Early Literacy and Beyond Task Force

Components to Becoming a Reader

• Knowledge of spoken language

• Knowledge of the world

• Knowledge of print and the mapping between written and spoken forms of words

Basic research suggests that instruction can be made more efficient and effective for more children by taking advantage of an important property of the three types of knowledge: they are highly interrelated.

The body of research addressing the most effective ways to develop literacy in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 is extensive and contains divergent pedagogies. This report focuses on major findings for which there is a relatively high degree of consensus. These findings specify factors that influence young people’s progress in literacy, emphasizing the role that teacher education, instructional practices and materials, and formative and summative assessments play in the process.
Based on theoretically-grounded empirical studies, reports of nationally convened panels, and evidence-based practice guides, Task Force members agreed that there are three components to becoming a reader: (1) Knowledge of spoken language, or the ways language is used to communicate; (2) Knowledge of the world, or the things we use language to communicate about; and (3) Knowledge of print and the mappings between written and spoken forms of words. Whereas reading works essentially the same for everyone, the paths to gaining the necessary knowledge and skills vary because learning depends on experience, and children’s experiences vary greatly. Likewise, research in cognition and neuroscience indicates that human learning involves explicit and implicit learning, suggesting that instruction can be made more efficient and effective for more children by seeing explicit learning, implicit learning and learning opportunity as interrelated.
Reflecting on Pre-Kindergarten literacy, standards outlined within the Language Development and Communication subdomain of the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (DPI, 2017b) are organized into three categories—Listening and Understanding, Speaking and Communicating, and Early Literacy—and emphasize developing receptive and expressive oral language abilities and building skills associated with concepts about print, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and the relations between spoken language and print.
The building of the three types of knowledge generally occurs during two broad periods. The “learning to read” phase of development (Kindergarten to Grade 5), involves essential elements of instruction including (1) phonemic awareness; (2) phonics; (3) fluency; (4) vocabulary instruction; and (5) text comprehension instruction. For students in Grades 6-12 the evidence around adolescent literacy recommends providing explicit vocabulary instruction, direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction and extended opportunities for students to discuss and interpret the meaning of texts. 
The major considerations which arise from research evidence are presented below. Although not an exhaustive list, it includes many potential opportunities for improving literacy outcomes within the three components of becoming a reader. For more information on how these considerations translate into our local context of MMSD and UW-SoE, see the Local Considerations for Bridging Evidence-Based Research and Local Context section.

Consideration 1. Reading begins with the acquisition of foundational reading skills and gaining foundational reading skills is critical as being able to engage with text in more advanced ways and benefiting from more advanced instruction is predicated on having acquired foundational skills.
Consideration 2. Knowledge is learned; learned knowledge and mental operations that support skilled reading are clearly identified in the research literature.
Consideration 3. Whereas reading works essentially the same for everyone, the paths to gaining the necessary knowledge and skills vary because learning depends on experience, and children’s experiences vary greatly. These differences have not been adequately accommodated in curricula and practices.
Consideration 4. Reading depends on the knowledge of spoken language. The type of instruction used influences whether it is effective, where effectiveness depends on teachers’ abilities to respond and understand children’s varied language backgrounds, influencing the way they teach children.
Consideration 5. Research in cognition and neuroscience indicates that human learning involves at least two distinct mechanisms, explicit and implicit learning, and instructional practices need to maximize both learning mechanisms through providing opportunities to learn and experiences that result in learning.
Consideration 6. Instruction can be made more efficient and effective for more children by seeing explicit learning, implicit learning, and learning opportunity as interrelated.
Consideration 7. A major opportunity for improving literacy outcomes is to recognize that current approaches to reading instruction incorporate assumptions about the availability of resources beyond the classroom, and instead utilize curricula and instructional practices that are effective regardless of the availability of resources beyond the classroom.
Consideration 8. Social/emotional factors modulate student progress.
Consideration 9. Expectations about progress in gaining literacy are codified in state standards and incorporated into curricula and assessments, and children are expected to reach normative yearly milestones. Attaining good foundational skills is so crucial to the child’s educational experiences that policies and practices must enable children to succeed.

