Early Literacy and Education Reform

How will classrooms be changing?

Public Act 12-50: An Act Concerning Requirements for Early Childhood Educators

SB-382: An Act concerning teacher certification

SB 458: An Act Concerning Educational Reform, signed by Gov. Malloy on May 14

New legislative oversight

State Department of Education assumes a new level of responsibility and oversight of school readiness, ages 3-5 (“lead agency”)

Guidelines for staff-child interactions Curriculum content Parental involvement Staff qualifications and training Grant awards to provide spaces in

accredited school readiness programs in priority districts

P.A. 12-50

Beginning July 2013, a person with an Elementary Education endorsement may not teach Kindergarten: Need an early childhood nursery through grade three endorsement

SB 382: Teacher Certification

All certified employees working in K-3 take a practice reading instruction exam with results reported to state

CT already requires a similar exam for pre-service teachers

Certified SpEd, remedial reading, and Language Arts must also pass reading instruction test (7/1/13)-sec 92

Other states where this is in place: MA, WI, CA Designed to assess mastery of foundational

knowledge of reading instruction Expected to be similar to MA test

SB 458: Sec. 6 Teacher Reading Exam

FOUNDATIONS OF READING DEVELOPMENT◦ Understand phonological and phonemic

awareness.◦ Understand concepts of print and the alphabetic

principle.◦ Understand the role of phonics in promoting

reading development.◦ Understand word analysis skills and strategies.

Components of MA test

Understand vocabulary development. Understand how to apply reading

comprehension skills and strategies to imaginative/literary texts.

Understand how to apply reading comprehension skills and strategies to informational/expository texts.

DEVELOPMENT OF READING COMPREHENSION

Understand formal and informal methods for assessing reading development.

Understand multiple approaches to reading instruction.

INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING◦ Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a

topic related to one or more of the following: foundations of reading development; development of reading comprehension; reading assessment and instruction.

READING ASSESSMENT AND INSTRUCTION

15 hours every five years in teaching of reading, reading readiness, reading assessment

Results-based: geared to improved practice and individual or small-group coaching sessions

Topics based on student assessment data Differentiated Led by mentor teachers, job-embedded,

local Clearly identify expected model practices

Sec 36,39:Reading PD

New state approved student reading assessments for K-3 to identify struggling students

Must include progress monitoring Measure phonics, phonemic awareness,

fluency, vocabulary, comprehension Data to be used to drive instruction Reflects “best practice” By January 1, 2013

SB 458: K-3 student tests

Early literacy pilot to promote best practices (Sec. 4)

Intensive reading instruction program, K-3 (Sec. 89)◦ Routine assessments◦ Scientifically based reading research and

instruction◦ Intensive reading intervention strategy◦ Supplemental reading instruction and reading

remediation plans◦ Intensive summer school reading program

SB 458: other issues

Coordinated state-wide reading plan Research-driven strategies Aligned with CCS and vertically Data-driven longitudinal record keeping Intervention plan Enhanced instruction for those at/above grade level District reading plan Parental involvement Incentives for schools with significant improvement

(>10%) More literacy training for birth-five

SB 458 Sec 91

Addition of required pre-literacy course Pass reading instruction test (dates back to

2009) Extended field experiences

New pre-service requirements