AUBURN UNIVERSITY

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Number: CTRD 7530

Course Title: Organization of Program in Reading Education

Credit Hours: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: None

Corequisite: None

Date Syllabus Prepared: August 1998

Texts: Allington, R.L. & Walmsley, Sean. (1995) No Quick Fix: Rethinking Literacy Programs in America's Elementary Schools. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Routman, Regie. (1998). Literacy at the Crossroads. Westport, CT: Heinemann.

Course Description:

Program, organization and development of basic and supplementary materials for guiding teachers, faculties and school systems in the continuous improvement of curriculum and teaching practices.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

discuss and critique past and present research that addresses the organization of programs in literacy education and establishes effectiveness of instructional practices that improve literacy achievement. (2)(a)(1)(ii); (2)(a)(2)

communicate theoretically founded, research-based recommendations about organization, programs, methods, and materials that promote literacy education to colleagues, administrators, parents, political groups, and professional organizations. (2)(a)(2)

demonstrate an understanding of programs, organizational patterns, and grouping techniques for assessing and coordinating students' developmental and special needs with literacy instruction in the regular classroom. (2)(a)(2)(ii)

conduct action research, needs assessments, observations, and/or surveys to develop curriculum objectives for literacy education programs based on effective instruction and practices including those identified as important for "Beginning Reading," "Expanding Reading Power," and "Effective Intervention" in the Alabama Reading Initiative's Knowledge and Skills Teachers Need to Deliver Effective Reading Instruction and on national, state, and district standards (2)(b)(1); (2)(b)(5); (2)(g)(1)

develop knowledge of the amount of reading required for an impact on comprehension and of reading workshop and other strategies that can be used to help classroom teachers provide students with time and support for daily independent reading. (2)(b)(2)(iv); (2)(e)(1)

develop knowledge that can be used to help classroom teachers provide time and support for daily writing to enhance reading proficiency (i.e., the importance of writing for helping students understand and remember content, ways to engage students in the writing process, and strategies for teaching students to produce the four modes of discourse using writing workshops and other strategies). Develop knowledge of the writing process including the stages of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing, and the role of writing across the curriculum. (2)(b)(2)(ix); (2)(f)(2); (2)(f)(3); (2)(f)(4)
provide plans for implementing interdisciplinary approaches that integrate reading and writing instruction into content area studies across the curriculum. (2)(b)(2)(xi)

evaluate and select textbooks, literary and expository trade books, electronic and multimedia materials, and other community and technological resources as developmental and supplemental materials for teaching reading and writing. (2)(c)(1); (2)(c)(4)

demonstrate an understanding of program evaluation, cost-effective budgeting, supervisory techniques (including coaching, mentoring and management of in-service experiences) to maintain and improve literacy education programs. [See Ability Competencies addressed in (2)(i) through (r)]

Course Content:

Week 1 Examining Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Literacy Education Programs

Week 2 Examining Current Trends and Issues in the Organization of Literacy Education Programs

Week 3 Comparing, Contrasting, and Coordinating Developmental and Intervention Programs for Literacy Instruction

Week 4 Exploring Programs and Strategies that Accommodate for Individual and Group Differences in Language and Literacy Learning

Weeks 5-8 Presenting Research Findings on the Effectiveness of Curriculum Models, Organizational Options, Grouping Patterns, Teacher-to- Student Ratios and Length of Contact, Grade/Class Configurations

Week 9 Evaluating Correspondences, Strengths, and Weaknesses of National and State Standards and District Curriculum Frameworks for Literacy Education

Week 10 Using Teacher-As-Researcher, Action Research, Classroom Observations, Needs Assessments, and Surveys to Develop Objectives for Literacy Education Programs

Week 11 Planning and Supervising Effective Lessons and Classroom Experiences for Literacy Instruction

Weeks 12-13 Planning for the Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of School-, District-, and State-Wide Literacy Education Programs

Week 14 Examining the Costs of Literacy Education

Week 15 Developing Proposals for Maintaining and Improving Literacy Education Programs through In-Service Education and Professional Development

Course Requirements:

A. Attend all class sessions and participate in all class discussions and activities.

B. Communicate recommendations for literacy education programs in written reflections based on readings and class presentations on research findings.

