IRA’s Standards for Reading Professionals—Revised 2010 incorporates latest research

Everyone knows the anecdote about the camel being a horse designed by committee. Sometimes, however, committee work can yield outstanding results, as evidenced by the International Reading Association’s new Standards for Reading Professionals 2010, which will be released in August.

“This particular process is an example of really effective committee work,” said Rita Bean of the University of Pittsburgh, who chaired the Standards 2010 Committee through a nearly three-year revision process. “We had our tough times and difficult decisions to make, but throughout the process everyone listened to and respected the opinions of others. As a result, we have a document that shows you really can be more effective when you work as a group.”

Some of the committee’s work took place in full group meetings, but much of it was done by subgroups that addressed individual standards. Drafts were circulated for comment and, over time, the final standards took shape. Approximately 30 professionals participated in various stages of the project; many participated in all stages.

IRA’s standards document is updated periodically, evolving to incorporate the latest research and knowledge in the field. “We’ve learned so much more about how teachers, reading specialists, and others learn,” Bean said, and that knowledge is reflected in the 2010 standards.

Six key standards

The document revolves around six key standards, which are listed here along with comments from people in the subgroups that worked on each.

Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge. For this standard, the subgroup was “trying to get at the knowledge about reading pedagogy and reading instruction that is both research based and theory based, as well as incorporating what we have gained from experience over time,” said Kathleen Roskos of John Carroll University.

The subgroup examined three key areas: 1) theoretical and empirical research, 2) historically shared knowledge learned over time, and 3) using professional judgment in applying these sources of knowledge because knowledge shifts and changes over time. “Our goal,” Roskos said, “was to get at the essentials of what reading educators need to know and lay out these essentials in a way that will give clear direction to program development and design.”

Standard 2: Curriculum and Instruction. “This standard guides reading professionals to choose instructional approaches, materials, and curriculum that support student learning,” said Diane Kern of the University of Rhode Island. “One major assumption for this standard is that reading professionals use their knowledge about literacy to envision and enact a balanced curriculum, to use instructional approaches that are responsive to the needs of diverse learners, and to select a variety of quality traditional and online materials.”

The updated version of this standard emphasizes the importance of an integrated, comprehensive, and balanced curriculum. “In addition, in 2010 we suggest reading professionals use evidence-based instructional practice to enable them to call upon and utilize a variety of instructional strategies,” Kern said.

Standard 3: Assessment and Evaluation. “We see this standard as a ‘sister standard’ to the one on curriculum and instruction,” said Debra Miller of McDaniel College. “Assessment practices should inform instruction to see if students are learning and instruction is working,” Miller said. “This standard recognizes that we need to prepare teachers to use multiple assessment tools.”

Miller noted that there is more emphasis on writing in the 2010 standard. In addition, the subgroup examined whether teachers can understand, administer, develop, select, and interpret different types of assessments and develop their own. The group looked at both formative and summative assessment and the role of each. “We want teachers to appreciate how important assessment is and that we can use assessment to plan instruction for individual students and groups,” she concluded.

Standard 4: Diversity. The Diversity standard is intended to guide educators in creating and engaging their students in literacy practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of differences in our society. Having this as a new, separate standard for the first time “emphasizes that we recognize the increasing diversity of the United States and other countries, as well as the language diversity and cultural diversity that comes with that,” said Allison Skerrett of the University of Texas at Austin. “This new standard will help us be more thoughtful in preparing teachers to teach in diverse settings.”

Skerrett noted that group members were excited about the social justice element of the standard. “We wanted to emphasize that there are still great inequities in a diverse society, and part of literacy instruction should address these inequities,” she said. “We need to engage in literacy for social change.”

Standard 5: Literate Environment. “The focus in the IRA 2003 standard that we saw on materials, motivation, and student interest and backgrounds has been shifted to other standards,” said Jennifer Altieri of The Citadel. “We recognize that the design of the physical environment is important so that children have access to online and traditional methods, but equally important is establishing a supportive social environment for optimizing literacy development. Other key elements address the importance of flexible configurations in order to differentiate literacy instruction and the need for effective transitions and routines for literacy activities. “Standard 5 is powerful because it is based on the belief that the literate environment is co-constructed and continually changing to meet the needs of students,” Altieri concluded.

