EDU-541 Assessment-Based Literacy Instr III

This course provides an in-depth exploration of teaching methods and materials relevant to literacy instruction for the readers in today's diverse 5-12 classrooms. This course will examine both the nature and function of formal and informal assessment processes in literacy instruction and best instructional practice that emanates from this assessment. In order to both design literacy instructional programs and to assess student learning, it is vital to be able to identify students' proficiencies and areas needing strengthening. Awareness of the influence of culture, class, gender, and context on literacy acquisition informs the teacher's knowledge base when addressing these needs. Teachers will learn a wide range of instructional practices, strategies, and methods to support reading and writing instruction. Teachers will also demonstrate competency in using a wide range of both formal and informal assessment tools and practices that provide data used to craft appropriate teaching strategies for addressing student strengths and needs in the 5-12 classroom. In addition, teachers develop skills to identify students who are not making appropriate growth, and also learn the appropriate strategies to recover those skills.