C. Work with another student to complete two or more presentations of research findings on curriculum models, organizational options, grouping patterns, etc.

D. Provide documentation resulting from assessing literacy program needs, planning classroom activities, and supervising lessons in collaboration with one or more classroom teachers.

E. Complete plans for developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive, standards-based literacy education program that can be applied at the classroom, school, and district levels.

Recommendations for Literacy Education Programs: You will be expected to write reflections on assigned readings, information from class lectures, and presentations of research findings in which you select specific program features that you would recommend as components of effective literacy education. These reflections will be graded on the degree to which you support your recommendations with evidence of their effectiveness and demonstrate that you have interacted with the content in thoughtful ways.

Presentations of Research Findings: Working with another student, you will prepare a presentation that summarizes research findings on selected topics related to programs, organization, methods, and materials for literacy education. Evaluations will be based on the thoroughness and clarity of your summary, noted relationships to points or research results encountered in other readings, implications for further research and design of literacy education programs, and availability of class copies of references and abstracts for all research articles presented.

Documentation of Teacher Collaborations: Collaborations with one or more classroom teachers will be evaluated on the degree to which all the following components are completed and documented: (1) assessing literacy program needs,(2) planning classroom activities that foster literacy development, and (3) supervising and providing feedback on lessons in literacy education.

Plan for Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Literacy Education Program: You will design a plan for a literacy education program that is comprehensive enough to be implemented at the classroom, school, and district level. The Literacy Education Program Plan will be graded according to the following criteria: (1) the degree to which it incorporates national, state, and (if appropriate) district standards (2) an analysis of needs for literacy instruction and intervention, (3) an implementation plan that describes intended applications and effects within individual classrooms, throughout the schools, and across all schools in the district, (4) an outline of procedures and/or measures that will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and (5) projections of possible problems and strategies for maintaining and improving the literacy education program.

Grading and Evaluation:

The final grade for the course will be based on the following:

Recommendations 25%

Presentations 25%

Documentation of Teacher Collaborations 25%

Program Plan 25%

Total 100%

Any assignment turned in late will result in a 5% grade deduction per calendar day. The following grading scale will be used:

90-100% A; 80-89.99% B 70-79.99% C;60-69.99% D; Below 60% F.

Class Policy Statements:

A. Students are expected to attend all class meetings and lab sessions, and they are expected to participate in all classroom discussions and exercises (Tiger Cub, p. 73). Students are expected to contact the course instructor before missing a class meeting if possible.

B. Students are responsible for initiating arrangements for missed work due to excused absences (Tiger Cub, p.74).

C. Make-up quizzes and exams will be given only for University-approved excuses as outlined in the Tiger Cub (p.74). Arrangements to take the make-up quizzes or exams must be made in advance. Students who miss a quiz or an exam because of illness need a doctor's statement for verification of sickness and should clear the absence with the instructor the day they return to class. Other unavoidable absences from campus must be documented and cleared with the instructor in advance.

D. Students who need special accommodations should make an appointment to discuss the Accommodation Memo during office hours as soon as possible. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo, contact Dr. Kelly Haynes, Director, Program for Students with Disabilities, in 1244 Haley Center as soon as possible. Telephone: 3340844-5943 (Voice T/O)

E. All portions of the Auburn University Honesty Code found in the Tiger Cub (Title 1208) will apply in this class.

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Justification for offering CTRD 7530 as a graduate course:

CTRD 7530 will provide graduate students with an overview of program models, components, and standards for preparing master teachers, reading specialists, administrators, and allied professionals to develop, evaluate, maintain, and improve literacy education curricula and teaching practices.