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Center-Wide Practices in Literacy
Prekindergarten and Elementary Grades. A document of the Michigan
General Education Leadership Network (GELN) Early Literacy Task Force
You may not excerpt from this document in published form, print or digital, without written permission from the MAISA GELN Early Literacy Task Force. This
document may be posted or reproduced only in its entirety (six pages). To reference this document: Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators General
Education Leadership Network Early Literacy Task Force (2016). Essential school-wide and center-wide practices in literacy. Lansing, MI: Authors
The practices listed can be used in a variety of educational settings for young children. The document does
not specify any particular programs or policies but focuses on research-based practices that can apply to a
number of programs and settings. As the local systems and practices occur at the building or center level, it is
the responsibility of the school, center, or program leadership to ensure that these systems and practices are
implemented consistently and are regularly enhanced through strategic planning.
1. The leadership team is composed of instructional leaders support the development of childrens
committed to continuous improvements in literacy and independence by engaging them in such practices as
ongoing attention to data. planning for their own reading and writing growth,
observing and regulating their own reading and
Under the guidance of the lead administrator, the school writing, and monitoring their own growth toward
or program leadership team:
their reading and writing goals;10 and
includes members with considerable and current help all children develop perceptions of competence
expertise in literacy and early childhood education; and self-efficacy in reading and writing through
promotes the implementation of evidence-based, such practices as helping children identify and build
high-quality literacy curriculum, instruction, on their academic strengths, providing specific
and assessment aligned across the learning feedback to help children grow, and modeling the
environment;2 thoughts and practices of successful readers and
develops a vision, mission, set of goals, and writers.11
educational philosophy that guide school climate
and childrens learning and that are shared school- 3. The learning environment reflects a strong commitment
wide and aligned across all ages and grade levels, to literacy.12
including Pre-K, and across all professional roles for Throughout the learning environment, there is evidence
the purpose of continuous improvement;3
that:
maintains a comprehensive system for assessing literacy is a priority (e.g., amount, type, and nature
childrens strengths and needs and using that
of print experience);13
information to inform childrens education;4
instruction is built on explicitness, continuity, and
focuses on multiple points of data and keeps the
responsiveness;
best interests of children paramount in assessment,
knowing the primary purpose is to improve literacy occurs throughout the day and is integrated
teaching and learning;5 into daily math, science, and social studies
ensures a collaborative problem-solving approach learning;14
that may include administrators, teachers, parents, children and teachers are actively engaged with
aides, reading specialists, library media specialists, the school library, media center, and library media
special educators, and others as needed;6 and specialist;15
distributes leadership throughout the organization children regularly read, write, speak, and listen for
for the purpose of building leadership capacity multiple purposes and across content areas and their
among all staff.7 written work is made prominently visible;16
books and learning materials reflect diversity across
2. The organizational climate reflects a collective sense of cultures, ethnic groups, geographic locations,
responsibility for all children and a focus on developing genders, and social roles (see also Essential #8);17
child independence and competence in a safe space. guest readers and volunteers (e.g., parents, college
students) are recruited and trained to support
All adultsadministrators, teachers, specialists, aides,
and support staffthroughout the organization: literacy in an ongoing manner;18
events and activities generate excitement around
share and act upon a sense of responsibility for the books and other texts, for example through the
literacy growth and overall wellbeing of every child announcement of the publication of the latest
that is grounded in the shared belief that every child book in a series and posting of book reviews and
can and will be successful, regardless of location, recommendations throughout the school; and
demographic, or program funding;8 school staff aim to foster intrinsic motivation to
ensure that the entire learning environment is read, making only temporary and sparing, if any,
emotionally and physically safe, such that there are use of non-reading-related prizes such as stickers,
positive adult-child relationships and positive child- coupons, or toys, and avoiding using reading and
child relationships throughout the building;9 writing as punishment.19
4. Ongoing professional learning opportunities reflect highly trained educators are those teaching the
research on adult learning and effective literacy children needing the most support;30 and
instruction. teachers are supported in using and reflecting on
School, center, and program leaders ensure that analyses of multiple, systematic internal assessments
professional learning opportunities are: (e.g., universal screening, diagnostic, progress
monitoring tools) and observation as appropriate in
data informed so that they meet the needs and best
interests of teaching staff and their students;20 an on-going basis to: identify individual child needs
early and accurately; tailor whole group, small
focused on the why as well as the how of group, and one-on-one instruction; and measure
effective whole-class and small-group instructional
progress regularly.31
practices, with opportunities for teachers to observe
effective practice and to be observed and receive
feedback from mentors and coaches;21 6. Organizational systems assess and respond to individual
driven by a belief that teacher expertise is a strong challenges that may impede literacy development.
