searching for texts to match students’ interests. The website allows teachers to |

| |search for materials by topics of interest and sub-topics. The website also includes|

| |reading levels for teacher’s to locate materials of interest on the students’ |

| |appropriate reading level. |

| |I will suggest the teacher administer a formal or an informal interview with the |

| |students and parents at the beginning of the year to learn more about the students’ |

| |cultural and linguistic backgrounds. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will use a variety of affective and cognitive assessment |

| |measures to analyze the classroom environment quality and my students’ motivation |

| |levels to read and write. I will support their affective development of reading and |

| |writing by providing choice in our reading and writing activities. In addition, I can|

| |provide my students with easy access to reading materials based on their independent |

| |and instructional levels that also appeals to their individual interests. In standard|

| |5.2, I have described in depth different instructional practices that foster the |

| |motivation to read and write as well. |

|Demonstrate a critical stance toward the scholarship of the | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, it will be |

|profession. |important to participate in on-going, job-embedded research for best practices in |

| |literacy teaching and learning. Research and inquiry-based discussions will drive my |

| |reflections on my instructional practices for students. According to Kathleen |

| |McKinney in What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Higher |

| |Education?, “Scholarly teachers do things such as reflect on their teaching, use |

| |classroom assessment techniques, discuss teaching issues with colleagues, try new |

| |things, and read and apply the literature on teaching and learning in their |

| |discipline and, perhaps, more generally”. I can also share my knowledge of the |

| |profession with other teachers and professionals in a variety of formats such as: |

| |presentations at conferences, publications, or professional development |

| |opportunities. |

| | |

| |Resource: |

|Read and understand the literature and research about factors | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will read and|

|that contribute to reading success (e.g., social, cognitive, |understand the literature and research about social, cognitive, and physical factors |

|and physical.) |that contribute to reading success. Research that is helpful in current |

| |understandings of the factors that contribute to the reading success are the ideas of|

| |Lev Vygotsky. Nancy Cecil, Joan Gipe, and Marcy Merrill in Literacy in Grades 4-8: |

| |Best Practices for a Comprehensive Program (3rd Edition) state, “At the heart of the |

| |constructivist model of learning is the belief that students must actively build |

| |their own understandings of all literacy activities. Vygotsky further asserted that |

| |all learning is basically a social and psychological process that takes place through|

| |interactions between students and others in their environment” (p. 3, 2014). |

| |Furthermore, social-learning perspectives and collaborative learning is relevant in |

| |supporting students’ reading and writing successes. In addition, students’ personal |

| |interpretations and background knowledge becomes important within the context of |

| |reading and writing instruction within the classroom. |

|Inform other educators about major theories of reading and | As a reading specialist and/or literacy coach, I can inform other educators |

|writing processes, components, and development with supporting |about information regarding the relationship between culture and native language and |

|research evidence, including information about the relationship|how they influence ELL students’ abilities in learning to read and write. This |

|between the culture and native language of English learners as |information about ELL students would be presented through professional development |

|a support system in the learning to read and write in English. |opportunities where I would specifically discuss the three theoretical perspectives |

| |(Behaviorist, Innatist, and Interactionist) that fit into the First and Second |

| |Language Acquisition Theories. In these professional development opportunities, I |

| |can provide activities that educators can use to support ELL students in their Second|

| |Language Acquisition such as age appropriate reading and writing activities that |

| |promote social interaction and foster cultural and native differences. |

| | |

| |Resource for Activities: Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL by Suzanne F. Peregoy |

| |and Owen Boyle |

|1.2 Understand the historically shared knowledge of the profession and changes over time in the perceptions of reading and writing development, |

|processes, and components. |

|Interpret and summarize historically shared knowledge (e.g., | As a classroom teacher, I will interpret and summarize historically shared |

|instructional strategies and theories) that addresses the needs|knowledge of instructional practices and theories that address the needs of all |

|of all readers. |readers. It is important to interpret historically shared knowledge of these theories|

| |to understand which instructional strategies, aligned with specific theories, are |

| |most appropriate and effective for all learners. |

| | |

| |According to Don W. Edgar in his article Learning Theories and Historical Events |

| |Affecting Instructional Design in Education: Recitation Literacy Toward Extraction |

| |Literacy Practices, “The ways that learners process information are being understood |

| |more each day with discoveries about the mind, cultural attributes that affect |

| |learning, and how to make learning positive for today’s learners. We must understand |

| |that not one theory or belief is the cure in education today. All learners are |

| |different, and that individualized instruction and education facilitates learning” |

| |(p. 8, 2012). Therefore, understanding historically shared knowledge, such as the |

| |historical theories listed in the timeline below, will help address the needs of all |

| |learners in my classroom. |

| | |

| |[pic] |

| | |

| |Resource: |

|Inform educators and others about the historically shared | As reading specialist/literacy coach, I can inform educators and others about |

|knowledge base in reading and writing and its role in reading |the historically shared knowledge base in reading and writing and its role reading |

|education. |education. I can inform these other professionals of relevant theories and |

| |instructional practices that have emerged within the following historical eras: |

| | |

| |Conditional Learning/B.F. Skinner’s Behaviorism (1950-1965) |

| |Natural Learning Theory (1966-1975) |

| |Information Processing (1976-1985) |

| |Sociocultural (1986-1995) |

| |Engaged Learning (1996-present) |

| | |

| |These eras and relevant theories have impacted reading and writing instruction within|

| |our education systems. Within PLC meetings and professional development |

| |opportunities, I can share my knowledge of these historical implications for reading |

| |education. In my graduate program, my colleagues and I compiled a Google Doc to |

| |demonstrate our knowledge of each historical time period. This Google Doc chart |

| |divides each historical era into conditions for change, guiding views, resulting |

| |principles, and rival views of learner and learning process. |

| | |

| |Resource: |

| | |

|1.3 Understand the role of professional judgment and practical knowledge for improving all students’ reading development and achievement. |

|Model fair-mindedness, empathy, and ethical behavior when | As reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will model |

|teaching students and working with other professionals. |fair-mindedness, empathy, & ethical behavior for my students by treating each of my |

| |students equally and with respect. In addition, I will be fair, consistent, and avoid|

| |bias opinions when teaching my students. When working with other professionals, I |

| |will model this same behavior by: acting in a professional manner; maintaining open |

| |lines of communication with all other professionals regarding student progress; and |

| |respecting the opinion of others. |

|Communicate the importance of fair-mindedness, empathy, and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will provide other professionals, as |

|ethical behavior in literacy instruction and professional |well as students, with culturally diverse texts and resources. |

|behavior. |As a classroom teacher, I will communicate the importance of fair-mindedness, |

| |empathy, and ethical behavior in literacy instruction by: |

| |Emphasizing the importance of the acceptance of all cultures through social |

| |interactions with peers |

| |Allowing students to share about their cultures and their backgrounds |

| |Utilizing ELL parents and families as a resource |

| |Incorporating and honoring home languages within literacy lessons |

|Standard 2. Curriculum and Instruction |

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|Candidates use instructional approaches, materials, and an integrated, comprehensive, balanced curriculum to support student learning in reading and |

|writing. |

| |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but it not limited to, the following—Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|2.1 Use foundational knowledge to design or implement an integrated, comprehensive, and balanced curriculum |

|Demonstrate an understanding of the research and literature | As a reading specialist/literacy coach I will need to demonstrate an |

|that undergirds the reading and writing curriculum instruction |understanding of the research and literature that undergirds the reading and writing |

|for all pre-K-12 students. |curriculum instruction. It will be important for me support teachers and |

| |administrators in developing a literacy curriculum based on the pre-K-12 Standards of|

| |Learning (SOL). These standards are created with research-based instructional |

| |practices and theories in mind to meet the curriculum needs of all students. I will |

| |remain up-to-date on current research and literature by maintaining a literacy |

| |membership in organizations such as the Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA). In|

| |addition, I will subscribe to literacy research magazines and journals that would |

| |allow me to have an understanding of current research and instructional practices. |

|Develop and implement the curriculum to meet the specific needs| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will provide additional support for |

|of students who struggle with reading. |students who struggle with reading through a variety of intervention methods in |

| |heterogeneous groups or one-on-one tutoring sessions. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will develop and implement the curriculum to meet the needs|

| |of students who struggle with learning. I can do this by adapting instructional |

| |practices and differentiating instruction of the curriculum to the meet the |

| |individualized needs of students in my classroom. I will implement research-based |

| |instructional practices through modeling, guided practice, and independent practice |

