Serving as an Elementary, Secondary, or District-Level Reading Specialist or Literacy Coach (Chapter 2)

The reading specialist's responsibilities and role has changed over the years for a variety of reasons.  In the late 1960's, schools were receiving a great deal of funding for education, yet many children were not becoming proficient readers.  Schools began using Title I funds to hire specially trained teachers to help students experiencing reading difficulties.  These teachers fulfilled the roles as described by Robinson and Rauch of resource person, advisor, in-service leader, investigator, diagnostician, evaluator, and instructor (as cited in Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 30).  Quatroche, Bean, and Hamilton concluded that it is “critical that professionals with extensive knowledge of reading instruction be part of every classroom where there are students who need help learning to read (as cited in Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 31).  As the start of the twenty-first century, reading specialists were in higher demand due in part on account of No Child Left Behind legislation and the Reading First Initiative (Vogt & Shearer, 2011).

            District-level reading specialists supervise the work of school-site reading specialists and literacy coaches.  They report to the curriculum or reading director, assistant superintendent, or superintendent.  School-site literacy coaches (traditional reading specialist model) primary responsibility is to instruct students who need additional literacy support.  They may spend little time coaching, modeling, and co-teaching.  They report to the building principal.  School-site literacy coaches (traditional team model) work with a team of reading professionals, paraprofessionals, and support personnel.  The literacy coaching model for reading coaches support teachers in helping them to meet their goals for improved student achievement (Vogt & Shearer, 2011).

            Reading coaches and other reading specialists should be highly qualified.  The Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse (LCC) lists four qualifications for reading specialists including a valid teaching certificate, previous teaching experience, a graduate degree with a concentration in reading education, and considerable coursework in reading education including a supervised practicum working essentially as a literacy coach.  Additional qualities that are essential include being highly knowledgeable and continuing to enhance professional expertise (pre-k -12), being affiliated with a national or international literacy-related organization (e.g., IRA, NCTE), being an excellent listener, being a good team player, respecting confidentiality, understanding the demands of increasingly complex genres, and being knowledgeable about and able to implement the latest best practices for supporting English language learners (Vogt & Shearer, 2011).  I have known some reading specialists and coaches who were put through a rigorous training program through their school district to help them further their expertise if they were hired without a master’s degree in reading education.  It would be interesting to find out what the “norm” is concerning teachers hired as reading specialists of some sort or put into a position of a reading specialist who did not come into the position being “highly qualified.”

            Roles and responsibilities of literacy coaches include providing professional development for teachers, taking on leadership for the school’s literacy program, and assuming a team perspective (Vogt & Shearer, 2011).  Collaboration is vitally important.  The following is a fun and short video of three commercials that emphasize the importance of collaboration and team work:

            Reading coaches and specialists take on a multitude of responsibilities and roles that change over time.  One thing that stands out for me is the need for them to be flexible as their roles and responsibilities may very well change and evolve as our education system changes and adapts.  I have had the privilege of working with a few wonderful reading coaches while teaching.  They were helpful and supportive of what I was already doing, provided some direction in order to further my knowledge (e.g., providing me with reading material on subjects I was wanting or needing to learn more about, telling me about workshops that may be helpful), and were easy to work with (good people skills).

References

Vogt, M., & Shearer, B. (2011). Reading specialists and reading coaches in the real world.

     Boston, MA: Pearson.

Why coaching?

  
 

•  Literacy coaches need to be knowledgeable in the research, theory, and practices of literacy instruction; a thorough understanding of teaching, learning, and child development; expertise of adult learning (teacher professional learning in particular); and need effective interpersonal skills (e.g., communication, empathy, organization, planning skills).

• Reading specialists tend to work more often with students and provide curriculum development and implementation support.  Literacy coaches work directly with teachers with an aim on improving student achievement.

• Literacy coaching honors adult learners, supports collaboration, promotes reflection and decision making, and leads to greater student achievement.

• The Reading First program helped put literacy coaching in the public eye across the nation.  Initiatives sponsored by education-related organizations (e.g., Carnegie Corporation of New York, Alliance for Excellent Education) and pieces of federal legislation (e.g., Striving Readers, the LEARN act) have included literacy coaches. 

•  Additionally, Response to Intervention and CCSS have increased the demand for literacy coaches.

References

Toll, C. A. (2014). The literacy coach's survival guide: Essential questions and practical answers  
          (2nd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Selecting and Evaluating Instructional Materials and Technology Resources (Chapter 10)

A major responsibility of a reading specialist is to assist “teachers in one’s school and district in selecting the best instructional materials available” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 193).  It is vital for the reading specialist to take a leadership role during the adoption of a reading series and other instructional materials.

