Monthly Archives: October 2012

Beyond literacy

ACRL and the Ontario Library Association (OLA) announce the online publication of Beyond Literacy by Michael Ridley of the University of Guleph. Beyond Literacy is an interactive serialized online thought experiment exploring the demise of literacy and the rise of other capabilities, capacities or tools that will effectively and advantageously displace reading and writing. The work is freely available for reading, comment and discussion on the project website.

Literacy Implementation Guidance for the ELA Common Core State Standards

The International Reading Association (IRA) announces the release of a set of guidelines for the successful implementation of the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The guidelines white paper/statement entitled Literacy Implementation Guidance for the ELA Common Core State Standards can be downloaded for FREE at www.reading.org/ccssguidelines.

These guidelines address the need for a link between reading instruction and the ELA CCSS. They provide teachers and educational leaders with recommendations on how to integrate many of the central ideas of the standards into effective practice. They represent a consensus of the thinking of literacy leaders in the field who support thoughtful implementation of the standards for student literacy achievement.

“Reading instruction remains at the core of any successful education reform,” IRA president Carrice Cummins explains. “The Standards set a foundation for focusing curriculum and instruction, and IRA’s Reading Guidelines will serve as a lens to link them together and empower teachers to focus on what is needed to make a difference for their students.”

The guidelines capture the most pressing issues in clear language, point out their significance for those responsible for implementation, and then offer clear guidance on accomplishing the task at hand. Seven specific issues are addressed, including:
• Challenging texts
• Foundational skills
• Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Writing
• Disciplinary literacy
• Diverse learners

The guidelines were drafted by a special IRA CCSS Committee chaired by Brenda Overturf and Timothy Shanahan. Visit the CCSS guidelines webpage to learn more about this committee.

Also on the CCSS guidelines webpage, there is an opportunity to join the IRA mailing list and receive notification of CCSS-related publications in the future.

IRA also offers a question-and-answer webpage as well as ELA CCSS resources from IRA journals, IRA books, IRA webinars, Reading Today, Members-Only, and other organization websites on a special section of our website at www.reading.org/elacommoncore.

Click here to download the FREE CCSS Guidelines now!