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State Adolescent Literacy Network
About NASBE's Work in Adolescent Literacy
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) hosted a Congressional Briefing on June 8, 2009, to share the rationale, results, and next steps from the recent NASBE report, State Actions to Improve Adolescent Literacy: Results from NASBE's State Adolescent Literacy Network.
Download Podcast of NASBE Adolescent Literacy Congressional Briefing
Download PowerPoint from NASBE Adolescent Literacy Congressional Briefing
With support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the NASBE worked with five Network states--Connecticut, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Utah, and West Virginia--to build state policy frameworks and capacity to improve adolescent literacy. In the Network's short 18-month timeline, states were remarkably successful in driving improvements in literacy instruction and performance. As a result of the Network, states developed literacy plans to:
- Provide research-based reading and writing instruction throughout the Pk-12 curriculum;
- Use tiered intervention models for struggling readers;
- Embed literacy in content area standards;
- Strengthen teacher licensure and preparation; and
- Apply accountability mechanisms to foster school-wide literacy plans
The Network's rationale was based on recommendations from the 2006 NASBE Study Group report, Reading at Risk: The State Response to the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy, and the strategies proposed in the 2007 NASBE publication, From State Policy to Classroom Practice: Improving Literacy Instruction for All Students.
For further information or assistance regarding NASBE's work in Adolescent Literacy please contact:
Dr. Mariana Haynes, Director of Research,
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Jessie Levin, Project Associate,
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NASBE Adolescent Literacy Publications
- From State Policy to Classroom Practice: Improving Literacy Instruction for All Students: Primer describing the scope of the problem of pervasive low literacy levels among America's adolescents as well as research-based elements of quality literacy instruction that should be considered in improvement efforts at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. (April 2007)
- Kentucky’s Plan for Improving Adolescent Literacy: State Innovation profiling Kentucky's Adolescent Literacy Task Force initiatives including the state's Striving Readers Program, the Adolescent Coaching Project, and professional development programs including the Kentucky Content Literacy Initiative. (July 2008)
- Reading at Risk: The State Response to the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy: Report of the NASBE Study Group on Middle and High School Literacy outlining a framework based on key state actions need to take to leverage systemic improvements in classroom instruction and school quality. (July 2006)
- State Plans for Improving Adolescent Literacy: Policy Update highlighting the work of the NASBE State Adolescent Literacy Network states in: developing state plans and policy structures; building capacity and infrastructure; developing teachers; and promoting local plans. (July 2008)
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