© TNTP 2015

How do I know whether students have access to strong ELA instruction?Leveraging the Literacy Observation Tool from The Opportunity Myth

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TNTP’s latest report, The Opportunity Myth, examines the quality of students’academic experiences in school—and its effect on their long-term success.

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We can—and should—learn from these bright spots.

The schools and classrooms that most consistently provided students with more rigorous instruction tended to share a few

common traits.

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The schools and classrooms in our study that were most successful had clear visions of excellent instruction.

So what are the hallmarks of excellent instruction?

Put grade-level content in front of all students

Ask students to do worthwhile, standards-aligned tasks with that content

Ensure students do the work and thinking

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What does this look like in a literacy classroom?

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To determine if students had access to strong instruction, TNTP used an observation protocol to look for the key elements of effective instruction.

Take five minutes to read and annotate the literacy observation tool. Make sure to write down any questions you have about the tool itself.

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We’re going to start with the Culture of Learning section.

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Reading comprehension requires students to both decode and make sense of words – so our observation protocol supports you to think about both.

KNOWLEDGE

READING

DECODING VOCABULARYFLUENCY

Skills-Based CompetenciesDevelop a student’s ability

to read words

Meaning-Based CompetenciesDevelop a student’s ability to truly make sense of what is being read

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In K-5 classrooms, you might use the next section of the tool – the Reading Foundations section.

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The standards outline an incremental progression of skill development across four strands.

K 1 2 3 4 5

Print ConceptsDemonstrate understanding of the

organization & basic features of print.

Phonological Awareness

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, & sounds.

Phonics & Word

RecognitionKnow and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Fluency

Read emergent-reader texts

with purpose & understanding.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

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Foundational skills instruction should provide authentic practice opportunities to allow students to connect their emergent skills to the broader reading and writing process (i.e. skills should not be taught in isolation).

Foundational skills instruction is explicit, including teacher modeling and student

practice.

Students have sufficient opportunities to practice reading and writing newly

acquired foundational skills.

Practice Opportunities Connection to Authentic Reading and Writing Opportunities

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We expect to see instruction focused on meaning-based competencies in Grade K-12.

KNOWLEDGE

READING

DECODING VOCABULARYFLUENCY

Skills-Based CompetenciesDevelop a student’s ability

to read words

Meaning-Based CompetenciesDevelop a student’s ability to truly make sense of what is being read

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We expect to see students reading high-quality texts in literacy classrooms.

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600

800

1000

1400

1600

1200

Text

Lex

ile M

easu

re (L

)

HighSchool

Literature

CollegeLiterature

HighSchool

Textbooks

CollegeTextbooks

Military PersonalUse

Entry-LevelOccupations

SAT 1,ACT,AP*

Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics

Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%)

There is a huge gap between the complexity of high school and college and workforce texts.

/ 16Reading Between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals About College Readiness in Reading. pg 15.

Performance on the ACT Reading Test by Textual Element

Why do we prioritize the quality and complexity of texts so highly?

Performance on the ACT Reading Test by Degree of Text Complexity

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Quantitative Complexity Tool (e.g. lexile.com)

STEP 1: Analyze quantitative measures of complexity to place the text in the appropriate grade band (Note: This is not helpful for drama and poetry).

Qualitative Complexity Rubric

STEP 2: Analyze the qualitative elements of complexity to locate a text within a specific grade band and identify where instruction could be focused.

Appendix B

STEP 3: Make your overall determination if the text(s) is at or above the complexity level expected. Gut check the complexity of text against the complexity of grade-level exemplars.

When we observe to see if teachers are making this shift toward text complexity, we use three tools.

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How do you check a book’s quantitative complexity?

Find a known book’s Lexile level: https://fab.lexile.com/

Analyze unknown text with the Free Lexile Analyzer:https://la-tools.lexile.com/free-analyze/

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Appendix A of the CCSS provides target grade level Lexile bands.

Is the text(s) quantitatively complex?

Quantitative metrics are:

• Excellent at situating informational texts• Good at offering a starting point for placing narrative fiction• Unable to rate drama and poetry• Not helpful for K-1 texts

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We also know that quantitative measures alone are insufficient to measure the complexity of a text.

Grapes of Wrath Lexile Score: 680L

Grade Band Placement: 2-3

No one measure is sufficient to determine complexity, and the

novel on this screen is a very clear case in point.

