Link Lines – March 2024

Educator’s Article:
The Language We Use: Building Bridges
By Mary Murray Stowe and Mallory Grant
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Administrator’s Corner:
Literacy Leadership:  Operationalizing the Virginia Literacy Act
By Cathy Buyrn M.Ed.

Inclusive school leaders are preparing to operationalize the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) with an emphasis on planning for student progress in literacy. The Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP) team is providing resources, training, and coaching for school administrators and reading specialists. These resources are designed to help administrators and reading specialists develop support for general and special education teachers. It is critical for school leaders to develop a plan for supporting this transition for reading specialists and all teachers charged with reading instruction. Divisions can use the proposed Division Literacy Plan template to develop their comprehensive plan for VLA implementation.

According to the fall 2022 Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) results, 62% of all K-2 students in Virginia were at risk for reading difficulties. Additionally, students with disabilities were 1.7 to 1.9 times more likely to struggle with reading when compared to the overall student population (University of Virginia, 2023). It is simply unacceptable to send 62% of students into third grade without the basic literacy skills they need to be successful. While it is well established in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) structures that Tier 1/Core instruction should meet the needs of 80% of students, current practices aren’t meeting that 80% success standard. This fact is the inspiration behind the VLA and requires inclusive school leaders to reimagine literacy instruction for all students.

The data are clear and indicate a need for a fundamental redesign of literacy instruction focused on closing specific skill gaps and developing independent readers prepared to succeed throughout their K-12 experiences and the postsecondary world. Students with disabilities remain one of the most marginalized groups in schools (Flores & Bagwell, 2021; Phillips-Krivickas, 2022; Shogren et al., 2021) and pervasive low expectations have limited progress and outcomes for long enough. Given the high rates of reading difficulties for students with disabilities, inclusive school leaders should plan for special education teachers to receive support and training in Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction (EBLI). EBLI knowledge will enable special education teachers to develop educationally meaningful Individualized Educational Program (IEP) goals (Yell et al., 2021) that drive sound Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) and progress monitoring of those goals.

The implementation of the VLA begins in the fall of 2024 and focuses on changing practices in grades PK-3. While the initial focus is on grades PK-3, the training and support of special education teachers in grades PK-12 should be prioritized by inclusive school leaders. Special education teachers at every grade level serving all disability categories should be able to provide skill gap closing reading instruction designed to develop independent readers and improve outcomes for students with disabilities. The VLP team has designed a high-quality professional development VALUE Series that teachers can access immediately to start developing their knowledge and skills. Inclusive school leaders can access this Link Lines edition’s educator’s lesson, The Language We Use:  Building Bridges, for specific examples of skill gap closing literacy instruction at the elementary and secondary classroom levels.

The first layer of instruction for all PK-3 students in Tier 1/Core will undergo changes during the 2024-2025 school year. These changes to Tier1/Core instruction will benefit all students including students with disabilities. Inclusive school leaders will need to support Reading Specialists and teachers as they learn to shift their practices from traditional small group rotations to flexible grouping that provides the neediest students with more small group support focused on specific skills. Many students with disabilities will require additional reading intervention and intensive support where specially designed instruction aligns with Tier 1/Core instruction. 

When students receive support from multiple providers, the results can be limited if those supports aren’t aligned and driven by specific skill goals. The VLA requires school divisions to engage in practices focused on coordination and collaboration on student reading plans and interventions. Reading Specialists have been identified as division literacy leaders under the VLA and their priority is supporting the development of all teachers charged with reading instruction. This may represent a change in the role of Reading Specialists from primary intervention providers to the supervision and progress monitoring of student reading plans. Reading Specialists may spend more time training and coaching teachers than working directly with students. Some Reading Specialists may require support focused on coaching adults as their role under the VLA evolves.

Inclusive school leaders can also support their staff with these upcoming shifts by planning for special education teachers across grade levels, content areas, and disability categories served to be in the first round of professional development. Additionally, leaders can take full advantage of the support from reading specialists and other training and technical assistance providers. Special education teachers across these contexts need to be prepared to provide specially designed reading instruction that is explicit and systematic drawing from the established science of reading. This may represent new learning for many special education teachers. Inclusive school leaders can reach out for support from the Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP) team and their regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) for support with the transitions taking place under the VLA.

Resources

Value Series Professional Learning Series

National Center for Intensive Intervention Online Learning Modules

Specially Designed Instruction Resources

References