| |while scaffolding curriculum material for students. |

|Support teachers and other personnel in the design, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers and other |

|implementation, and evaluations of the reading and writing |personnel in the design, implementation, and evaluations of the reading and writing |

|curriculum for all students. |curriculum for all students. Specifically, I will assist teachers and personnel with |

| |analyzing and interpreting student data to facilitate inquiry discussions about areas|

| |of need for students within the reading and writing curriculum. I will support |

| |teachers in implementing curriculum through model lessons that target areas of needs |

| |for the students. Also, I will observe the implementation of curriculum instruction |

| |through lesson observations and debriefing sessions. |

|Work with teachers and other personnel in developing a literacy| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will work with teachers and other |

|curriculum that has vertical and horizontal alignment across |personnel to implement curriculum standards into instruction throughout the school |

|pre-K-12. |year. I will work with teachers and other personnel in developing a literacy |

| |curriculum that has vertical alignment across pre-k-12 by assisting individuals with |

| |matching their instruction with literacy curriculum for each grade level. In |

| |addition, I will work with teachers and other personnel in developing a literacy |

| |curriculum that has a horizontal alignment by assisting them with assessments that |

| |match literacy curriculum objectives for each grade level. Also, I will assist |

| |teachers and other personnel with progress-monitoring for students in each |

| |grade-level throughout the school year. |

|2.2 Use appropriate and varied instructional approaches, including those that develop word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, |

|and reading-writing connections. |

|Use instructional approaches supported by literature and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in using |

|research for the following areas: concepts of print, phonemic |instructional approaches that are supported by literacy in research. I can suggest |

|awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, |the resource Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (4th Edition) which is compiled |

|critical thinking, motivation, and writing. |book of research based approaches and best practices in the following areas: early |

| |literacy, struggling readers, ELL students, adolescent literacy, motivation, teaching|

| |phonological awareness, vocabulary instruction, comprehension instruction, fluency |

| |instruction, writing instruction, and assessment. I can also model these |

| |instructional practices in demonstration lessons for teachers as needed. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I can use instructional approaches that are supported by |

| |literature and research such as those written in the resource Best Practices in |

| |Literacy Instruction (4th Edition). A few of these instructional approaches included |

| |in the resource are: |

| |Concepts of Print- Direct instruction and modeling of skills such as finger-pointing |

| |(p. 74) |

| |Phonemic Awareness- Focus on Rhymes in chants, jingles, and songs (p. 203) |

| |Phonics- Using a variety of approaches such as analogy-based and word building |

| |instruction (p. 201) |

| |Vocabulary- Using a variety of materials such as semantic webs, maps, and organizers |

| |(p. 233) |

| |Comprehension- Explicit instruction and guided practice of comprehension strategies |

| |in a variety of contexts (p. 259) |

| |Fluency- Wide and repeated readings of texts (p. 280) |

| |Critical Thinking- The need for a ‘critical stance’ with regard to any position (p. |

| |164) |

| |Motivation- Providing choice in student learning (p. 187) |

| |Writing- Authentic writing for a variety of audiences and purposes (p. 301) |

|Provide appropriate in-depth instruction for all readers and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in providing |

|writers, especially those who struggle with reading and |appropriate in-depth instruction for all readers and writers, especially those who |

|writing. |struggle with reading and writing. I can model appropriate instruction for teachers, |

| |as well as provide coaching support as needed. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will provide appropriate in-depth instruction for all |

| |readers and writers, especially those who struggle with reading and writing. I will |

| |do this by using a variety of instructional strategies and practices in my |

| |instruction that meet the needs of my students. An example of a writing lesson that |

| |incorporates writing strategies for struggling writers is the Self-Regulated Strategy|

| |Development (SRSD) model. The STOP strategy, as well as the DARE strategy, can be |

| |used within this lesson to help struggling writers with persuasive writing. These |

| |strategies are listed below. |

| |STOP |

| |Suspend judgment- Did I list ideas for each side? Can I think of anything else? Try |

| |to write more. Another side I haven’t considered yet is… |

| |Take a side- Decide which side you believe in or which side can be used the make the |

| |strongest argument |

| |Organize ideas- Place a star next to the points you plan to use and number them in |

| |the order you plan to use them |

| |Plan more as you write- DARE: Develop your topic sentence, Add supporting details, |

| |Reject arguments for the other side, and End with a strong conclusion |

|Support classroom teachers and education support personnel to | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support classroom teachers and |

|implement instructional approaches for all students. |educational support personnel by: |

| |Modeling instructional approaches such as the STOP and DARE strategies within the |

| |SRSD model for these individuals |

| |Supporting these individuals with locating, selecting, and using a variety of reading|

| |and writing materials to implement with these instructional approaches |

|As needed, adapt instructional materials and approaches to meet| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be responsible for assisting |

|the language-proficiency needs of English learners and students|language arts and content-area teachers with meeting the language-proficiency needs |

|who struggle to learn to read and write. |of English Language Learners and adapting instructional materials to meet these |

| |needs. I will provide professional development workshops and small-group, |

| |content-specific meetings that will communicate the following ideas to classroom |

| |teachers and other professionals: |

| |Use hands-on activities and encourage group work |

| |Engage students in simulation games, experiments, field trips, and films to help |

| |build students’ background knowledge |

| |Incorporate visual aids and graphic organizers within lessons to scaffold material |

| |and build comprehension (maps, story maps, anticipation guides, learning logs, ect.) |

| |Pre-teach vocabulary and key terms in a variety of formats (vocabulary clusters, |

| |visuals, ect.) |

| |Incorporating gestures, illustrations, and facial expressions into explanations of |

| |material |

| |Adapting assessments to meet proficiency levels (orally or using a tape recorder) |

| |Using simple language by avoiding slang and speaking naturally |

| |Labeling classroom objects |

| |Explicitly teaching comprehension and vocabulary strategies and scaffolding these |

| |strategies as needed |

| |Allow ELL students to work in pairs to write about topics they have background |

| |knowledge of |

| |Allow ELL students with limited English proficiency to use a variety of ways to |

| |communicate material (illustrations, journals, gestures, ect.) |

|2.3 Use a wide range of texts (e.g., narrative, expository, and poetry) from traditional print, digital, and online resources. |

|Demonstrate knowledge of and a critical stance toward a wide | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in selecting a |

|variety of quality traditional print, digital, and online |wide variety of traditional print, digital, and online resources that are appropriate|

|resources. |for their students’ developmental literacy levels. Using a variety of materials will |

| |appeal to the different types of learners in teachers’ classrooms. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will incorporate a wide variety of quality literacy |

| |materials that are appropriate for my students. In my Graduate Program, I created a |

| |Literacy Text Set that included a wide variety of traditional print, digital, and |

| |online resources. The text set was centered on a content area, science, and a theme, |

| |“Wild Weather”. The text set included both non-linguistic and linguistic |

| |representations such as: |

| |Fiction & Non-fiction Books |

| |Poetry |

| |Graphic Novels |

| |Textbook |

| |Articles |

| |Brochures |

| |Videos |

| |Models |

| |Photographs |

| |Computer Program/App. |

| |Websites |

|Support classroom teachers in building and using a quality, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will help support the classroom |

|accessible classroom library and materials collection that |teachers in building and using a quality, accessible classroom library and materials |

|meets the specific needs and abilities of all learners. |collection that meets the specific needs and abilities of all learners. I will assist|

| |the teachers in analyzing assessment data to determine independent, instructional, |

| |and frustrational levels for the students. I will explain to the classroom teachers |

| |the importance of selecting materials for students on their appropriate instructional|

| |levels. I will build my own classroom library for teachers to utilize, as well as |

| |support teachers in borrowing appropriate leveled materials from the school library. |

| |In addition, I will suggest online resources for teachers to access to locate |

| |materials. For instance, the website resource Kansas. would assist |

| |teachers with searching for texts to match students’ interests. The website allows |

| |teachers to search for materials by topics of interest and sub-topics. The website |

| |also includes reading levels for teacher’s to locate materials of interest on the |

| |students’ appropriate reading level. |

|Lead collaborative school efforts to evaluate, select, and use | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be responsible for leading |

|a variety of instructional materials to meet the specific needs|collaborative school efforts to evaluate, select, and use a variety of instructional |

|and abilities of all learners. |materials to meet the specific needs and abilities of all learners. In grade-level |

| |PLC meetings, I can collaborate with teachers in evaluating instructional materials |

