Reading

ATLAS offers various professional development (PD) activities focused on reading instruction for adults. Our professional development offerings are based on Evidence-Based Reading Instruction (EBRI), described in more detail below.

Language & Literacy Institute

One of our primary activities for improving reading instruction is hosting the Language & Literacy Institute, a two-day, intensive training that takes place in late January each year. The large event brings together reading, writing, and ESL educators in ABE to collaborate with and learn from one another. The Language & Literacy Institute is organized by the Language & Literacy Advisory Team, and we offer an array of  workshops on reading and literacy instruction topics that have emerged as priorities in the state. In addition, we offer the CCR (College & Career Readiness) English Language Arts (ELA) Foundation workshop in conjunction with this event each year.

Reading Standards

Are you looking for more information about the College & Career Readiness (CCR) reading standards?

• Visit the CCR Standards page to find out about professional development around the CCR Standards
• Visit the CCR Standards library to find resources for implementing the ELA (English Language Arts) Standards, including reading

STAR (STudent Achievement in Reading)

STAR is a national project from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) that provides research- and expert-proven practices for teaching adults the four major components of reading instruction: alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. STAR specifically targets adult students reading at grade level equivalents (GLE) 4.0-8.9 – Low/High Intermediate Basic Education (and in Minnesota ABE, Advanced ESL) – which are large and complex populations across the nation.

It is not a reading curriculum, but rather a program-wide reading reform initiative that includes professional development, tools, and resources that expand participants’ knowledge of effective reading instruction. STAR improves the ability of participating practitioners to build local and state systems that support reading improvement.

In fact, according to the report Minnesota STAR Project: Meeting the Needs of Struggling Adult Readers (published in the COABE Journal in 2012), participation in STAR positively influences:

1. teacher knowledge and confidence about teaching reading,
2. student confidence in reading skills,
3. student level completion as measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Reading, and
4. student persistence with classes and instruction.

Evidence-Based Reading Instruction (EBRI)

Evidence-Based Reading Instruction or EBRI is a set of practices proven to increase the reading achievement of a particular student population (including children, adolescents, and adults).

STAR has been very successful across Minnesota, but not all programs are able to implement the reforms necessary – for example, programs serving numerous Beginning level (or pre-STAR) students, the Department of Corrections, and less-populated rural areas.

In an effort to find alternative ways of promoting the integration of EBRI more broadly across the state, in 2012 the Minnesota STAR Leadership Team studied the similarities and differences between STAR and EBRI. They concluded that EBRI practices are broader than STAR and relevant for (most) “EBRIbody” in MN ABE. This means that these practices are appropriate for all program managers and reading teachers committed to increasing the reading achievement of Beginning ABE and ESL Literacy, Beginning Basic Education, Low/High Intermediate Basic Education, Low/High Intermediate ESL, and Advanced ESL students.

STAR and EBRI Practices

1. Conduct diagnostic reading assessments and use results to plan reading instruction.
2. Provide direct and explicit instruction in the reading components of need.
3. Maximize learner (or student) engagement in reading instruction.
4. Select relevant reading materials and teaching activities.
5. Organize reading routines based on need(s), monitor their effectiveness, and adjust as needed.