A survey commissioned by the IowaReadingResearchCenter (IRRC) and conducted by Iowa's regent universities shows inconsistencies in literacy instructional practices in Iowa schools, which may be contributing to stagnant reading trends reported among Iowa's students for the past several years.
The survey revealed inconsistencies in the following areas among Iowa's schools:
Classroom Literacy Instruction
There is a wide array of teaching approaches, uneven interventions for students who are struggling and disparate time allotments for literacy instruction.
Professional Development
A majority of educators reported professional development participation related to the Iowa Core English Language Arts, but with a varying range of time allotted for implementation, and a low percentage of professional development focus in reading interventions for targeted students.
Resources
The survey results indicate an uneven perception of the availability of resources, including technology resources and materials covering the Iowa Core standards, but results also showed some agreement among administrators and teachers that the time available to dedicate toward Iowa Core standards is insufficient.
Summer Reading Programs
Just more than half of Iowa's schools responding to the survey indicate they currently offer a summer reading program. Among those school programs, both the duration and the daily time allotment for literacy instruction vary widely.
The IRRC is tasked with the identification of teaching strategies and interventions; student assessments; professional development for educators; a statewide student data reporting system; and to develop the criteria and guidelines for a summer literacy program with the goal of literacy proficiency for all of Iowa's students.
The IRRC is in a unique position to advocate and coordinate best practices because the center is not committed to any one entity. The mission is to mine the existing research and disseminate proven interventions and strategies. Our goal is to be the cohesive, comprehensive resource for vetted, evidence-based practices so that teachers and parents do not have to spend their valuable time trying to identify best practices. We can instead do that for them.
The IRRC website is a growing content source of highly vetted, evidence-based resources for teachers, parents and all stakeholders interested in advancing students' literacy and reading proficiency.
Michelle Hosp, the director of the Iowa Reading Research Center, may be reached at MHosp@IowaReadingResearch.org.