Of course, when you consider Steinbeck’s use of simple language and dialogue as a stylistic choice, it

makes sense that the text is very readable – but I think we can all

agree that second and third graders are not yet prepared to

take on the Joads!

For guidance on qualitative complexity, check out Achieve the Core’s

Qualitative Measures Rubric.

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Text complexity is important but not sufficient. We also must ask if texts build worthwhile knowledge and merit students’ close reading and attention.

Read this 4th grade text and determine whether

it is appropriately complex for the grade.

Then decide whether the text is worthy of

close reading and attention.

You may want to use lexile.com and appendix

A of the CCSS.

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Next, we look at the quality of questions and tasks that students are engaged with.

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A literacy program driven by discrete skills will not lead to the student literacy outcomes we are working toward.

“The mistaken idea that reading is a skill—learn to crack the code, practice comprehension strategies and you can read anything—may be the single biggest factor holding back reading achievement in the country.”

--Dr. Daniel Willingham, Cognitive Scientist

“While the Standards delineate specific expectations in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, each standard need not be a separate focus for instruction and assessment. Often, several standards can be addressed by a single rich task.”

--Common Core State Standards, Key Design Considerations

1 Reading is not a skill and why this is a problem for the draft national standards2 Shanahan, Timothy. How and How Not to Prepare Students for the New Tests, The Reading Teacher, Vol. 68 Issue 3 pp. 184–188.

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The standards are designed to work together in service of understanding high quality texts.

Bands

11-CCRCite Strong

and Thorough

9-10Cite Strong

and Thorough

6-8Cite Textual

Evidence

4-5Refer to &

Quote Accurately

2-3Ask & Answer

K-1Ask & Answer

Incr

easi

ng A

bilit

y to

Use

Tex

t Evi

denc

e Standards Two through Nine:

Central Ideas & ThemeInteractions

Words & PhrasesStructure

Point of ViewDiverse Content Types

ArgumentsMultiple Texts

Bands

11-CCRRead &

Comprehend1185-1385L

9-10Read &

Comprehend1050-1335L

6-8Read &

Comprehend925-1185L

4-5Read &

Comprehend740-1010L

2-3Read &

Comprehend420-820L

K-1Read &

Comprehend

Standard One Standard Ten

24

Incr

easi

ng R

ange

and

Com

plex

ity

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Focusing on meaning represents a significant change from literacy instruction of the past decade that often focused on literacy terms and their definitions.

What literacy instruction looked like before CCSS:

What literacy instruction should look like now:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,

including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

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Finally, we look to see who is doing the thinking in the classroom.

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There are two critical types of ownership teachers should seek.

Students cannot be responsible for the thinking without both.

THINKING PARTICIPATION

The depth and quality of the thinking students are engaged in.

Maximizing thinking requires strong texts and strong questions and tasks

that require students to be thinking at the analytic level of the standards to

facilitate truly productive engagement.

Who participates and how often.

Maximizing thinking requires opportunities to get all students

involved in speaking, responding to questions, thinking actively, processing ideas in writing, as often as possible.

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Student Ownership builds on High Quality Texts and High Quality Questions and Tasks.

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Putting it all together: Use the ELA instructional protocol to rate the following 12th grade ELA lesson across domains.

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Putting it all together: Use the ELA instructional protocol to rate the following 10th grade ELA lesson across domains.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

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Do you have a clear vision of excellent instruction for your school/s?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you likely need to work on your vision.

If asked, would your teachers articulate the same vision?

Does your definition encompass the key indicators of great instruction discussed today?

• Put grade-level content in front of all students• Have students focus on standards-aligned tasks• Ensure students do the work and thinking

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What is your vision of excellent literacy instruction?

Think about the priorities and expectations you have set for your teachers around literacy instruction. How do those messages differ from what is emphasized here?

How might you revise your vision of literacy instruction to better align with what we have discussed today?

How will you communicate that vision to teachers?

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The most successful schools in our study paired a clear vision of excellent

instruction with strategically aligned supports to help teachers realize that

vision.

What supports will be necessary to help your teachers achieve your vision?

Think about how you will communicate your vision, develop and support

teachers and leaders, and maintain focus and accountability to ensure that all staff

are working toward the same vision.

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Visit tntp.org/studentexperiencetoolkit to see all content area observation tools outlining TNTP’s key indicators of excellent instruction.

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opportunitymyth.tntp.org/act-nowReceive a personalized action guide with concrete suggestions, resources and tools you can use to help students in your community have higher quality experiences—and outcomes—in school.