LTRC 518: LITERACY ASSESSMENT AND TEACHING
Spring 2014, January 30th – May 15th
Thursdays - 3:45-7:00pm
Description: This course develops competence in administering, analyzing, and critiquing both
formal and informal literacy assessments, and using this information to provide appropriate
instruction to struggling learners. It is offered for classroom teachers, reading teachers, and
special education teachers. During the first hour teachers tutor children in grades 2-5 with a focus
on developing reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills through targeted
assessment. Each teacher prepares a case report on a child/children and a portfolio of classroom
assessment and teaching tools. Fieldwork: 10 hrs.
Instructors
Erin Washburn, Ph.D. (Section 01)
Email: washburn@binghamton.edu
Office Phone: 777- 5324
Cell Phone: 979-324-2381
Office Hours: Thurs. at JC, 3:15- 3:45 &/or
7-7:30 pm or by appointment
Marla Mallette, Ph.D. (Section 02)
Email: mmallett@binghamton.edu
Office Phone: 777-7731
Cell Phone: 618-559-5338
Office Hours: Tuesday: 3:00-4:00, Thursday
at JC: 3:15-3:45, or by appointment
Course Meetings
BU: LN G85 - 4:40pm - 7:10pm (1/30, 2/6, 2/13 & 3/13)
Johnson City Elementary Campus (School Library): 601Columbia Dr., Johnson City
Beginning on 2/20 - 3:45 - 7:00
3:45 - 4:45 (Partner Power) 4:45 - 5:00 (Break) 5:00 - 7:00 (Class)
Classroom Environment: The Graduate School of Education is committed to serving all
enrolled students in a respectful and intellectually stimulating atmosphere. In return, it is
expected that each of you will honor and respect the opinions and feelings of your fellow
students. If you have concerns that this atmosphere is not being upheld, please contact me
immediately.
Electronic Devices: In keeping with a respectful class environment, please turn off all
electronic devices during class time, unless you have explicit permission. If you have urgent
circumstances, please talk with me before class.
Accommodations: Any student with a disability who wants to request accommodations should
notify each course instructor by the second class meeting. You are also encouraged to contact the
Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 777-2686. Their office is at UU-119.
The SSD office makes formal recommendations regarding necessary and appropriate
accommodations based on an individual's specifically diagnosed disability. SSD, faculty, and
staff are required to treat Information about a student's disability as confidential.
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Writing Support: If you have difficulty communicating your thoughts in writing, please make a
point of using the campus Writing Center before your first paper is due. (If your letter of
acceptance advised you to get support from the Writing Center, this is required.) Writing support
is most effective if you make appointments with the same tutor throughout the semester. Please
go to: http://www2.binghamton.edu/writing/writing-center/wc-faq.html
Academic Honesty: Binghamton University provides explicit guidelines in the Student
Academic Honesty Code (see the University Bulletin - Academic Policies and Procedures for All
Students). Unless specified otherwise in the syllabus, I expect the work you submit for grading to
be yours and yours alone. Not acknowledging another's work with proper references, taking
credit for someone else's work, letting your work appear in another student's paper, or fabricating
"results" are grounds for failing the assignment and/or the course. The Academic Honesty Code
specifically prohibits "Submitting substantial portions of the same work for credit more than
once, unless there is prior explicit consent of the instructor(s) to whom the material is being or
has been submitted." If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating,
please ask me.
The following link describes the GSE Academic Honesty Policy:
http://www2.binghamton.edu/grad-school/manual/index.html#Academic_Honesty
Student Grievances: The Graduate School of Education outlines procedures if you have a
grievance about a course grade. The first step is to contact the instructor to discuss your
concerns. If you have any questions or concerns about how I have graded your work, please
arrange to meet with me.
Blackboard Information: Course handouts and some readings are posted on BB for
downloading & printing. You will need a BU ID to access BB and online journals from the
library. You can print 50 pages per week free in any campus computer pod.
1. Go to http://blackboard.cc.binghamton.edu and login using the first part of your BU email
address (Use BUSI to find out your BU email) http://busi.binghamton.edu/ (go to active
accounts). You need the pac number from your BU student ID to login on BUSI. If you don’t
know your PAC, contact the Registrar's Office at 777-6871.
2. Your initial password should be the first 2 letters of your last name & the last 4 numbers of
your SS#. You can change your password once you are logged in.
3. Once logged in you will see a list of your classes using BB and new announcements.
4. Click on the class link you want to enter. From there you can view class documents.
Partner Power: Partner Power is a one-hour afterschool reading program (3:45-4:45 on
Thursdays) at Johnson City Elementary and Intermediate School. The program is one-on-one or
small group tutoring and is a partnership with Binghamton University. As a student in LTRC
518, you will be paired with 1-2 JC students for 11 weeks. You will conduct literacy related
assessments with your Partner Power students and then, using the assessment data to guide your
instruction, you will develop 5 lesson plans, which you will implement with your student(s).
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Required Texts (available in Bookstore)
Cooter, R.B., Flynt, E.S, & Cooter, K.S. (2007). Comprehensive reading inventory: Measuring
reading development in regular and special education classrooms. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.
