View in EDS

Reading and Writing Instruction in America's Schools

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Reading and Writing Instruction in America's Schools
Language: English
Authors: Griffith, David, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 2018.
Availability: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org; Web site: https://fordhaminstitute.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 50
Publication Date: 2018
Sponsoring Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Reading Instruction, Writing Instruction, Common Core State Standards, Educational Change, Teacher Attitudes, Academic Language, Readability, Readability Formulas, Difficulty Level, Vocabulary, Reading Material Selection, Language Arts, Elementary Secondary Education, Reading Difficulties, Writing (Composition), Grammar, Evidence Based Practice, Program Implementation
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Lexile Scale of Reading, Flesch Kincaid Grade Level Formula
Abstract: The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy (CCSS-ELA) were adopted by approximately forty states (though in some cases, with significant revisions). However, researchers are still trying to understand how teachers are implementing the CCSS-ELA at the ground level--that is, in actual ELA classrooms. The CCSS-ELA call for three big "instructional shifts" that are intended to address widely recognized and longstanding weaknesses in ELA instruction: First, they challenge teachers to engage students in "regular practice with complex texts and their academic language." Second, they urge them to sharpen their focus on "reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational." Finally, they encourage teachers to devote more attention to "building knowledge through content-rich curriculum." These are major changes to deep-seated and widespread practices, so nobody should assume that their implementation will be easy or automatic. This report seeks answers to three questions: (1) How are teachers interpreting the instructional shifts? (2) Are these shifts actually occurring? and (3) Where do teachers need more support to implement the shifts faithfully? [Written with Ann M. Duffett. Foreword and executive summary by Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli.]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2019
Accession Number: ED598894
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy (CCSS-ELA) were adopted by approximately forty states (though in some cases, with significant revisions). However, researchers are still trying to understand how teachers are implementing the CCSS-ELA at the ground level--that is, in actual ELA classrooms. The CCSS-ELA call for three big "instructional shifts" that are intended to address widely recognized and longstanding weaknesses in ELA instruction: First, they challenge teachers to engage students in "regular practice with complex texts and their academic language." Second, they urge them to sharpen their focus on "reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational." Finally, they encourage teachers to devote more attention to "building knowledge through content-rich curriculum." These are major changes to deep-seated and widespread practices, so nobody should assume that their implementation will be easy or automatic. This report seeks answers to three questions: (1) How are teachers interpreting the instructional shifts? (2) Are these shifts actually occurring? and (3) Where do teachers need more support to implement the shifts faithfully? [Written with Ann M. Duffett. Foreword and executive summary by Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli.]