| |for their students based on independent, instructional, and frustration levels of |

| |students. I can support teachers in selecting materials for students based on |

| |developmental levels and interests of all students. To share these materials with |

| |others and encourage the use of these instructional materials within the classroom, I|

| |can create Google Docs to share instructional materials with other teachers within |

| |each grade level. Teachers would be able to also add the materials that they use into|

| |the document. |

|Standard 3. Assessment and Evaluation. |

| |

|Candidates use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction. |

| |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but is not limited to, the following—Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|3.1 Understand types of assessment and their purposes, strengths, and limitations. |

|Demonstrate an understanding of the | As a reading specialist/literacy coach it will be imperative that I demonstrate an understanding of|

|literature and research related to |the literature and research related to assessments and their uses and misuses. There are a variety of |

|assessments and their uses and misuses. |assessment types that document student growth and learning within reading, writing, and content areas. I|

| |can support teachers in using appropriate assessments for their students by sharing my understanding of |

| |the literature and research of the uses and misuses of assessments. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will use a variety of assessment types within my classroom. By understanding |

| |which assessments are appropriate for the level and content of the students, I can use assessment data |

| |to drive my instruction as a classroom teacher. In addition, it will be important for me to not rely on |

| |one type of assessment for each student. |

|Demonstrate and understanding of established | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or a classroom teacher, there are a variety of tools for|

|purposes for assessing the performance of all|screening, diagnosing, progress-monitoring, and measuring outcomes across levels for students. |

|readers, including tools for screening, |Throughout my Graduate program, I used these various tools to determine appropriate reading and writing |

|diagnosing, progress monitoring, and |levels for instruction, as well as progress-monitor and post-assess to guide my instruction and document|

|measuring outcomes. |student growth. Below I have listed tools for screening and assessments I have administered in the last |

| |year: |

| | |

| |Emergent Readers |

| |Alphabet Recognition |

| |TOPPA (Test of Phonological and Print Awareness) |

| |Beginning Sound Awareness |

| |Concept of Word |

| |Spelling Inventory |

| |Writing Sample/Dictated Sentences |

| | |

| |Beginning Readers |

| |Word Recognition in Isolation |

| |Word Recognition in Context |

| |Spelling Inventory |

| |Writing Sample/Dictated Sentences |

| | |

| |Instructional Readers |

| |Pupil Interview |

| |Word Recognition in Isolation (WRI) |

| |Word Recognition in Context (WRC) |

| |Spelling Inventory |

| |Writing Sample |

|Recognize the basic technical adequacy of | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in understanding the reliability, |

|assessments (e.g., reliability, content, and |validity, content, and construct validity of assessment devices. Being knowledgeable of these technical |

|construct validity.) |terms allows me to assist individuals with evaluating assessment devices. Assessing and Correcting: |

| |Reading and Writing Difficulties (4th edition) by Thomas G. Gunning serves as an effective resource for |

| |explaining these terms. |

| |Reliability: “The consistency of an assessment device. It is the degree to which the device would yield |

| |similar results if given again to the same person or group” (p. 73). |

| |Validity: “The degree to which an assessment device measures what it intends to measure; also, the |

| |degree to which the results can be used to make an educational decision” (p. 73). |

| |Construct Validity: “The degree to which a test measures a theoretical trait or construct such as |

| |critical reading, learning ability or phonological awareness” (p. 74). |

| |Content Validity: “The degree to which the content of a test reflects reading or tasks that are taught |

| |in schools” (p. 74). |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will need to have a basic understanding of the technical adequacy of |

| |assessments. I cannot base all of my instructional decisions or assign student grades based on |

| |assessments that are not reliable or valid. These terms will be important to keep in mind as I make |

| |instructional decisions that are sound for my students. |

|Explain district and state assessment | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or a classroom teacher, it is vital to have an |

|frameworks, proficiency standards, and |understanding of district and state assessment frameworks to help guide instruction and remediation |

|student benchmarks.) |efforts for students. The state of Virginia uses the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment framework to|

| |guide curriculum. Although each grade level is not required to take the formal SOL assessment, there are|

| |frameworks designed for each discipline within each grade level that include: essential understandings, |

| |essential questions, essential knowledge, and essential skills for each specific learning objective. In |

| |addition, each school district is guided by proficiency standards, as well as state standards, that meet|

| |the needs of their students. Student benchmark assessments can be used to document student growth in |

| |meeting the district level and state standards within the school system. Both reading |

| |specialists/literacy coaches and classroom teachers alike will be responsible for understanding these |

| |frameworks. |

|3.2 Select, develop, administer, and interpret assessments, both traditional print and electronic, for specific purposes. |

|Administer and interpret appropriate | As a reading specialist/literacy coach I will support teachers in administering and interpreting |

|assessments for students, especially those |assessments in the following ways: |

|who struggle with reading and writing. |I will help teachers and paraprofessionals prepare student assessment materials as needed to alleviate |

| |stress and reduce their time preparing materials. This could allow teachers more time to administer |

| |assessments students and analyze their students’ reading and writing behaviors from assessment data. |

| |I will support teachers by modeling administration procedures of appropriate assessments of students for|

| |teachers and paraprofessionals as needed. |

| |I will suggest the text Qualitative Reading Inventory-5(5th Edition) by Lauren Leslie and JoAnne S. |

| |Caldwell as a resource to administer reading assessments. In addition, I will suggest the text Words |

| |Their Way (5th Edition) by Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Francine Johnston to |

| |support the teacher in administering word study assessments. |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will administer and interpret a variety of assessments such as those discussed|

| |in 3.1 of the standards. |

|Collaborate with and provide support to all | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will collaborate with and provide support to all teachers|

|teachers in the analysis of data, using the |in the analysis of data, using the assessment results of all students. I could provide support in the |

|assessment results of all students. |following ways: |

| |I could schedule individual and team meetings to assist teachers and paraprofessionals with interpreting|

| |assessment data of their specific students within their classrooms. |

| |In a Professional Learning Community Environment, such as the Collaborative Coaching Cohort Model |

| |(CCCM), I could assist teachers with analyzing student data and lead inquiry discussions about the |

| |results of all students. |

| |[pic] |

|Lead school wide or larger scale analyses to | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I can lead school-wide or larger scale analyses to select |

|select assessment tools that provide a |assessment tools for assessing reading, writing, and language growth of all students. I could provide |

|systematic framework for assessing the |support in the following ways: |

|reading, writing, and language growth of all |At the beginning of the school year, I could host training meetings with teachers and paraprofessionals |

|students. |by grade level to discuss different types of assessments, the purpose of each assessment, and assessment|

| |administration procedures. |

| |As suggested by Jennifer Allen in her book Becoming a Literacy Leader: Supporting Learning and Change, I|

| |could help teachers and paraprofessionals organize literacy assessment notebooks. In following Allen’s |

| |model, these notebooks would contain: literacy assessments, procedures for administering the |

| |assessments, scoring guidelines, benchmark papers, and end-of-year cumulative folder filing procedures. |

| | |

| |In addition, in my Literacy Leaders course this semester, I created a school wide literacy plan that |

| |documented my ability to support and lead school wide analyses of assessment data of all students. |

|3.3 Use assessment information to plan and evaluate instruction. |

|Use multiple data sources to analyze | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will assist the classroom teacher and other |

|individual readers’ performance and to plan |paraprofessionals in analyzing individual readers’ performance and support these individuals with |

|instruction and intervention. |planning for instruction and intervention. In addition, most likely, I will be a part of the |

| |intervention efforts for students. I could collaborate with teachers to plan and design instruction for |

| |students who are in need of intervention from a specialist in order to supplement the instruction the |

| |student is receiving from the classroom teacher. I can also support classroom teachers in the following |

| |ways: |

| |I can meet with the classroom teacher to review a variety of assessment data at the beginning of the |

| |year. This data would need to be from multiple data sources and assessment types (i.e. |

| |progress-monitoring, IReady, PALs data, ect). Using this data, I would help the teacher determine |

| |flexible reading groups, writing groups, and word study groups based on their appropriate instructional |

| |levels. |

| |I can explain the importance of flexible instructional groups and that the teacher may need to regroup |

| |students based on formal and informal progress monitoring throughout the year. |

| |I can suggest the text Early Intervention for Reading Difficulties: The Interactive Strategies Approach |

| |by Donna M. Scanlon, Kimberly L. Anderson, and Joan M. Sweeney to support the teacher in instructional |