predictor of child success; 22
School, center, or program systems and leaders ensure
collaborative in nature, involving colleagues that:
working together (e.g., study groups, collaborative
any potential learning, physical, visual, regulatory,
inquiry, and problem solving)23 and inclusive of
other classroom and school staff; and social-emotional needs that require specific
conditions and supports are identified;32
focused on research-based instructional practices
that are age, developmentally, and culturally all assessments of such needs are culturally
appropriate and that support childrens literacy unbiased;33
development (see Essential Instructional Practices every adult has access to research-informed
in Early Literacy for Prekindergarten and Grades strategies and tools to address each childs
K-3); demonstrated needs, including, for example,
based in an understanding of knowledge and skills strategies for improving socio-emotional skills such
to be learned (see Essential Instructional Practices as emotional understanding and techniques for
in Early Literacy for Prekindergarten and Grades helping children develop executive function skills
K-3)24 such as planning;34
utilizing current research on motivation and children with significant needs receive coordinated,
engagement to support childrens learning; and25 intensive supports and services that include
inclusive of modeling and instructional coaching continued collaboration among teachers,
with colleagues who demonstrate effective practices interventionists, family, and others whose expertise
with children and provide opportunities for teachers is relevant (e.g., special education teacher, school
to reflect on their knowledge, practice, and goals in psychologist, school nurse, social worker);35 and all
an ongoing and continuous manner (see Essentials adults intentionally work to:
Coaching Practices in Early Literacy).26 identify child behaviors that may impede
literacy learning and the conditions that prompt
5. There is a system for determining the allocation of and reinforce those behaviors;
literacy support in addition to high- quality classroom modify learning environments to decrease
instruction with multiple layers of support available problem behaviors;
to children who are not reading and/or writing at a teach and reinforce new skills to increase
proficient level.27 appropriate behavior and preserve a positive
School, center, and program leaders ensure that:
learning environment;
draw on relationships with professional
instruction and additional supports are layered colleagues and childrens families for continued
across learning environments, including the home, guidance and support; and
and:
assess whether school-wide behavior problems
are coherent and consistent with instruction warrant adopting school-wide strategies or
received elsewhere in the school day and occur programs and, if so, implement ones shown to
in addition to, not instead of, regular literacy reduce negative behaviors and foster positive
instruction,28 interactions,36 with particular attention to
are differentiated to the individual childs strategies or programs that have been shown to
specific profile of literacy strengths and needs,29 have positive impacts on literacy development.37
7. Adequate, high-quality instructional resources are empowering families to communicate about and
well maintained and utilized. impact the educational environment at school, as
Leaders and systems within the school, center, or well as strengthen the educational environment in
program ensure that: the home, regardless of education level, income, or
native language of the primary caregivers;44 and
teachers have consistent access to resources,
offering research-based guidance on how families
including technological and curricular resources,
can support literacy development (see Essential
that support research-informed instruction in all
Instructional Practices in Early Literacy for
components of literacy instruction and that provide
Prekindergarten and Grades K-3).45
continuity across ages and grade levels;
teachers have appropriate professional development
and support for effective use of available 9. An ambitious summer reading initiative supports reading
technologies, materials, and resources;38 growth.46
each child has access to many informational and The school, center, or program supports summer reading
literature texts in the classroom and school, with development by:
culturally diverse characters and themes, that they
facilitating opportunities for every child to read
want to read and that they can read independently
books and access texts during the summer, including
or with the support of others;39 and
summer reading programs offered through school
well-stocked school libraries and/or media centers, and public libraries;47
with library media specialists, offer a large collection
emphasizing books of high interest to children and
of digital books, print books, and other reading
offering book selections within the likely range of
materials for reading independently and with the
reading levels within each class;48
support of others to immerse and instruct children
in varied media, genres of texts, and accessible providing instruction at the end of the school year to
information.40 re-emphasize reading comprehension strategies and
orient children to summer reading by encouraging
8. A consistent family engagement strategy includes use of effective strategies while reading at home;49
specific attention to literacy development. and
Feedback on drafts of the document was elicited from other stakeholders, resulting in a number of revisions to the document.