            Two years before the adoption, the selection process must begin.  The selection process includes providing background research on best practice, examining the district’s standards and school’s philosophy, examining the policies and securing a list of approved series or texts.  A list of tasks with deadlines must be completed along with a timeline that others have access to.  Materials need to be available for attentive examination, comparison, and evaluation (Vogt & Shearer, 2010).

            Maintaining a strictly professional relationship with publishers’ representatives is imperative.  Write down notes about contacts and all communications with these representatives.  It is important to get any and all promises in writing (Vogt & Shearer, 2010).

Publishers should provide professional development for the first year after adoption.  Reading coaches have a responsibility to support teachers in their classrooms.  After the first year, the reading coach provides workshops focused on common issues and concerns (Vogt & Shearer, 2010).

There are several ways to level books including using a GRL (guided reading level), Lexile system, and DRA levels (developmental reading assessment).  The difficulty level should be only one factor considered when choosing texts for students.  Appropriateness of a text depends on the children the text is intended for and their interests (Vogt & Shearer, 2010).

Technology should be used in conjunction with “traditional sound practices we use with print text” (Vogt & Shearer, 2010, p. 205).

“…a strong, well-conceived, systematic, sustained Technology Plan, supported by professional development, should be an integral part of the School Improvement Plan” (Vogt & Shearer, 2010, p. 207).  In order to remain current and fully literate, teachers need to:

1.      Have the ability to incorporate most commonly used basic methods of technology,

2.      Need to know how to adapt evidence-based strategies with print text

3.      Have support to select quality technology materials,

4.      Be familiar with the ISTE Standards and how those standards affect classroom teachers,

5.      Understand their students are using technology outside the classroom and why (Vogt & Shearer, 2010).

      

Additional information can be found at the companion website for this course’s text, Reading Specialists and Reading Coaches in the Real World.

References

Vogt, M., & Shearer, B. (2011). Reading specialists and reading coaches in the real world.

     Boston, MA: Pearson.

Determining a School's Literacy Needs and Developing a Plan (Chapter 4)

            A needs assessment is created to “document the probable needs for a program or service” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 74).  When creating a demographic school profile, it is imperative to include district demographics; student demographics; professional demographics of teachers, administrators, and support personnel; and parent, family and community members (Vogt & Shearer, 2011).

In a light hearted way, the following video very simply illustrates the importance of working in a successful collaborative team and being inclusive of all stakeholders.  

 

           I would imagine one of the hardest parts of this entire process (developing a literacy improvement plan) would be having the entire team work together.  Often as teachers, we are so focused on our own individual and class goals, we forget we are part of a bigger picture and must work well with others.  I have been on teams that work well and teams where the individuals work independent of each other; it has been my experience that the more a team works together, the more success is had.  One school in particular that I worked at had well working, collaborative teams.  I enjoyed working at that school more than any other school I have had the opportunity to work at, and I do feel a lot of it had to do with how the school worked together as a whole.  

          When planning and collecting data, it must first be decided on the information that needs to be collected.  Next, what methods will be used to collect information?  Finally, the information needs to be organized and analyzed.  “…when you find a piece of information that needs attention, try to identify other indicators that point to the same thing” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 77). 

A quick way to find out how teachers view different aspects of the literacy program is by using an anonymous survey.  Once the surveys have been completed, they need to be analyzed for patterns.  Strengths should be identified prior to pointing out the areas of need (Vogt & Shearer, 2011). 

Now that the data has be carefully collected and analyzed, the needs assessment report must be written and edited.  The identified needs are summarized in the report.  The report must be written in a most professional manner (Vogt & Shearer, 2011). 

The two-year grid is developed as a next step.  Included is the “school and district demographics, a list of literacy team members, a description of current practices, a summary of the findings from the needs assessment, and a proposal for professional development” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p. 82).  The grid identifies step-by-step the activities and changes that will occur in order to help achieve the established goals (Vogt & Shearer, 2011). 

Finally, progress must be continuously evaluated and adjustments made as necessary.  Vogt and Shearer (2011) recommend having the literacy team “gather multidimensional evidence to see if what is being implemented is truly working” (p. 84.

References

Vogt, M., & Shearer, B. (2011). Reading specialists and reading coaches in the real world.

     Boston, MA: Pearson.