| |grouping for reading. Chapter Two, “Responsive Classroom Instruction”, provides information regarding |

| |grouping for small-group literacy instruction and planning for small-group instruction. |

| |I can suggest the text Words Their Way (5th Edition) by Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane |

| |Templeton, and Francine Johnston to support the teacher in instructional grouping for word study. |

| |As a classroom teacher, it is imperative to analyze individual readers’ performances from a variety of |

| |data sources to guide my instruction and plan for flexible instructional groups in my classroom. I can |

| |also collaborate with other specialists, classroom teachers, and paraprofessionals to plan instruction |

| |and intervention for my students based on multiple data sources and assessment information. These data |

| |sources could range from informal running record information to formal PALs testing data. Collaborating |

| |with these other individuals is necessary for students to receive supplemental intervention instruction |

| |from specialists as needed to maximize student growth and performance. |

|Analyze and use assessment data to examine | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will plan on assisting classroom teachers and other |

|the effectiveness of specific intervention |paraprofessionals in analyzing and using a variety of assessment data to examine and evaluate the |

|practices and students’ responses to |effectiveness of specific intervention practices. I can do this by planning to meet with the classroom |

|instruction. |teacher at the middle of the year to review assessment data as well. The data would need to be both |

| |formal and informal in order to evaluate the effectiveness of students’ responses to instruction and to |

| |the flexible groups for classroom instruction. Using this data, I could help the teacher re-arrange her |

| |instructional groups as needed. In addition, I could discuss other options for intervention practices |

| |for individual and groups of students based on the assessment data. |

| |As a classroom teacher, it will be important to continue to analyze student assessment data to guide and|

| |drive my instruction in my classroom. In addition, I will need to continue to collaborate and share this|

| |data with other paraprofessionals and specialists to examine the effectiveness of intervention practices|

| |and students’ responses to instruction. Assessment data, both informal and formal, could be examined |

| |closely with these individuals at the beginning and middle of the year specifically to evaluate the |

| |effectiveness of intervention practices. If these practices are not effective, I will work with other |

| |professionals to re-arrange my instructional groups, determine other intervention efforts, and |

| |restructure instruction for students as needed. |

|Lead teachers in analyzing and using | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be responsible in leading teachers in analyzing and |

|classroom, individual, grade-level, or school|using classroom, individual, grade-level, or school wide assessment data to make instructional |

|wide assessment data to make instructional |decisions. This analysis could take place in the format of Professional Learning Communities, such as |

|decisions. |the CCCM. After inquiry-driven and research-based discussions about student assessment data, I will |

| |support teachers in lesson development and making instructional decisions using the data we have |

| |analyzed. In my graduate program during my Literacy Leaders course, Mary Lacen Kinkel and I designed and|

| |implemented a PD plan centered around the analysis of student data and lesson development based on this |

| |data in the format of the CCCM. |

|Plan and evaluate professional development | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I could be responsible for planning PD initiatives for |

|initiatives using assessment data. |individual grade-levels and the school. I can evaluate the effectiveness of these PD initiatives using |

| |assessment data in the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Based on this data, if the PD initiatives|

| |in place are not working, I can re-design PD initiatives as needed. In my graduate program, Mary Lacen |

| |Kinkel and I designed a PD plan for a kindergarten grade-level which was centered on COW instruction. We|

| |planned to evaluate the PD initiative after five weeks using the Mid-Year Cycle Reflection Form from the|

| |CCCM. We also planned to evaluate the PD initiative at the end of the nine-weeks using the Summative |

| |Reflection Form. In addition, we planned to use the fall PALs COW assessment data and the spring PALS |

| |COW assessment data to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the PD plan. |

|3.4 Communicate assessment results and implications to a variety of audiences. |

|Analyze and report assessment results to a | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be responsible for analyzing and reporting |

|variety of appropriate audiences for relevant|assessment results to a variety of appropriate audiences. In my graduate program, Mary Lacen Kinkel and |

|implications, instructional purposes, and |I planned to analyze PALs data with the kindergarten teachers in our PD plan. In phase one of the CCCM |

|accountability. |within the plan, we incorporated the Data-Driven Dialogue Protocol tool to assist teachers in analyzing |

| |PALs assessment results from the spring. Using this tool, teachers would be able to make predictions |

| |about the data, analyze the data by identifying trends and asking questions, and make inferences about |

| |why the data reports the way it does. The teachers could complete this tool independently and then |

| |report out their findings in a whole grade-level group during our one-our PLC meeting. These assessment |

| |results would be used to hold teachers accountable for student learning and to make instructional |

| |implications for the upcoming school year. |

|Demonstrate the ability to communicate | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will need to assist other school faculty in analyzing and|

|results of assessments to various audiences. |reporting student assessment data; however, I will also need to demonstrate the ability to communicate |

| |the results of assessments effectively to various audiences such as: classroom teachers, |

| |paraprofessionals, administration, and other specialists. In order to communicate effectively with these|

| |individuals, it is my goal to create trusting relationships and open lines of communication with all |

| |other school staff members. |

|Standard 4. Diversity |

|Candidates create and engage their students in literacy practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of differences in our|

|society. |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but is not limited to, the following—Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|4.1 Recognize, understand, and value the forms of diversity that exist in society and their importance in learning to read and write. |

|Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, it is necessary to recognize |

|which diversity influences the reading and |students’ diverse backgrounds and needs when planning for reading and writing instruction. According to |

|writing development of students. |the article Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does and Does Not Say by Claude |

| |Goldenburg, effective second language instruction includes opportunities for students to use their |

| |second language in motivating and meaningful situations. In addition, research supports learning to read|

| |in the home language because this benefits learning to read in the second language. Therefore, |

| |professionals, both specialists and classroom teachers alike, should value the diversity of their |

| |students regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, religion, or language. |

|Assist teachers in developing reading and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in developing their students |

|writing instruction that is responsive to |reading and writing instruction that is responsive to diversity by: |

|diversity. |Encouraging the teacher to incorporate and honor home-languages in lesson plans and classroom activities|

| |as much as possible. |

| |Providing multicultural books to incorporate in reading and writing instruction that are responsive to |

| |diversity such as Eric Carle’s books, Uno, Dos, Tres; One, Two, Three by Pat Mora and Brothers by Yin. |

| |These books can focus on the themes/topics of moving, separating from families, time, money, colors, and|

| |fitting in, ect. |

| |Providing multicultural websites to incorporate in reading and writing instruction that are responsive |

| |to diversity such as and . |

|Assist teachers in understanding the | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will assist teachers in understanding the relationship |

|relationship between first- and |between first- and second- language acquisition and literacy development by facilitating meaningful, |

|second-language acquisition and literacy |professional conversations regarding the topic. In these conversations, I will need to include |

|development. |information about how second-language acquisition is a process in which: |

| |Culturally and academically diverse students should receive multiple opportunities to work with one |

| |another |

| |Social interactions between diverse students should be encouraged and valued |

| |Promote participation of all students through heterogeneous grouping practices and motivating activities|

| | |

| |Resource: Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL by Peregoy and Boyle (Chapter 2) |

|Engage the school community in conversations | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, it will be my responsibility to stay up-to-date with |

|about research on diversity and how diversity|current research and engage my school community in conversations about literacy research. Additionally, |

|impacts reading and writing development. |it will be my responsibility to engage my school community in conversations regarding how diversity |

| |impacts reading and writing development. I can engage in these conversations through whole school |

| |professional development opportunities and/or small-group meetings with various professionals (ESL |

| |teachers, Speech/Language Pathologists, SPED teachers, and classroom teachers). In these conversations, |

| |I will reference current research, as well as introduce resources that incorporate information about |

| |diversity research such as: |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|4.2 Use a literacy curriculum and engage in instructional practices that positively impact students’ knowledge, beliefs, and engagement with the |

|features of diversity. |

|Provide differentiated instruction and | As a classroom teacher, I can provide differentiated instruction and materials for my students by |

|instructional materials, including |understanding the ZPD of each of my students. By recognizing the instructional level of my students in |

|traditional print, digital, and online |their literacy development, I can differentiate instructional materials, including print, digital, and |

|resources that capitalize on diversity. |online resources that meet their individual needs. I will differentiate instruction and material in my |

| |classroom in the following ways: being flexible within my lesson planning; using a variety of materials |

| |and activities that benefit all students; and completing on-going assessments to monitor student |

| |progress. |

|Support classroom teachers in providing | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in providing differentiated |

|differentiated instruction and developing |instruction for their students by making the following suggestions: |

