Professional Development Literacy
Literacy
Teachers who implement SREB’s Powerful Literacy Instructional Practices advance students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and content achievement in every discipline.
Our professional development and coaching services help teachers in grades three through 12 create literacy-based assignments that engage students in reading and demonstrating their understanding of diverse texts in discussions and written products.
Powerful Literacy Practices
SREB’s Powerful Literacy
Instructional Practices help teachers build meaningful,
literacy-based assignments that align with standards and engage
students in deeper learning.
When fully integrated into planning, instruction and assessment, these practices create literacy-based classrooms that are built on deep student understanding rather than coverage of material.
What Do the Practices Look Like?
Our Powerful Literacy Instructional Practices Rubric offers examples of teacher and student behaviors and learning artifacts found in classrooms that embrace these practices:
- The literacy-based assignment includes an authentic written product in which students cite evidence from reading complex texts that are aligned to the depth of knowledge of the standards.
- The lesson sequence supports or scaffolds the learning of literacy and content standards through explicit instruction.
- Clear and measurable learning targets are established and communicated to the students and assessed by the teacher.
- Literacy strategies or mini-tasks involving reading, writing, speaking and/or listening are embedded into lessons to support the learning of skills and content.
- Student discourse is integrated to support student ownership of learning.
- Formative and summative assessments are used in all aspects of the learning process.
Customizable Design and Delivery
We offer professional learning support that is never one-size-fits-all.
SREB’s leadership and instructional coaches partner with district- and school-based leaders to conduct an initial curriculum and instruction review or consultation to inform the scope and sequence of a customized professional learning plan.
In a typical implementation, districts or schools undertake a cycle of professional learning and face-to-face or virtual coaching. After each cycle, SREB’s coaches work with school leaders to review and revise the professional learning plan based on classroom observations, teacher and principal conversations, and other data.
Our approach builds capacity and sustainability by developing local expertise to spread the practices to new and existing teachers.
Powerful Literacy Instructional Practices
Use literacy-based assignments to support the learning of literacy and content standards
This quick-reference guide presents
examples of teacher and student behaviors and learning artifacts
found in classrooms that embrace six Powerful
Literacy Instructional Practices.
Literacy Across the Curricula
Teacher Success Stories
The teachers featured in this publication describe their experiences using literacy-based assignments to immerse students in grade-level assignments. Read how the practices increased student learning and achievement across disciplines.
Engaging Students in Deeper Learning Through Powerful Literacy and Mathematics Assignments
Too many students graduate high school without the foundational literacy and math skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and careers. This can change if students are exposed to literacy and math practices that expose them to the types of grade-level assignments that will advance their achievement and prepare them for college and careers.
SREB offers professional development to teachers in powerful literacy and math practices that produce positive results. Read about survey results of more than 37,000 students.