To describe how literacy is taught across MMSD and student outcomes data in literacy, the Task Force examined the history of literacy in MMSD, reviewed selected organizational contexts which impact district literacy efforts, and explored reading outcomes for K-12 MMSD students. MMSD’s most recent K-12 Literacy Program Evaluation was released a decade ago and many of the challenges identified in that report still persist. The district has worked to provide coherent literacy instruction through adopting curricular approaches, creating professional learning opportunities, utilizing various forms of assessment, and adopting new tools and materials for teachers. An infrastructure was created to support these efforts, which relies heavily on instructional coaches to support teachers as they implement core practices at the school level. Other organizational contexts which contribute to the district’s current state of student literacy outcomes were also reviewed by the Task Force. Finally, it is of note that under the leadership of Dr. Carlton Jenkins, MMSD is using literacy at every level as an equity strategy to ensure all MMSD students receive high-quality, grade level instruction.
The Task Force analyzed students’ literacy outcomes at key data points across the student lifecycle. We focused on the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Wisconsin state-mandated annual screeners or assessments from 2015-16 to 2018-19: (1) the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) used in grades 4k-2; (2) the Forward Exam used in grades 3-8; and (3) the ACT Statewide test administered in grade 11. Within each of these three tools, we examined student literacy outcomes by race, special education status, socio-economic status, and language status (e.g., and student’s classification in English Language Learner (ELL)).
The evidence presented in this report paints a relatively consistent picture of literacy outcomes in MMSD. In analyzing the student outcomes across selected student demographic groups some troubling patterns are evident, presented below as three considerations:

Consideration 1. There are stark race and ethnicity differences in students’ outcomes in literacy from early elementary through high school. In particular, Black and Hispanic students’ level of proficiency and college readiness lags behind that of their White and Asian counterparts. Given their share of the population, White students are overrepresented among students who test as both proficient/advanced and college ready.
Consideration 2. As with race/ethnicity, there are also troubling outcome disparities across ELL and non-ELL students, low-income and non-low-income students, and special education and non-special education students that are consistent in each of the years measured.
Consideration 3. The overall patterns of grades 2, 4, 8, and 11 from year-to-year do not show significant increases in proficiency rates, indicating a need to strengthen core instruction for all students and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

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.

The Task Force’s charge, in its simplest terms, is to recommend steps to strengthen literacy instruction in Madison schools and in UW-SoE’s teacher education programs. The Task Force integrated the work of the three subcommittees into recommendations that center children and maintain an equity, social justice, and antiracist stance in tackling literacy. These bold, action-orientated recommendations are based on evidence, and grounded in the current context at MMSD and UW-SoE, with an eye for how piloting the activities linked to the recommendations could enhance literacy outcomes for all students.
Based on the research evidence and major considerations highlighted in Charge Component 1, the local considerations below helped frame our conversation about how to improve literacy instruction in MMSD and preservice teachers’ preparation at UW-SoE. These local considerations are meant to guide readers through the Task Force’s thought processes and linkages the thematic recommendations with evidence-based research:

• Local Consideration 1: Ensure children succeed in gaining foundational skills
• Local Consideration 2: Promote spoken language development at the pre-kindergarten level
• Local Consideration 3: Provide learning opportunities which integrate spoken and written language
• Local Consideration 4: Promote learning for all children
• Local Consideration 5: Integrate instruction
• Local Consideration 6: Develop a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework
• Local Consideration 7: Increase educator knowledge
• Local Consideration 8: Preservice teachers’ foundational knowledge should include familiarity with basic literacy research to include: (1) Language; (2) Scientific literacy; and (3) Cognitive science of reading, language, and learning
• Local Consideration 9: Create institutional structures at UW and MMSD to sustain commitment to improving literacy outcomes, evaluating progress, and adjusting policies and practices as necessary

Themes, Broad Recommendations, and Example Activities

The recommendations listed below are grouped into eight “broad themes” which are further grouped into 28 “broad recommendations.” Following these themes and recommendations, we outline a set of “example activities” (see Figure 1). These activities represent our initial thinking on proposed broad areas of work at both MMSD and UW-SoE and work that these organizations might do in concert. The eight broad themes and their respective broad recommendations are noted below.