|students as agents of their own literacy |Incorporate literacy activities into the classroom that meet students individual needs, while also |

|learning. |engaging and motivating students (group work, use of technology, ect.) |

| |Modify material, content, and assessments to meet the needs of students and their level of English |

| |proficiency |

| |Select and/or create appropriate groups, activities, and materials based on students’ performance and |

| |interest levels |

| |Explicitly teach students how to use self-monitoring strategies, rubrics, reflections, and |

| |peer-evaluations |

| |These suggestions will help teachers develop their students as agents of their own literacy learning. |

|Support and lead other educators to recognize| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will have the responsibility of helping educators |

|their own cultures in order to teach in ways |recognize their own cultures and backgrounds, as well as helping them reflect on their own teaching |

|that are responsive to students’ diverse |practices, backgrounds, and biases. Our philosophies and beliefs are built upon our prior-experiences |

|backgrounds. |(i.e. education, jobs, backgrounds, and culture); therefore, teachers will need to be knowledgeable of |

| |these in order to be responsive to students’ diverse backgrounds. Their philosophies and teaching |

| |beliefs will be important when recognizing what they will use to deliver differentiated instruction for |

| |their students. |

|Collaborate with others to build strong | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will collaborate with others |

|home-to-school and school-to-home literacy |professionals in order to build strong home-to-school and school-to-home literacy connections. In order |

|connections. |to do this, I will value students’ prior literacy experiences, as well as become aware of what literacy |

| |resources and materials students have available at home. In addition, I will communicate with parents |

| |and guardians frequently to connect students’ school-to-home literacies. I believe that if I honor and |

| |respect students home literacy experiences and connect these experiences to school, then students will |

| |be more motivated to connect their school literacy experiences to home. |

|Provide support and leadership to educators, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will provide support and leadership to teachers, parents |

|parents and guardians, students, and other |and guardians, students, and other school community members to value the contributions of diverse people|

|members of the school community to valuing |and traditions to literacy learning by: |

|the contributions of diverse people and |Educating students about various holidays and traditions to encourage exploration of other cultures and |

|traditions to literacy learning. |backgrounds |

| |Encouraging diverse people to share their cultures and backgrounds within the school community and |

| |within the school classroom |

| |Inviting diverse individuals to volunteer within the school community on field trips, in classrooms, at |

| |school events, etc. |

| |Hosting Family Nights at school in which families, teachers, and other school faculty can share their |

| |cultures and traditions, including food, music, holidays, traditions, etc. |

| |Hosting Literacy Nights in which families, teachers, and other school faculty are exposed to |

| |multi-cultural texts and resources |

|4.3 Develop and implement strategies to advocate for equity. |

|Provide students with linguistic, academic, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, it will be my responsibility to encourage other |

|and cultural experiences that link their |professionals and administration to make parent involvement and home-school communication a school-wide |

|communities with the school. |goal.  I can create social events with other professionals within the school that encourage parent and |

| |the community to be involved in school events (i.e. school plays, school concerts, Literacy Nights, |

| |ect.).  In addition, I can support teachers in suggesting take-home activities that promote literacy |

| |experiences within students’ homes and promote communication between teachers and parents. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will provide students with opportunities and experiences that link their |

| |communities to school. The book Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL by Peregoy and Boyle offers |

| |several suggestions of these experiences for students such as: |

| |Send home letters to parents in the home language of the child in order to support communication and to |

| |link the child’s class experiences to the home |

| |Provide opportunities for students to have literacy experiences at home such as the “literacy backpack” |

| |where students take an object home, such as a doll, then write about what the doll did at home the next |

| |day in class |

| |Encourage students to share classroom experiences, classwork (what they have read or written), & to read|

| |to parents at home |

|Advocate for change in societal practices and| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, as well as a classroom teacher, it will be my |

|institutional structures that are inherently |responsibility to be an advocate for change in societal practice and institutional structures that are |

|biased or prejudiced against certain groups. |inherently biased or prejudiced against certain groups. I will do this by promoting anti-bullying |

| |programs and school wide goals that support the equality of all students within the school. The school |

| |community should be unbiased of certain groups and be supportive of all students. |

|Demonstrate how issues of inequity and | As a classroom teacher, as well as a reading specialist, I will have the ability to incorporate |

|opportunities for social justice activism and|multi-cultural texts within my classroom in order to explore issues of inequity and opportunities for |

|resiliency can be incorporated into the |social justice activism and resiliency for my students. By engaging my students in conversations about |

|literacy curriculum. |fictional and non-fictional texts that incorporate various character backgrounds and cultures, I can |

| |educate my students about these important topics. These texts could be included into the literacy |

| |curriculum to meet these goals: |

| |Brothers by Chris Soentpiet |

| |Families are Different by Nina Pellegrini |

| |The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland |

| |Coolies by Yin |

| |Quinito's Neighborhood by Ina Cumpiano |

|Collaborate with teachers, parents and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will need to collaborate with parents and guardians, as |

|guardians, and administrators to implement |well as other professionals, to promote equality for students and value home and community literacies. I|

|policies and instructional practices that |can do this by creating Literacy Night opportunities that incorporate materials that draw on community |

|promote equity and draw connections between |connections. In addition, I can create Family Literacy Programs that value and build upon home |

|home and community literacy and school |literacies, while also informing parents of ways to be involved in school literacy opportunities. Also, |

|literacy. |take home instructional activities that value all languages and backgrounds and frequent communication |

| |with parents will better connect home, community, and school literacy. |

|Standard 5. Literate Environment |

| |

|Candidates create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, instructional practices, approaches |

|and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments. |

| |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but is not limited to, the following—Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|5.1 Design the physical environment to optimize students’ use of traditional print, digital, and online resources in reading and writing instruction.|

|Arrange instructional areas to provide easy | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will set-up instructional areas to provide easy access to|

|access to books and other instructional |books and other instructional materials for the students that I may work with. It will be important that|

|materials for a variety of individual, |I model an organized, literate environment for teachers. In addition, I will support teachers in setting|

|small-group, and whole-class activities and |up their own classrooms for a variety of individual, small-group, and whole-group activities. |

|support teachers in doing the same. | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I will arrange instructional areas for students to provide easy access to books |

| |and other instructional materials. Within my classroom, I will have areas for students to work in |

| |whole-groups, small-groups, and independently. I will also want my classroom to be set-up in a way that |

| |fosters collaboration between students. Below is a snapshot of a sample classroom set-up for students. |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

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| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|Modify the arrangements to accommodate | As a classroom teacher, it will be important to create flexible instructional groups for students |

|students’ changing needs. |in order to support their literacy development in reading, writing, and word study. Throughout the |

| |school year, my groups will change based on students’ changing needs. In addition, I can accommodate |

| |students’ changing needs in my classroom arrangement by moving students’ seats to create homogeneous and|

| |heterogeneous groups, as well as re-arranging tables for partner work. |

|5.2 Design a social environment that is low-risk, includes choice, motivation, and scaffolded support to optimize students’ opportunities for |

|learning to read and write. |

|Create supportive social environments for all| As a classroom teacher, I will create a supportive social environment for my students. I can design|

|students, especially those who struggle with |this social environment for students by using a variety of instructional practices such as: |

|reading and writing. |Appropriate grouping for students |

| |Providing opportunities for social interactions |

| |Providing necessary support |

| |Necessary scaffolding |

| |Giving students positive reinforcement and encouragement |

| |Meaningful tasks |

| |Giving students choice within reading and writing activities |

| |Respect for out-of-school literacies |

| |Respect for students' personal identities |

| |Relating reading and writing activities to student interests |

| |Fostering a classroom community |

| |Providing opportunities for meaningful collaboration |

|Model for and support teachers and other | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I can model for teachers and other professionals how to |

|professionals in doing the same for all |create supportive social environments for all students and a variety of instructional practices that |

|students. |support these environments. These environments should be low-risk and include choice, motivation, and |

| |scaffolded support in students’ reading and writing activities. Mary Lacen Kinkel and I modeled several |

| |motivating instructional activities for teachers at our 2015 Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA) |

| |Conference. In this presentation, we also included several researchers and research material that would |

| |support teachers in creating these motivating social environments for students. The following |

| |researchers would be beneficial in supporting teachers in creating supportive social environments for |

