UW-SoE offers 14 teacher education programs, of which 11 require literacy education classes. The literacy education classes are housed within two departments: Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) and Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (RPSE). All literacy courses in the teacher education programs endorse a student-centered approach and take a view of reading and literacy that stresses cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, psychological, cultural, socioeconomic, political, and historical factors. Preservice teachers learn how people acquire and use different forms and styles of oral and written language for different practices and purposes, with SoE literacy courses focusing on scientific reading research, the foundations of early literacy success, as well as the wider processes of literacy and language development starting early in life and developing further throughout the school years and across the lifespan. Common in all SoE teacher education programs is a stated commitment to social justice, and SoE aims for preservice teachers to acquire the knowledge and skills for teaching and learn to undergird their practice by getting to know their students’ cultures and languages.
SoE teacher education in literacy is presented in this report by grade bands (4k-2, 3-8, and 9-12) and further divided into two sections each to represent the dual prongs of the charge: examine and analyze (1) how literacy is taught; and (2) what preservice teachers learn in SoE’s teacher education programs. Data was gathered from course syllabi, course assignments, certification program plans, pass rates on state mandated licensure assessments, observations of course instruction, and interviews with professors, instructors, and preservice teachers.
Upon completion of their undergraduate teacher education programs at UW-SoE, preservice teachers who become licensed in 4k-Grade 5 or Grades 1-8 will have demonstrated their knowledge and ability in the ten major learning outcomes associated with literacy courses within SoE. There are many similarities to the ways in which literacy education is taught to preservice teachers for 4k-Grade 2 and how literacy is taught for Grades 3-8. The learning outcomes remain the same across teacher education programs, but are imagined, studied, practiced, and taught across grade levels.
Generally, UW-SoE teacher candidates have high achievement on standardized state licensure assessments. Future teachers within SoE are learning about foundations of reading instruction as evidenced by pass rates on the WFORT. UW–Madison has the highest first-time and cumulative pass rate among all educator preparation programs in the state on the WFORT. However, similar to statewide trends, UW–Madison students of color and male students have a lower first-time and cumulative pass rate than white females. Although SoE prepares candidates for teaching positions across the state, the bulk of field placements and student teaching placements take place in MMSD. For example, in the 2020-2021 school year, MMSD clinical placements accounted for 72% of all UW-SoE placements (664 out of 921 total placements).
Preservice teachers becoming high school teachers in history, science, math, or ELA already have undergraduate degrees in their subject area and are pursuing a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Through this degree, they take classes toward an ESL/bilingual certification. Students in the secondary education programs all take a required course on literacy education, which provides an overview of literacy theories. Students are expected to connect these theories to practice occurring in field sites and/or community settings. Teacher candidates pursuing certification in Cross-Categorical Special Education are prepared to support the needs of students with disabilities Grades K-12.
Future SoE teacher education programs in 2022-23 include: (1) a new certification program in Early Childhood Special Education which will include the standard RPSE course on language and reading instruction for students with disabilities but will also include content specific to early literacy and language development (birth-Grade 3); and (2) a new certification program in Elementary Education in development will include one required literacy course and offer electives among several literacy and language courses, where the current courses taken across the four different teacher education cohorts turning into elective courses in the new program, with the expectation that preservice teachers will continue to take between three to five literacy and language courses.
The evidence presented provides an in-depth overview of the course offerings and approach to literacy education for preservice educators at UW-SoE. While faculty have varied perspectives on the best ways to teach literacy across developmental levels, there are also consistent components across coursework and expectations. Yet, foregrounding issues of social justice, race, and equity requires critical reflection and action moving forward. In that spirit, there are four aspects below for UW-SoE to consider to make its commitments real in practice.
Consideration 1. Strengthen the commitment to social justice. UW–Madison emphasizes social justice across its programs, as evidenced by the various readings and topics included in coursework and the comments shared by interviewed students. At the same time, the vast majority of preservice teachers are white and therefore do not represent the racial diversity that exists in the MMSD student body. Likewise, conversations related to social justice are often limited to representing diverse peoples in books or are tangential to issues of reading instruction. We recommend building on and strengthening the programs’ commitment to and practice in enacting anti-racist and socially just practices in preparing teachers at UW–Madison.
Consideration 2. Prepare future teachers to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. The considerable amount of content and experiences needed to develop the knowledge, skills, practices, and attitudes necessary to serve the diverse range of learners in today’s classroom require learning beyond initial teacher preparation. To extend opportunities for teacher development beyond the preservice level in collaboration with MMSD, we suggest that this consideration might entail taking two related steps. First, increasing the quantity and quality of communication between MMSD and UW-SoE related to teacher preparation in literacy and biliteracy so there is greater alignment. Second, establish teacher preparation partnerships that expand beyond traditional field placement and student teaching experiences.
Consideration 3. Systematically and intentionally integrate content and practice. Literacy is a multifaceted construct that includes content related to language, culture, reading, writing, speech, and literature, among others. Teaching literacy requires knowledge of instructional planning, pedagogy, assessment, and differentiation. Teaching as a practice-based profession requires teacher candidates to not only acquire knowledge of what literacy is but also knowledge of how to teach literacy. Acquiring a deep working knowledge of these multiple components is not likely to be accomplished without providing preservice teachers with multiple opportunities to learn and apply knowledge in authentic settings. Moreover, teacher candidates must become skilled in providing literacy instruction through a social justice, anti-racist lens. Bolstering preparation in this area will require multiple opportunities for authentic practice.
Consideration 4. Engage in continuous program evaluation and improvement. UW–Madison has established a process for programs to evaluate student outcomes annually; however, this process is not specific to literacy within UW-SoE departments which teach literacy courses. A more explicit focus on literacy-related outcomes within the UW-SoE teacher preparation programs would provide helpful information with which to make program revisions. Moreover, there is a need to that ensure literacy courses are taught with a high degree of quality and consistency, irrespective of the course instructor.