Reutzel, D.R., & Cooter, R.B. (2010). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction:
Helping every child succeed, 4th ed. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Various articles available on Blackboard
Recommended Texts (available in Bookstore)
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2011). Words their way, 5th ed.
Boston: Pearson
Selected Web Resources
www.nysed.gov (site for the New York State Education Dept.)
www.readwritethink.org (K-6 standards-based, peer-reviewed lesson plans, etc.)
www.reading.org/ (the International Reading Association)
http://www.nysreading.org/ (the New York State Reading Association)
http://www.cec.sped.org (Council for Exceptional Children)
http://fcrr.org (Florida Center for Reading Research)
Course Goals
 Understand current theories of literacy assessment and instruction.
 Explore the impact of home and school literacy, culture, and socio-economic status on
students' learning and achievement.
 Develop competence in administering, analyzing, and critiquing formal and informal
literacy assessments.
 Understand testing vocabulary and the strengths and limitations of various assessment
instruments, and be able to interpret them for parents and others.
 Use assessment data to provide appropriate literacy instruction to struggling learners
based on their interests, strengths, and needs.
 Document and maintain a careful record of assessment and instruction.
 Prepare a professional case study report on tutored student.
 Use Blackboard and the Internet effectively in learning and teaching.
Your Goals – take some time to read through the course goals. After considering both the
course goals and your own professional needs, what knowledge would you like to gain in
this course? What are some skills you would like to gain in this course?
1.
2.
3.
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Course Requirements
Tickets-In-the-Door
Administration & Analysis of Assessments/Assessment Reports
Case Study Report
Lesson Plans (5)
TOTAL
25 pts.
40 pts.
10 pts.
25 pts.
100 pts.
Course Grading
Grading Scale:
95-100
90-94
86-89
83-85
80-82
76-79
73-76
70-72
70
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CF
Late Work:
To remain fair to all individuals enrolled and involved in the class there will be points taken off
for late work. No late work will be accepted after 2 weeks.


2 points will be taken off for work turned in after due date (up to one week late)
4 points will be taken off for work turned in after one week late
Attendance Policy:
Partner Power students will be here at 3:45pm – please plan to be here at least 5 minutes before
hand. Also if you foresee an absence, please inform me in advance. To remain fair to all
individuals enrolled and involved in the class (and your PP students) there will be points taken
off for missed classes, unless your absence is a university accepted excused absence.


For each unexcused absence (up to 2), 2 points will be taken off of your final grade
For 3 unexcused absences, your final grade will be dropped 1 full letter grade.
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Assignments
Tickets in the Door (25 points): It is recommended that you take notes over your assigned
readings. You will be assessed (using a “Ticket-In-the-Door”) on your knowledge of the
material in the readings at the beginning of each class.
Administration and Analysis of Assessments (40 points):
You will conduct 5 literacy related assessments with 1-2 students in grades 2-5. After
administering the assessments, you are required to analyze the results. You will then summarize
the results/analysis using the Assessment Report Handouts (on BB). You will need to submit all
assessment protocols with the reports on the assigned due dates. There will be 4 assessment
reports (10 points each). You are allowed to revise ONE assessment report.
Assessments
Administer at PP
Assessment
Report
REPORT #1:
Affective Measures
Report Due
1. Interest Inventory
2. ERAS and /or RSPS
2/20
Writing sample
2/27
REPORT #2:
Written Expression
3/6
QSI from Words their Way
2/20
REPORT #3:
Spelling/Orthography
3/13
REPORT #4:
Reading
3/13
CRI
*2/27 & 3/6
2/27
* Sentences ONLY
Lesson Plans (25 points):
Using the results and your analysis of the assessment data, you will develop (and implement) 5
literacy lessons for your Partner Power student. Please use the BU Literacy Education Lesson
Plan template (on Blackboard) to develop/write your lessons (5 points each).
Case Study Report (10 points):
You will prepare a case study report for your Partner Power students in which you provide a
detailed explanation of the following: (a) all assessments administered, (b) the results and
analysis of each assessment, (c) tutoring goals, (d) techniques / strategies used in tutoring
(aligned with student goals), and (e) student progress for each goal. The first three sections (a-c
above) will be completed through the four assessment reports. In other words, we will be
working on the case study reports throughout the semester. More detailed instructions, along
with samples, will be will be provided in class. Copies of the case study reports will be
distributed to parents and school personnel; therefore, it is essential that the reports are accurate
and error free. You will be required to submit the first drafts of the case study reports on
Blackboard by Monday May 5th, which we will return to you with feedback in class on May 8th.
The final copies need to be submitted on Blackboard by Monday, May 12th, for review by course
instructors. Once approved, you will need to print 2 copies and bring them to class on May 15th.