| |all students: |

| |Donna E. Alvermann |

| |Nancy L. Cecil |

| |Douglas Fisher |

| |Nancy Frey |

| |Linda B. Gambrell |

| |Joan P. Gipe |

| |John T. Guthrie |

| |Marcy Merrill |

| |Jamie L. Metsala |

| |Kimberly Lenters |

| |Anne P. Sweet |

|Create supportive environments where English | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, it will be my responsibility to inform teachers of ways to |

|learners are encouraged and given many |create supportive environments in which English learners are encouraged to use English when learning to |

|opportunities to use English. |read and write. These suggestions could be given informally to teachers as a way to scaffold instruction|

| |for their students: |

| |Create peer response groups and peer editing groups that allows for collaborating in writing |

| |Value students use of English by publishing class and individual writing projects |

| |Introduce dialogue journals as a way to communicate regularly in English on a topic of the students’ |

| |choice |

| |Incorporate Reader’s Theater opportunities for students to encourage responses to reading |

| |Allow students to have buddy reading opportunities to practice reading |

| |Allow students to self-select literature and share their reading experiences with their peers |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I can implement these reading and writing instructional suggestions in my own |

| |classroom. I believe that if students are given numerous opportunities to read and write in a supportive|

| |environment to practice their English, the more comfortable they may become with the language. |

|5.3 Use routines to support reading and writing instruction (e.g., time allocation, transitions from one activity to another; discussion, and peer |

|feedback.) |

|Understand the role of routines in creating | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will understand that the role of|

|and maintaining positive learning |routines is important in creating and maintaining positive learning environments for reading and writing|

|environments for reading and writing |instruction. This instruction should include a variety of resources using print, digital, and online |

|instruction using traditional print, digital,|resources. According to the researcher Thomas G. Gunning in Creating Literacy Instruction for All |

|and online resources. |Students (7th Edition), well established routines and classroom procedures are necessary to foster |

| |motivation in the context of learning for students (2010, p. 561). |

|Create effective routines for all students, | As a classroom teacher, I will create effective, predictable, and organized routines for all of my |

|especially those who struggle with reading |students within a balanced literacy program. Following an effective, organized routine will provide my |

|and writing. |students with clear expectations while efficiently managing all aspects of academic student behavior. |

| |These routines will be created based upon the appropriate ages and developmental instructional levels |

| |for learning. According to the researcher Thomas G. Gunning in Creating Literacy Instruction for All |

| |Students (7th Edition), “A better measure of time use is academic learning time… [Teachers] should |

| |critically examine every activity, asking whether it results in effective learning or practice” (2010, |

| |p. 553). Therefore, I will make sure the activities included within my routines are also effective for |

| |students. |

|Support teachers in doing the same for all | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in understanding and creating |

|readers. |effective routines for all readers by modeling these effective routines and procedures for teachers. If |

| |teachers request this modeling support, I could model effective routines, transitions, discussion, and |

| |peer-feedback activities within specific classrooms with a variety of students. This would support |

| |teachers, as well as readers within the classrooms. |

|5.4 Use a variety of classroom configurations (i.e., whole class, small group, and individual) to differentiate instruction. |

|Use evidence-based grouping practices to meet| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I would use my knowledge of evidence-based grouping |

|the needs of all students, especially those |practices to support the classroom teacher. I would suggest the text Early Intervention for Reading |

|who struggle with reading and writing. |Difficulties: The Interactive Strategies Approach by Donna M. Scanlon, Kimberly L. Anderson, and Joan M.|

| |Sweeney to support the teacher in instructional grouping for reading. Chapter Two, “Responsive |

| |Classroom Instruction”, provides information regarding grouping for small-group literacy instruction and|

| |planning for small-group instruction. In addition, I would suggest the text Words Their Way (5th |

| |Edition) by Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Francine Johnston to support the |

| |teacher in instructional grouping for word study. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I would use the resources listed above to use a variety of grouping practices in|

| |my classroom such as small-group, whole-group, and partners. These groups will be created based on |

| |students’ zone of proximal development and student data. The groups will also be flexible and meet the |

| |needs of all of my students. |

|Support teachers in doing the same for all | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I would meet with the classroom teacher to review |

|students. |assessment data at the beginning of the year. Using this data, I would help the teacher determine |

| |flexible reading groups and word study groups based on their appropriate instructional levels. I would |

| |explain the importance of flexible instructional groups and that the teacher may need to regroup |

| |students based on formal and informal progress monitoring throughout the year. I would plan to meet |

| |with the classroom teacher at the middle of the year to review assessment data as well. This data can |

| |be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional groups. Using this data, I could help the |

| |teacher re-arrange her instructional groups as needed. |

|Standard 6. Professional Learning and Leadership |

| |

|Candidates recognize the importance of, demonstrate, and facilitate professional learning and leadership as a career-long effort and responsibility. |

| |

|Evidence that demonstrates competence may include, but is not limited to, the following—Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Candidates… |

|6.1 Demonstrate foundational knowledge of adult learning theories and related research about organizational change, professional development, and |

|school culture. |

|Use literature and research findings about | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will strive to build trusting and respectful |

|adult learning, organizational change, |relationships with other professionals, communicate effectively with other adult learners, and |

|professional development, and school culture |frequently collaborate with colleagues. I will use literature and research findings from Cathy A. |

|in working with teachers and other |Toll’s The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers to aid to my |

|professionals. |knowledge of working with teachers and other professionals as a literacy coach and/or reading |

| |specialist. The text is presented in a three section format. |

| | |

| |Section One addresses the following questions: |

| |What Is Literacy Coaching? |

| |How Does Coaching Lead to Change? |

| |How Do I Influence Teachers? |

| | |

| |Section Two addresses the following questions: |

| |How Do I Begin My Work as a Literacy Coach? |

| |How Can I Communicate Well? |

| |How Do I Facilitate Coaching Conversations? |

| |What Is Unique About Working With Teams? |

| | |

| |Section Three addresses the following questions: |

| |How Do I Deal With Difficult Situations? |

| |What Do I Do When the Coaching Program Focuses on Incentives? |

| |How Do I Survive This Job? |

| |What Do Literacy Coaches Do? What Don’t They Do? |

|Use knowledge of students and teachers to | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be assisting in developing and building effective |

|build effective professional development |professional development programs. In my Literacy Leaders course in the Spring of 2015, Mary Lacen |

|programs. |Kinkel and I developed a professional development plan for a school based on our knowledge of the |

| |students and the teachers. We took the following steps in building the plan: |

| |We analyzed PALs data for two kindergarten teachers to determine the area of need for the students. In|

| |a school setting, I would have completed the analyzing of data with the teachers. |

| | |

| |In analyzing the data, we found that the students below PALs Spring Benchmark levels (score of 81), as|

| |well as the students above, in both classes, demonstrated a high-need in the Pointing, Word |

| |Identification, and COW Word List tasks within the Concept of Word Assessment. Teacher B reported the |

| |following number of students who scored below these benchmarks: 16 students in Pointing; 12 in Word |

| |Identification; and 13 in COW Word List. Teacher C reported the following number of students who |

| |scored below these benchmarks: 15 students in Pointing; 16 in Word Identification; and 14 in COW Word |

| |List. Therefore, in both kindergarten classes, we found that over 50% of students are struggling with |

| |Concept of Word tasks. |

| | |

| |In a school setting, I would meet with the teacher to discuss the teachers’ feelings of their |

| |students’ Concept of Word development. I could also survey the teachers to obtain this information in |

| |a confidential format. |

| | |

| |Based on the area of need, we then researched numerous literacy programs that would fit the needs of |

| |the kindergarten students and be feasible to implement by the teachers. Our possible solutions were: |

| |Fundations by Wilson Language Basics K-3, Wonders by McGraw Hill, and the Community Cohort Coaching |

| |Model (CCCM) developed by Dr. Sara Miller and Angela Stewart. |

| | |

| |We chose the Community Cohort Coaching Model (CCCM) to implement with the kindergarten teachers. This|

| |solution addressed the literacy needs of the kindergarten students because it allows the teachers to |

| |receive support and coaching in the specific area of Concept of Word development. In addition, |

| |teachers would have had the opportunity to experience demonstration Concept of Word lessons and |

| |debriefing sessions both individually with me and in professional development teams. |

| | |

| |We also created a timeline of implementation. This timeline included hypothetical dates, how we would |

| |monitor the success of the plan, and adjustments for hypothetical problems that could occur. |

|Use the research base to assist in building an| As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I would use research base to assist in building an |

|effective, school wide professional |effective, school-wide professional development program. I would follow similar steps that I did |