Standard 6: Professional Learning and Leadership. “This is the quintessential standard—the overarching standard,” said Dorothy Strickland, professor emerita, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She noted that all educators need to assume some responsibility for collaborative leadership and to embrace the notion of sharing expertise and responsibility.

“We are at a time when the role of the classroom and the classroom teacher is recognized as being critical—perhaps more than ever—but we also know that the infrastructure that supports the classroom teacher is equally important,” Strickland added. “I hope the new standards document stimulates synergy among the instructional staff and fosters a greater sense of shared responsibility and leadership to promote student learning.”

An attractive format

Bean said she thought the content and design of this standards document will make it easy for users to navigate, noting that “the document is presented in a very attractive format.”

Matrixes in the document show the various standards, along with specific elements and performance indicators as they relate to different job responsibilities, such as classroom teacher or reading specialist/literacy coach. This is done with the goal of “preparing individuals to actually meet the standards,” Bean said. However, the standards are organized so that readers can also easily focus on sections that explain specific roles and responsibilities for a single job category.

In this edition, performance indicators are no longer listed as “required,” Bean said. Instead, the committee used the phrase “possible sources of evidence” as a way of indicating that individual elements of standards should be considered in a more holistic manner.

A section at the back of the publication discusses some of the key issues that the committee faced in preparing the standards. For instance, the committee worked closely with IRA’s Diversity: Language Committee in determining how best to address issues pertaining to English language learners.

Another discussion revolved around whether to separate the roles of reading specialists and literacy coaches or to keep them together. In the end, the committee decided to maintain the label, reading specialist/literacy coach, but to highlight the various functions of reading specialists/literacy coaches by focusing on ways in which these professionals must be able to do, support, and lead.

The committee also discussed the growing role of Response to Intervention (RTI) in schools. “We really addressed the impact it has had as a framework for schools,” Bean said.

Widely used

IRA’s standards are widely used throughout the field as indicators of what educators involved in reading education in various capacities should know and be able to do. Teacher education institutions can use them for program development, Bean said, adding that she would also “like to see state departments of education use them to assess various programs in schools of education.”

One organization that uses the IRA standards is the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). To date, more than 150 reading programs have been nationally recognized by IRA and NCATE.

IRA will submit its revised standards to NCATE this fall, and if NCATE approves them, the standards will continue to be used as the basis for accrediting teacher education programs in the area of reading. “Our standards represent us but also are in line with what NCATE was recommending,” Bean said.

“We know how important the teacher is,” Bean concluded. “Teachers matter. Reading specialists/literacy coaches matter. We need people to understand what the important knowledge is for these professionals.” IRA’s Standards for Reading Professionals—Revised 2010 helps provide that information.

As this issue of Reading Today went to press, IRA’s Standards for Reading Professionals—Revised 2010 was slated for release in August. Watch for information to be posted on the IRA website at www.reading.org.

Material from the document will be available online; printed copies, which are much easier to use, are available at a cost of $13.95 for IRA members, $17.95 for nonmembers.

Order publication 713-448, either from the IRA website or by calling the telephone numbers cited in the advertisement below.

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New book spotlights standards.

To complement Standards for Reading Professionals—Revised 2010, IRA is publishing Preparing Reading Professionals (second edition), Rita M. Bean, Natalie Heisey, and Cathy M. Roller, editors. This book, slated for publication on August 12, offers a collection of key book chapters and journal articles providing an in-depth picture of the demands of each standard.

The collection also covers topics essential to those involved in studying, developing, or evaluating programs for improving student literacy learning, including the school-based practitioner, teacher educator, or researcher. Each section of the book, organized to correspond to the six standards, provides further readings as well as reflection questions ideal for teacher education, book-study groups, and personal professional development.

The book provides examples of literature and research in the field for educators who want to implement programs using the standards. “The book brings life to the standards and gives examples,” Bean said. “Having copies of the book would be helpful for those using the standards for program review, as well as for teaching courses.”

Preparing Reading Professionals (second edition) is available at a cost of $29.95 for IRA members and $37.95 for nonmembers. Order publication number 835-448 either online at www.reading.org or by calling IRA’s Call Center at 800-336-7323 (United States and Canada only; others call 302-731-1600).

 

What reading educators need to know (August 2010). Reading Today, 28(1), 1, 12-13.