Improving student outcomes in literacy for students in the middle years of schooling
This resource presents evidence-based advice and supporting examples for school leaders and teachers about effective strategies to ensure that:
all schools actively pursue excellence in teaching literacy
literacy learning outcomes for all students continue to improve.
The advice draws on and aligns the Effective Schools Model (Sammons, Hillman and Mortimore, 1995) to key findings from the evaluations of the Access to Excellence and Restart initiatives, and the Middle Years Literacy Research Project and Successful Interventions in Literacy Research Project. Additional information about these projects is available on the English domain - Research page.
The Effective Schools Model provides a lens through which schools can think about their performance, their plans and their priorities. For further information see Effective Schools Model
Click on the links below to access support for each area of the effective schools model:
Shared vision and goals
Purposeful teaching
High expectations
Learning communities
Accountability
Stimulating and secure learning environment
Professional leadership
Shared Vision and Goals
Learning and Teaching Resources > Discipline-based Learning > English > Shared Vision and Goals
Improving student outcomes in literacy for students in the middle years of schooling
Principals and school leaders
Teachers
Shared vision and goals involves:
unity of purpose involving a consensus on values
consistency of practice in which adopting a particular approach to school
curriculum guidelines and to discipline has a positive impact on the progress of pupils
collegiality and collaboration.
Principals and school leaders
Shared visions and goals are in evidence when school leaders:
articulate an inclusive learning and teaching vision supportive of eLearning and diverse literate practices that respects, supports and integrates the socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds and experiences of all members of the school community to improve the profile and status of literacy education
prioritise and plan for a regular, timetabled literacy intervention approach to ensure the legitimacy and status of the program within the school community
appoint suitably qualified and trained staff to coordinate a whole-school approach to literacy intervention for students at risk of not achieving improved literacy outcomes
design flexible timetable arrangements to facilitate:
purposeful teaching contexts for students at risk of not achieving improved literacy levels, e.g. a combination of small group withdrawal and in-class assistance
team teaching/expert literacy mentoring for purposeful literacy teaching across all essential learning strands
opportunities for the literacy coordinator and/or members of the school literacy team to regularly attend year level meetings, report back on the progress of students participating in literacy interventions and discuss focused, evidence-based strategies that might be used by all teachers
adopt and review a coordinated whole-school approach to communicating and reporting on evidence of student progress in literacy across the essential learning strands
create regular, ongoing opportunities for all teachers to share values, beliefs and
understandings about literacy teaching and learning to extend individual and collective knowledge and expertise as literacy educators
allocate a specific room for literacy intervention with appropriate resources in a central position.
Examples
Establishing a curriculum profile for improving literacy outcomes for all student groupings across all essential learning strands considering:
the values reflected across the curriculum to all student groupings
the teaching strategies consistently used/neglected
the professional learning opportunities existing/required
the range of assessment tools used
distributing resources across all essential learning strands aligned to the school's learning and teaching vision and goals to improve student outcomes in literacy.
Implementing a student focused, coordinated and systematic, whole-school commitment to reviewing and using multiple sets of trend data to improve student outcomes in literacy at the:
whole school level
student cohort level
individual student level.
Identifying and monitoring challenging and improved outcomes in literacy for whole school, student cohorts and individual students.
Regularly providing opportunities for local community groups to be actively informed of and involved in shaping the school's vision and goals for improving student outcomes in literacy.
Referring to current literature to discuss and define a common understanding of literacy for whole-school planning.
Being informed of and disseminating current research findings and policy guidelines to members of the school community, and creating forums for discussing these so that they are reflected in all essential learning strands.
Understanding the impact of first-language literacy on those students for whom English is a second/subsequent language.
Planning strategically in identifying issues to improve student outcomes in literacy by using data on:
the socio-demographics of the area
student outcomes over time on a range of literacy measures
research on effective literacy learning and teaching approaches
student cohort characteristics.
Questions for Principals and school leaders:
How can you assist the school community to formulate an appropriate vision and goals that focus on improving literacy for middle years students?
How can literacy intervention support be best coordinated at your school?
Teachers
Shared visions and goals are in evidence when teachers:
adopt a shared responsibility for teaching knowledge about language and curriculum literacies across all of the essential learnings including links between literacy interventions and mainstream programs
adopt an evidence-based, data-focused approach to student learning to guide and measure literacy improvement levels in and across all essential learning domains and dimensions
regularly attend and engage in professional learning forums to reflect on and enhance pedagogy and literacy pedagogical content knowledge.
Examples:
Collaboratively discussing and identifying a shared conceptualisation of literacy in response to social and technological change to implement a comprehensive and well planned approach to literacy learning and teaching in the middle years.
Incorporating students' language and cultural backgrounds into a culturally responsive and inclusive curriculum across all essential learning strands.
Identifying and responding to students' learning needs, styles and interests to optimise possibilities for engaged and purposeful student literacy learning.
Reflecting on pedagogy and embedding eLearning for purposeful literacy teaching within and across all essential learning domains and dimensions.
Adopting a formal structure for looking collaboratively at student work samples to improve pedagogy and classroom practice.
Strategically planning curriculum programs in relation to the:
demographics of the school community
data on student outcomes over time on a range of literacy measures
research on effective literacy learning and teaching approaches.
Regularly reviewing curriculum programs and teacher professional learning events to monitor and review their impact on improving student outcomes in literacy.
Questions for teachers:
What opportunities can the teachers at your school create to help develop a vision and goals that focus on improving literacy for middle years students?
What professional learning do you need to help the school achieve its goals for improving literacy for middle years students?