|development program. |within my Literacy Leaders course. However, instead of analyzing grade-level data, I would analyze |

| |school-wide data as a whole to identify major areas of needs for students. I would conduct research |

| |for programs that are practical for the school based on money, time required to implement, and |

| |resources and materials needed for the program’s success. I could use resources such as What Works |

| |Clearinghouse Intervention reports to research effectiveness of programs. Using this information, I |

| |would then work with other administrators and professionals to determine the best solution for the |

| |school-wide need. Then, I could create a timeline for implementation and professional development |

| |sessions to help successfully build the professional development program. |

| 6.2 Display positive dispositions relate to their own reading and writing and the teaching of reading and writing, and pursue the development of |

|individual professional knowledge and behaviors. |

|Articulate the research base related to the | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will articulate the research base related to |

|connections among teacher dispositions, |connections among teacher dispositions by incorporating and valuing the Adult Learning Theories within|

|student learning, and the involvement of |my coaching conversations with teachers. By incorporating these adult learning theories within my |

|parents, guardians, and the community. |coaching conversations and responsibilities as a reading specialist/literacy coach, I can promote |

| |positive teaching dispositions as teachers strive to improve their practice and student learning. |

| |These theories were identified by Malcolm Knowles an American practitioner and theorist of adult |

| |education: |

| |Adults are internally motivated and self-directed |

| |Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences |

| |Adults are goal oriented |

| |Adults are relevancy oriented |

| |Adults are practical |

| |Adult learners like to be respected |

| |Resource: |

| | |

| |According to Cathy A. Toll’s book The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and |

| |Practical Answers, “A growing body of research is demonstrating the value of bridging children’s home |

| |and school literacies” (p. 51, 2014). Therefore, supporting teachers in establishing positive |

| |relationships with parents, guardians, and communities, is also essential. These relationships with |

| |all parties must be fostered in order for the involvement of parents, guardians, and the community to |

| |work successfully. |

|Promote the value of reading and writing in | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will promote the value of reading and writing in and |

|and out of school by modeling a positive |out of school by modeling a positive attitude toward reading and writing with students, colleagues, |

|attitude toward reading and writing with |administrators, and parents and guardians. As stated in the previous substandard, bridging the gap |

|students, colleagues, administrators, and |between children’s home and school literacies, as well as valuing these literacies, is essential. This|

|parents and guardians. |could be accomplished by: |

| |Hosting Literacy Themed Nights: In my Graduate Course, I assisted in creating a Literacy Themed Night |

| |for Kindergarten students. The theme of the literacy night was “Helping Our Students Grow”! The |

| |literacy night planned to incorporate a variety of reading and writing activities for parents and |

| |guardians to interact with their students, as well as help their students build emergent literacy |

| |skills at home. |

| |Incorporating a “Give a Book, Get a Book” School Initiative: I could promote a school initiative where|

| |students, colleagues, administrators, parents, and guardians donated gently used books to the school. |

| |In return, for every book donated, the individual could then get a book that was donated from another |

| |person in return. This would promote reading outside of school by circulating these used book |

| |materials. |

|Join and participate in professional literacy | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, it will be important to join and|

|organizations, symposia, conferences, and |participate in professional literacy organizations, symposia, conferences, and workshops. By joining |

|workshops. |in and participating in these, we can remain up-to-date on research and instructional practices. In |

| |addition, we will continue to be a lifelong learner, which is essential in our field. This semester, I|

| |joined the Virginia State Reading Association to have a full-time student membership. I am an active |

| |member of the Richmond Area Council of the VSRA until July 31, 2015. In addition, I attended |

| |professional development opportunities and conferences to stay informed and engaged in the development|

| |of literacy and literacy practices in today’s research. |

| | |

| |Conferences Attended: |

| |Longwood’s Summer Literacy Institute |

| |Last summer, I attended Longwood University's 11th Annual Summer Literacy Institute.  The theme of the|

| |Institute was "Inquiry to Make Connections" and took place on July 17th-July 18th, 2014. This |

| |professional development opportunity allowed me to expand my knowledge of using inquiry-based |

| |instructional practices and how this approach can benefit my students. |

| | |

| |Virginia State Reading Association’s: Reading is Magical Conference |

| |This year, I attended the Virginia State Reading Association's "Reading is Magical" 2015 Annual |

| |Literacy Conference at the Richmond Marriott Hotel and Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond,|

| |Virginia. The Conference took place from March 12th to March 14th. I presented at the Conference on |

| |March 12th and the details of my proposal and my presentation can be found within other sections of my|

| |Portfolio. By attending the conference as a whole, I gained new thoughts and ideas of how to further |

| |motivate students and engage them in their literacy learning. I believe that I have expanded my |

| |knowledge of teaching literacy by attending this annual event and could use this knowledge in |

| |professional development opportunities for schools in the future. |

|Demonstrate effective interpersonal, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, it will be imperative that I demonstrate effective |

|communication, and leadership skills. |interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills. John C. Maxwell in his writing The 21 |

| |Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow, suggests 21 |

| |qualities that foster interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills of an effective leader. Some|

| |of these qualities include: Commitment, Listening, Positivity, and Teachibility. His 21 qualities are |

| |listed in this resource: |

| | |

| |In addition to these 21 leadership qualities, I will want to demonstrate the following skills as a |

| |reading specialist/literacy coach: |

| |1. Practice good communication skills such as listening and clarifying: Coaches/Specialists should |

| |listen carefully to what teachers have to say to better understand how to guide teachers and improve |

| |their literacy instruction. Toll suggests that, "The act of clarifying demonstrates recognition that |

| |even though one has tried to listen and learn, there is still a chance that one has misunderstood" |

| |(Toll, 2014, p. 59). |

| |2. Embody effective interpersonal skills through building relationships and establishing trust: Allen |

| |claims, "Working in classrooms is all about building relationships and establishing trust over time" |

| |(Allen, 2006, p. 95). If teachers do not feel as though they have a relationship with you, they will |

| |be resistant to change and working with you to improve their literacy instruction. It is important to |

| |understand that these relationships take time to build; however, coaches should strive to be |

| |supportive, honest, and helpful to build establish trust with teachers. |

| |3. Allocating time to promote collaboration: Toll suggests that 50% of literacy coaches’ time should |

| |be dedicated to conversations with teachers. In addition, Routman suggests that coaches should: build |

| |in time for coplanning and collaboration, spend more time with teachers who can mentor others, extend |

| |professional development meetings, and create flexible time structures (Routman, 2014, p. 191). |

| |Resources: |

| |Becoming a Literacy Leader by Jennifer Allen |

| |Read, Write, Lead by Regie Routman |

| |The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers by Cathy A. Toll |

|Demonstrate effective use of technology for | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will demonstrate the effective|

|improving student learning. |use of technology for improving student learning. Teachers, as well as specialists, can use technology|

| |to provide a creative learning environment for students. Using technology promotes student engagement,|

| |student choice, collaboration, and communication. As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I can |

| |collaborate with technology specialists within the school to help support teachers and other |

| |paraprofessionals with incorporating the effective use of technology in their classrooms to help |

| |improve student learning. |

| | |

| |As a classroom teacher, I believe that technology is a wonderful way to enhance student learning as |

| |well as many other 21st century skills. In addition, I can become more of a facilitator within the |

| |classroom, which establishes a strong teacher and student partnership. Technology is also a powerful |

| |tool to use when researching information and topics to enhance reading and writing skills. In |

| |addition, the use of technology allows students to multi-task, while also allowing teachers to |

| |differentiate lessons and materials. The students can use a variety of technology vehicles to drive |

| |their learning within their classroom. Teachers can use and incorporate technology in a meaningful and|

| |purposeful way to engage students, which will promote them to be motivated learners. |

|6.3 Participate in, design, facilitate, lead, and evaluate effective and differentiated professional development programs. |

|Collaborate in planning, leading, and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will collaborate in planning, leading, and evaluating |

|evaluating professional development activities|professional development for individuals and groups of teachers. I could support teachers in |

|for individuals and groups of teachers. |professional development activities to improve their practice in the following ways: |

|Activities may include working individually |I will assist teachers in participating in data-driven dialogue conversation in teacher workshops and |

|with teachers (e.g., modeling, coplanning, |group meetings. |

|coteaching, and observing) or with groups |At the request of the teacher, I will conduct classroom observations. |

|(e.g., teacher workshops, group meetings, and |I will participate in observation debriefing conversations with teachers. |