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Class Schedule (As with all things in life and in education – this is subject to change)
Session
Date
Location
1
1/30
BU
Topics /
Assignments Due
Syllabus / Course
Overview
Readings
Completed
PRIOR to Class
Bring a copy of the
syllabus to class
Tasks for Partner
Power
None
Assessment
Materials: Bring to
Class / PP
None
None
None
None
None
Get-to-know-you
activity
Administer: (1)
Interest Inventory,
and (2) ERAS
and/or RSPS
Copies of the
Interest Inventory,
Elementary Reading
Attitude Survey
(ERAS), and Reader
Self-Perception
Scale (RSPS)
Qualitative
Spelling Inventory
QSI list AND blank
sheet of paper
Reading Theory:
Stages & Development
Assessment Principles
Types of Assessment
2
2/6
BU
3
2/13
BU
Assessing the Affective
Domain
BP in Early Literacy
– Mallette,
Afflerbach, & Wiggs
(2013)
Assessing Spelling
with the Qualitative
Spelling Inventory
Ehri (2000)
Assessing Reading
with the
Comprehensive
Reading Inventory
Comprehensive
Reading Inventory
(CRI) – pp. 19-29
Assessment Report
Format & Expectations
Henderson &
Templeton (1986)
RT – Nilsson (2008)
Review of IRIs
RT- Halladay (2012),
Reading Levels
4
2/20
JC
Assessing Writing
Graham et al. (2010),
Informing Writing
(pp. 9-30)
7
Session
Date
Location
5
2/27
JC
Topics /
Assignments Due
Assessment Informs
Instruction – Part 1
Data Analysis/Lesson
Plan Expectations
Report #1 Due
6
3/6
JC
Assessment Informs
Instruction – Part 2
Data
Analysis/Assessment
Workshop
Report #2 Due
7
3/13
BU
(No PP)
8
3/20
JC
Lesson Planning
Workshop
Readings
Tasks for Partner
Completed
Power
PRIOR to Class
RT- Taffe et al.
CRI Sentences
(2012), Differentiated
Instruction
Obtain Writing
Sample
RT – Lipson et al.
(2012), Diagnosis
(Brainstorm Topic
for Book Project
RT – Roskos &
Neuman (2012),
Formative
Assessment
Assessment
Materials: Bring to
Class / PP
A blank sheet of
notebook paper and
pencil (writing
sample)
Valencia & Buly
(2004), RT - Behind
tests scores: What
struggling readers
really need
CRI Passages and
Protocols
CRI
CRI Sentences
Begin Book
Project Prewriting
Stephens et al.
(2012), I know there
ain’t no pigs with
wigs
None
None
Report #3 & 4 Due
Reutzel & Cooter
(2010) - Skim the
following chapter
sections for
instructional ideas:
Ch. 6,
Ch. 7, pp. 208-227,
Ch. 8,
Ch. 10, pp. 340-364
Phonics/Word Study
Instruction
Reutzel & Cooter,
Ch. 6
Lesson 1
None
BP in Early Literacy
– Ch. 9: Invernizzi &
Tortorelli (2013)
*Lesson Plan #1
DUE 3/17
8
Session
Date
Location
9
3/27
JC
10
4/3
JC
Topics /
Assignments Due
Fluency Instruction
Readings
Completed
PRIOR to Class
Reutzel & Cooter
Ch. 7
Tasks for Partner
Power
Lesson 2
Assessment
Materials:
Bring to Class / PP
None
Lesson 3
None
Lesson 4
None
*Lesson Plan #2
DUE 3/24
RT – Marcell &
Ferraro (2013), Robot
Reader
Vocabulary Instruction
Reutzel & Cooter
Ch. 8
*Lesson Plan #3
DUE 3/31
Kucan (2013) – RT:
What is most
important to know
about vocabulary?
Blachowicz, Fisher,
Ogle, & Watts Taffe
(2013)
11
4/10
JC
Comprehension
Instruction
Reutzel & Cooter
Ch. 9 & 10
*Lesson Plan #4
Fisher & Frey (2013)
DUE 4/7
Porter-O’Donell
(2004)
12
4/17
Spring Break
None
None
None
13
4/24
JC
Classroom Literacy
Instruction
RT – Reutzel (2011),
Organizing Literacy
Classrooms
Lesson 5
None
*Lesson Plan #5
DUE 4/21
RT – Roskos &
Neuman (2012),
Classroom
Management
Morrow et al., (Eds.),
Teaching with the
CCS Ch. 10
9
Session
Date
Location
14
5/1
JC
Topics /
Assignments Due
**Case Study
Workshop – bring a
“working” draft of
your case study to class
for peer review and
feedback
15
5/8
JC
The Role of a Literacy
Specialist
16
5/15
JC
Final Session – Family
Literacy Celebration
Readings
Completed
PRIOR to Class
None
Tasks for Partner
Power
Catch up Day
Assessment
Materials:
Bring to Class / PP
None
Work on Book
Project
Readings TBA
Catch up Day
None
Work on Book
Project
None
Course
Evaluations
Two Copies of
Case Study Report
Meeting with Parents
Notes:
* Lesson Plans are due before midnight on the Monday prior to the tutoring sessions.
** Case Study Reports have Monday due dates.