MOD 4 DISCUSSION 1
Candyy31
responsemod4discussion1.docx2
Response 1
Lisa Daniels
RE: Discussion 1
The Problem/History of the Problem:
Elementary students in an urban public K-5 charter school struggle with reading skills development. For the past seven years, the urban K-5 public charter school where I served as a Literacy Intervention Specialist used a traditional literacy program with boxed curricula not representative of the school and community populations. The school offers support services for students who need extra help in ELA and Math. Four intervention specialists addressed literacy, while only two addressed Math. The Director of Intervention Services annually ordered various boxed literacy curricula by Fountas and Pinnell, even though several unopened boxes of various literacy curricula were discovered in the teacher’s supply room. According to the school data, over 58% of the students in grades K-5 are not meeting or exceeding their reading grade level (California Department of Education, 2022). As a literacy intervention specialist and a promoter of change, I need to be committed to and skilled in the change process as well as in the change itself (Fullan, 2016).
Evidence-Based Strategies
In Grand City, almost 22% of residents are foreign-born, and over 50% of students do not meet ELA standards in grades 3-5 (Walden University, 2017a). Teachers should possess cross-cultural communication skills and develop a clear understanding of their culturally and linguistically diverse students (Smith, 2021). To maximize learning opportunities, teachers gain knowledge of the cultures represented in their classrooms and translate this knowledge into instructional practice (Kelly et al., 2021). This practice aligns with Walden University’s vision, where what is learned can be immediately implemented in a 21st Century learning community and used for the greater global good (Walden University, 2017a).
Inclusion of elements of curricula that will optimize learning for students while maintaining cultural identity. Students of diverse backgrounds often experience literacy successfully in mainstream social contexts, as well as in the contexts of instruction so that lessons can be more effective for students of diverse backgrounds (Kelly et al., 2021). In Grand City, over 50% of students in grades 3-5 are not meeting ELA standards (Walden University, 2016b). Teachers should encourage students of diverse backgrounds to use strengths in their home languages as the basis for becoming proficient in reading and writing in English.
How the Issue Presents a Need for Change Within the Specialization
An achievement gap exists among students of color, those below the poverty level, and white middle and upper-class students (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015; Wilcox, Lawson, & Angelis, 2015). Culturally responsive teaching incorporates the experiences of students, families, and teachers into the curriculum, focusing on achievements rather than deficits. This teaching is one form of student-centered curriculum considering various learning types (audio, visual, and kinesthetic). Culturally responsive teaching that addresses the home cultural interests of the student will provide increased classroom engagement (Gay, 2002). To help address this gap, culturally responsive pedagogy promotes active learning by offering a curriculum that identifies with students of diverse cultures.
References:
California Department of Education (2022). English language arts/literacy and mathematics smarter balanced summative assessments: Test results at a glance. Retrieved from
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102053002993
Kelly, L.B., Wakefield, W., Caires-Hurley, J., Kganetso, L.W., Moses, L., & Baca, E. (2021). What is culturally informed literacy instruction? A review of research in P-5 contexts. Journal of Literacy Research, 53(1), 75-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X20986602
National Center for Educational Statistics (2015). Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score and percentage of students attaining selected NAEP reading achievement levels, by selected school and student characteristics and grade: Selected years, 1992 through 2015. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt/_15221.12.asp
Smith, P. (2021). A transraciolinguistic approach for literacy classrooms. The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2073
Walden University (2017b), Who we are. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/who-we-are
Walden University (2016b). Grand City education and demographic files [PDF}. Author.
Response 2
RE: Amy Binder Discussion 1 - Module 4
Top of Form
Like Grand City, the district in which I am employed has seen an uptick in the number of students qualifying for the Special Education program (Walden University, 2016b). The number of students diagnosed with autism in our district has tripled in the last five years. Also, like Grand City, there has not been a “comparable increase in training or technology for our general education or our special education teachers” (Walden University, 2017a). On our last professional development day, all teachers in the school district had to attend a 3-hour session about autism. Members of the Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) conducted the session. The session was to inform teachers about what autism is, what it looks like along the spectrum, and how to teach students with autism in the least restrictive environment of the general education classroom with a coteaching setting. While there were several reasons for the mandated session, the special education director noted that many local agencies and clinics were over diagnosing autism and our district had faced some legal consequences over not providing the proper accommodations for special education students and more specifically students with autism. Bolourian et al. (2022) cite research suggesting that teachers in the general education classroom are not as likely to use inclusive practices for students with autism. This can be attributed to such factors as: poor student-teacher relationship, social and behavioral challenges of the autistic student, and the teachers’ anxieties about shifting classroom practices for autism spectrum students (Bolourian et al., 2022). The teachers in my district could benefit from more training on proven practices that work with students on the spectrum. “Powerful effects can be achieved with relatively small inputs of time or other resources to students whose learning causes them concern” (Mintz et al., 2021, p.179).
References
Bolourian, Y., Losh, A., Hamsho, N., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2022). General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Autism, Inclusive Practices, and Relationship Building Strategies. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 52(9), 3977–3990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05266-4
Mintz, J., Seleznyov, S., Peacey, N., Brown, C., & White, S. (2021). Evidence informed practice for autism, special educational needs and disability in schools: Expanding the scope of the research learning community model of professional development. Support for Learning, 36(2), 159–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12349
Walden University (2016b). Grand City education and demographic files [PDF]. Author.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2017a). Grand City opening task force meeting [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Bottom of Form