|online learning.) |Based on student needs and teacher interests, I will be available to model lessons for individual |

| |teachers. |

| |I will provide literacy materials and resources that are relevant for student learning and teacher |

| |instruction. |

| |I will meet with individual and groups of teachers to check in to ensure that the literacy activity or|

| |instructional practice is benefiting the teachers and students. |

| |I will motivate my fellow teachers in teaching, assessment, observation, and reflection of learning |

| |and development in a variety of contexts. |

| |I will support teachers and other professionals in ongoing, job-embedded professional learning that |

| |increases the teachers’ capacity to meet his or her students’ needs. |

|Demonstrate the ability to hold effective | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, it will be essential that I demonstrate the ability to |

|conversations (e.g., for planning and |hold effective conversations with individuals and groups of teachers. In addition, I will need to |

|reflective problem solving) with individuals |effectively collaborate with teachers and administrators as well as facilitate group meetings. The |

|and groups of teachers, work collaboratively |article What Matters for Elementary School Coaching? Guiding Principles for Instructional Improvement |

|with teachers and administrators, and |and Student Achievement by Susan L’Allier, Laurie Elish-Piper, and Rita Bean states, “Although a |

|facilitate group meetings. |shared focus on student achievement can provide the foundation for collaborative relationships between|

| |coaches and teachers, coaches must build on that foundation by establishing trust, maintaining |

| |confidentiality, and communicating effectively with teachers” (p. 547, 2010). To hold effective |

| |conversations with individuals and groups of teachers, it will be important to build these foundations|

| |first. |

| | |

| |In addition, coaches should act as a facilitator of adult learning, using the adult learning theories |

| |listed in other sub standards, in order to effectively collaborate with teachers and administrators |

| |and facilitate groups meetings. One way to incorporate adult learning theories and effective |

| |collaborate tools within the facilitation of group meetings is to utilize the National School Reform |

| |Faculty Protocols. These protocols serve as a tool to drive planning and reflective problem solving |

| |conversations, as well as facilitate collaboration meetings among groups of individuals. These |

| |protocols are listed in the following resource: |

| | |

|Support teachers in their efforts to use | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will support teachers in their efforts to use |

|technology in literacy assessment and |technology in literacy assessment. I can collaborate with technology specialists to support teachers |

|instruction. |in utilizing technology resources in their literacy assessments. I can also support teachers in |

| |analyzing their online literacy assessment data as needed. In addition, I will assist teachers in |

| |their efforts to use technology within their instruction. I can provide professional development for |

| |teachers to improve their efforts to incorporate a variety of technology programs within their |

| |instruction such as: Google Docs, Word Programs (Excel, PowerPoint, & Publisher), Adobe, YouTube, |

| |Instructional Apps, ect. |

| | |

| |In my graduate program writing course this semester, I suggested numerous technology resources that |

| |teachers could incorporate in their writing instruction. The resources included the area of writing |

| |the resource could be incorporated, where to access the resource, and how the resource would be |

| |beneficial. The resources were as follows: |

| |Organizing/Brainstorming: |

| | (Links to an external site.) |

| | |

| |This website allows students to choose from four different ‘cubes’. Each of the cubes represents a |

| |different genre of writing (biography/autobiography cube, mystery cube, story cube, and |

| |create-your-own). The students can interactively click on the sides of the cube that they have |

| |selected to organize their ideas for their topic. For example, one side of the mystery cube says, |

| |“Where will this story take place?” This website also offers the cubes in planning sheet formats for |

| |an offline organization tool. |

| |Group Collaboration Writing: |

| | (Links to an external site.) |

| | |

| |This website allows you to create a free account for your classroom. Then, you simply add your |

| |students to your online classroom so they have access to the whole-class writing pieces. Individual |

| |students are able to design a writing avatar for their username and their writing remains anonymous. |

| |As a class, you choose a “story start” topic that the students would be interested in (i.e. Space |

| |Zombies on Planet Zoltar) and collaboratively create a book as a class. You are able to model writing |

| |for students, students can add to the story in specific chapters, and you can revise/edit the work |

| |together as writing is added. This format also allows you to read student writing and decide as a |

| |class which direction the class book should go next in the writing. When the book is finished, you can|

| |choose to publish the book for others to read. |

| |Digital Story Writing & Publishing: |

| | (Links to an external site.) |

| | |

| |This website is an interactive, digital story writing tool that incorporates technology into student |

| |writing. In a digital format, students are able to choose their topic, characters, setting, ect. Then,|

| |students write their story beneath the pictures they have selected for their pages. When students are |

| |finished, they can choose to publish their online book for others to read. This digital story-telling |

| |website is very similar in format to what we completed for our Personal Narrative project. |

|6.4 Understand and influence local, state, and national policy decisions. |

|Demonstrate an understanding of local, state, | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or a classroom teacher, I will demonstrate an |

|and national policies that affect reading and |understanding of local, state, and national policies that affect reading and writing instruction of |

|writing instruction. |all students. These policies are essential to understand in order to guide and plan for the reading |

| |and writing instruction within literacy classrooms, including my own. Additionally, I will understand |

| |how to effectively implement these policies in my instruction to meet the needs of all of my learners.|

| | |

| |Local Policies |

| |County Curriculum Framework and/or Pacing Guides |

| |Individual School Policies |

| |Grade-Level Pacing Guides |

| |Assessment/Evaluation Guidelines |

| | |

| |State Policies |

| |Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Standards of Learning (SOL) & Curriculum Framework for |

| |English. |

| |Resource: |

| | |

| |National Policies |

| |National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and International Reading Association (IRA) Standards |

| |for the English Language Arts (12 Total Standards) |

| |Resource: |

|Write or assist in writing proposals that | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will write and/or assist in writing proposals and |

|enable schools to obtain additional funding to|grants that enable schools to obtain additional funding to support literacy efforts. I could |

|support literacy efforts. |collaborate with other specialists, as well as school administrators, in requesting necessary funds |

| |from the county and/or state. According to Jennifer Allen in Becoming a Literacy Leader, budgetary |

| |requests should be slotted into the following categories of need: “instructional support, professional|

| |development, parent involvement, and summer school” (p. 145, 2006). |

|Promote effective communication and | As a reading specialist/literacy coach and/or classroom teacher, I will promote effective |

|collaboration among stakeholders, including |communication and collaboration among stakeholders in a variety of formats. |

|parents and guardians, teachers, | |

|administrators, policymakers, and community |Parents and Guardians |

|members. |Create weekly newsletters to communicate classroom updates |

| |Online blog and/or class website |

| |Behavior charts |

| |Phone & e-mail collaboration and communication regarding student progress and behavior |

| |Parent/Teacher conferences |

| | |

| |Other Teachers |

| |Grade-level meetings |

| |Professional Learning Communities (CCCM) |

| |Faculty meetings |

| |Faculty newsletters |

| |Co-planning lessons and planning for assessments |

| | |

| |Administrators |

| |Involvement in observing and participating in lesson plans and class activities |

| |Debriefing/feedback meetings from observation sessions |

| | |

| |Policy Makers |

| |Invite policy makers to participate in class activities and/or school-wide literacy events |

| |Encourage students to write to policy makers as a part of authentic writing experiences |

| |Maintaining open and effective communication with school board members and other policy makers |

| | |

| |Community Members |

| |Invite community members to participate in class activities and/or school-wide literacy events |

| |Blogs and/or class website |

| |Newsletters |

| |Invite community members into the classroom to speak on a variety of topics |

| |Communicate the need for sponsorships to community members |

|Advocate with various groups (e.g., | As a reading specialist/literacy coach, I will be responsible for assisting in analyzing |

|administrators, school boards, and local, |individual, grade-level, and school-wide assessment data. Analyzing this data will allow myself, as |

|state, and federal policymaking bodies) for |well as various groups, determine areas of organizational and instructional needs to promote effective|

|needed organizational and instructional |literacy instruction. I will advocate for needed changes in these areas with various groups such as |

|changes to promote effective literacy |administrators, school board members, and local, state, and federal policymaking bodies. Based on the |

|instruction. |identified organizational and instructional needs, I will provide research-based instructional |

| |techniques, strategies, resources, and activities that will promote effective literacy instruction. |

| |Furthermore, I will be knowledgeable of relevant researchers and experts that would best aid the |

| |specific organizational and instructional needs. In my graduate program, I demonstrated advocating |

| |with administrators for an instructional need using a grade-level professional development plan. This |

| |plan was described in depth in substandard 6.1. |

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