1. Leveling Strategic Reading in the Content Areas January 27, 2012
Presented by Teresa Hardin, Curriculum Specialist Shanita Anderson, ELA Instructional Coach

2. Classroom Support: Six Reading Coaching Strategies

3. What is expected weekly?
Non-fiction passage with 8-10 HOTS questions
Weekly Skill from Power of 12
Castle Learning Documentation
Vocabulary Strategies utilized
Suggested: Formative Assessment i.e. quiz, exit ticket to check for objective mastery

4. Leveling the playing field
When teaching difficult
literature to adolescents,
“Level the text” to help with comprehension.

5. Current Research -
Because of our nation’s testing mania, students are suffering under “instruction that is overly thin and broad” (Pianta et al. 2007).
Our edge – our creativity – is slipping away!
While our competitors are making concerted efforts to expand the thinking of their students, American Educational Reform is mandating thinner and broader thinking.
We are intentionally surrendering our “secret weapon,” and in doing so, we are killing readers along the way.
---Readicide, Kelly Gallagher, 2009

6. Playbook : Differentiated Instruction
Whole group; Small group; One on one
Scaffolding
Leveled texts
Multiple texts
Student choice

7. Three Important Concepts
Reading Ability
The cognitive set students use to construct meaning from text as measured on tests
Readability
The difficulty of reading materials based on dimensions or characteristics of the text
Reading Comprehension
The construction of meaning from text
Teacher and parent guidance needed; Allows educators to forecast the level of comprehension a reader is expected to experience with a particular text

8. Lexile Comprehension Model Classroom Application
Reader Ability – Text Readability = Comprehension
“Targeted” Comprehension = 75%
Independent Reading
600L (reader) – 600L (text) = 0
(75% forecasted comprehension)
Educators can adjust forecasted comprehension by changing the text options given to a reader
Read slide:
“Reader Ability” is a term you will see MetaMetrics use here and there, but we do not use the word “ability” in order to support the belief that ALL students are able to read, with few exceptions, given the appropriate instruction and time they need to develop their skills.

9. Leveled, Supported Independent Reading
Provides all students with access to text at their independent reading levels
Supports student learning through differentiated instruction
Supports student learning through scaffolding of instruction
Supports student motivation through content aligned topics

10. Pre-game Warm-up -- Prior to Lesson Assesses Readability
Analyzes
Teacher Text
Pre-game Warm-up -- Prior to Lesson
Assesses Readability
Modifies text if necessary
Identifies Key Vocabulary & Concepts
Identifies Expository Text Structures
Identifies Relation to Prior Knowledge

11. Teacher Text: Text Structures
Science
problem-solving
classification
experimental
cause and effect
definition/explanation
Social Studies
chronological events
definition/ explanation
cause and effect
compare/contrast
question & answer

12. Teacher Text: Text Structures
Math
key words
graphic relationships
evidence & reasoning
symbolic relationships & operations
Literature
character development
settings
plot
moral & message
symbolism
genre

13. The “sweet spot“ for Reading
100%
Less Challenging
90%
80% 75
60%
50%
Forecasted Comprehension Rate
40%
20%
This chart graphically shows the relationship between the difference between reader and text and forecasted comprehension rate
ON CHART PAPER: write equation L (reader) – L (text) = # that will help you predict comprehension.
Using The “sweet spot” for Reading Chart & the Formula:
L (reader) – L (text) = #
If the solution is 250, the predicted comprehension is ________%
If the solution is -250, the predicted comprehension is ________%
Practice: workbook
This would be a good chart to keep handy when searching for differentiated materials.
More Challenging 0%
-1000
-750
-500
-250
250
500
750
Reader - Text (in Lexiles)

14. Limitations of Lexile Measures What Lexile text measures don’t address
Reader Characteristics
Interest and Motivation
Background Knowledge
Reading Context and Purpose
Text Characteristics
Age-appropriateness of Content
Text Support (pictures, pull-outs)
Text Quality (Is it a good book?)
It is important to point out that the Lexile scale does not offer information about age appropriateness, quality of the language, or what types of books a child might be motivated to read.
A student who reads at a low level, but has background knowledge in cars and car racing, might have success reading a book above his Lexile reading ability, because he has previous experience and/or motivation to read the material.
Therefore, the Lexile scale does not take the teachers, media specialists, or parents out of the formula.
Lexile text measures only measure text readability.
Therefore, input from readers, parents, teachers and librarians is necessary.

15. How can I use Lexiles to help my students?
Just as shoes must fit correctly for comfortable walking, books must match student readability for effective comprehension.

16. In the Classroom Vary reading difficulty of material to the situation:
Choose texts lower in the student’s Lexile range when factors make the reading situation more challenging, threatening or unfamiliar.
Select texts at or above the student’s range to stimulate growth when a topic is of extreme interest to a student, or when you will be giving additional support such as background teaching or discussion.

17. Think Outside the Box
I challenge you to “think outside the box” and bring back the rigor to teaching and learning!!

18. Literacy Matters
These useful web sites are a great link to learning Literacy through the web…

19. Must register for the Lexile Analyzer to use it.
UserName:
Password: arl3n3

20. Lexile Calculator

21. Lexiles—how does it work?
Check the lexile score for almost any book.
Book Search
Vocabulary
Calculator: determine expected comprehension level
Series books
FAQ
Spanish: find books and lexile levels in Spanish

22. 2012 – 2013 Grades 3-8 Math and ELA Still a paper and pencil test
Based on Common Core
Shorter tests (fewer questions)
ELA is completely multiple choice
Math grades 5-8 will have some gridded response questions
Science 5th and 8th grades ONLY
Online Assessment

23. What happens next? 2013-2014 Same assessments as in 2012-2013
EOCs in Biology, English II, and Math I
MSLs in ALL other subjects
MSLs continue
SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) common tests are scheduled to begin in 28 states including North Carolina
ALL 11th graders tested on ELA and Math (cumulative high school exam)