Taking the lead on adolescent literacy : action steps for schoolwide success ; for grades 4-12

'This rich resource walks middle and high school literacy leaders through a comprehensive process for conceptualizing, initiating, and, most important, sustaining a schoolwide literacy learning program. The authors clearly know teachers and schools, and their reality-tested tools will prove invaluable in guiding and supporting middle and high school literacy leaders.'—Doug BuehlAuthor, Classroom Strategies for Interactive LearningA systemic and sustainable approach for improving adolescent literacy and learning!Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy provides educational leaders with a user-friendly and comprehensive planning process for developing a new literacy initiative—or for dramatically enhancing a current plan--that has the power not only to raise student performance levels but also to positively impact graduation rates, employability, and higher education success.Using a five-stage framework that has been field-tested nationwide for more than a decade, the authors provide an array of resources to guide in-depth planning, implementation, and monitoring to ensure sustained results, supported by examples from literacy-rich schools, checklists and assessments, and a glossary of terms. Each stage in the process builds upon a school or district′s existing capacities and focuses on six detailed rubrics that can be implemented at every stage to help ensure long-term success:Student motivation and engagement Literacy across the content areas Literacy interventions Literacy-rich environment, policies, and culture Parent and community involvement District support of school-based effortsHelping educators build the critical skills in students for communicating and making meaning within an increasingly complex world, this book shows how a sustained focus on literacy can serve as a powerful lever for school improvement. Directly Linked With Overall Student Achievement, Graduation Rates, And Success In Higher Education, Literacy Is Essential For Reaching Academic Goals In A School Or District. Adolescent Literacy Has Become The Focus Of Many School Improvement Efforts To Meet The Needs Of Upper Elementary, Middle And High School Students. Without The Requisite Expertise In Literacy, Administrators And Other School Leaders Charged With Literacy Improvement Initiatives Need A Systemic And Sustained Approach For Improving Student Literacy And Learning. Taking The Lead On Adolescent Literacy Presents A Concrete, User-friendly, And Practical Guide To Developing, Implementing, And Monitoring A Schoolwide Or Districtwide Literacy Action Plan For Grades 4-12. Readers Will Find Rubrics, Tools, And Processes Developed And Field-tested By The Authors Over More Than 10 Years Of Close Work With Schools Across The Country. The Model, Process, And Rubrics. Rationale For A Schoolwide Focus On Literacy -- Introduction To The Literacy Action Rubrics -- Schoolwide Change In Five Stages. Stage 1 : Get Ready -- Stage 2 : Assess -- Stage 3 : Plan -- Stage 4 : Implement -- Stage 5 : Sustain -- School And District Administrators As Literacy Leaders. The Principal's Role -- District Support -- Resource A : School Vignettes -- Resource B : Tools To Use When Implementing The Five-stage Process -- Resource C : Examples Of Each Rubric Component In Action -- Resource D : Riverton High School Case Study -- Resource E : Matrix Of Resources Available In Taking Action On Adolescent Literacy And Meeting The Challenge Of Adolescent Literacy -- Resource F : Glossary Of Terms. Judith L. Irvin ... [et Al.] ; Foreword By Andrés Henríquez. For Grades 4-12. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 227) And Index. Cover 1 Contents 6 Foreword 8 About the Authors 11 Part I: The Model, Process, and Rubrics 14 Rationale for a Schoolwide Focus on Literacy 15 Introduction to the Literacy Action Rubrics 24 Part II: Schoolwide Change in Five Stages 50 1 - Stage 1: Get Ready 51 2 - Stage 2: Assess 65 3 - Stage 3: Plan 81 4 - Stage 4: Implement 92 5 - Stage 5: Sustain 117 Part III: School and District Administrators as Literacy Leaders 132 6 - The Principal’s Role 133 7 - District Support 155 Resource A: School Vignettes 176 Resource B: Tools to Use When Implementing the Five-Stage Process 182 Resource C: Examples of Each Rubric Component in Action 202 Resource D: Riverton High School Case Study 223 Resource E: Matrix of Resources Available in Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy and Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy 229 Resource F: Glossary of Terms 234 References 240 Index 241 Administrators will find a user-friendly, five-stage planning process with six essential rubrics for developing, implementing, monitoring, and sustaining a successful literacy initiative for Grades 4–12.