Adolescent Literacy Project
Project Overview
MILE is committed to research-to-practice partnerships that address systemic literacy challenges across Maryland. Aligned with this commitment, MILE is piloting collaborative, practitioner-centered implementation support in the adolescent grades in alignment with the state’s forthcoming comprehensive literacy policy in three Local Education Agencies (LEAs): Baltimore City, Carroll County, and Washington County. Read more about the background for this work and our funder, the Nam-Macgill Family Foundation, here.
Core Objective
The Adolescent Literacy Project builds on strong relationships with district leaders, school leaders, and teachers statewide as educators learn from the policy roll-out process. This project aims to serve as a model for statewide implementation by working with districts to document and share promising practices in adolescent literacy implementation and provide technical assistance to ensure policy implementation leads to effective, equitable literacy outcomes for adolescents.
Significance
MILE will:
- In each of three pilot districts, MILE will work with up to 3 target schools to (list interventions for teachers and leaders)
- Ensure students in grades 4-12 receive evidence-based literacy instruction in all classes, including math, science, social studies, CTE, etc.
- Help teachers implement Science of Learning and Science of Reading best practices within and aligned to their High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIMs)
- Develop teachers to be agents of change, driving research and innovation in their own classrooms
- Prepare district leaders to implement the MSDE Comprehensive PreK-12 Literacy Policy by establishing school-wide systems of support for literacy in adolescent grades
- Provide feedback and observed promising practices to MSDE to support implementation across the state
- Advance the Maryland State Department of Education’s Strategic Plan, Goal 3: Every Student Graduates College and Career Ready
Design & Implementation
During the launch and planning phase, MILE adolescent literacy experts met with each district literacy office to align priorities and select spotlight schools. Then, the team collaboratively conducted site visits to middle and high schools and hosted listening sessions to build on the expertise of educators, to hear their challenges and the current state of adolescent literacy, and to co-construct needs and opportunities. The collaboration process continued with MILE and district leaders co-developing a set of focus priorities to serve as the basis for implementation, in alignment with school needs, district priorities, and state policy. Check out the tabs below for the latest implementation updates in each district!
- Before the school year kicked off, the MILE team led a professional learning session with thirty adolescent literacy teachers and leaders, focusing on the Science of Learning and the Science of Reading and the relevance of learning and reading science for middle and high school students. MILE will return to CCPS in October for another session to build on this work, deepen the theory, and help teachers translate these strategies into classroom practice.
- Dr. Heather Blackwell led a professional learning session with thirty teachers and leaders at one of the chosen spotlight schools. The session focused on the Science of Learning and a framework for understanding the learning process.
- Check back for implementation updates in Washington County soon!