Literacy Achievement Action Plan
Here at Waterloo Catholic District School Board, we are committed to quality, research-informed language and literacy instruction while using culturally sustaining literacy pedagogies to support our increasingly diverse school communities.
Vision and Goals
We are currently developing a Language Achievement Action Plan (LAAP) which is guided by the Vision and Goals of our new Language Curriculum:
Literacy is essential for success: it affects all academic achievement and is associated with social, emotional, economic, and physical health. The Ontario language curriculum is designed to support students in developing the language and literacy knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education and in life, and to encourage students to experience the joy and possibility that literacy learning can ignite.
All Students Have the Right to Read
Our work is informed by the Right to Read Inquiry Report, and the belief that all students can succeed when they develop strong foundational knowledge and skills in language and literacy. The changes we are making to ensure all students are learning foundational word-level reading skills include the ongoing implementation of the following:
- The new Ontario Language Curriculum, Grades 1-8 with evidence-based instruction and resources to teach early word foundational skills.
- Early Screening for students in year 2 of Kindergarten-Grade 3 using the Acadience Reading, K-6 to identify students at risk for early reading difficulties for immediate, early, tiered interventions.
- Reading interventions that are early, evidence-based, fully implemented, closely monitored, and available to all students who need them, and ongoing interventions for all readers with word reading difficulties. Reading interventions come alongside all necessary accommodations, modifications and the use of professional assessments when needed.
Student Achievement
As we support student achievement in language, the following key areas are being developed at the board and school level to ensure our educators are
interactively engaged in meaningful professional learning experiences rooted in the strengths and needs of their students with a strong curriculum focus.
- Identifying Areas of Need
- Curriculum Fidelity
- Knowing the Language Learner
- Responsive Instruction
- Measurable Results
Culturally sustaining literacy pedagogies is an important component of student achievement and our Language Achievement Action Plan (LAAP). The Ontario Language Curriculum states that,
The language and literacy program builds on students’ prior knowledge, their cultures, and their language experiences at home and in the community. Effective instruction offers students choices, encourages a sense of agency in learning, and further motivates and engages students in language and literacy learning and in the development of self-efficacy. Students should recognize themselves in their language-learning experiences, in the literacy environment of the classroom, and in the broader physical surroundings of the school while also having the opportunity to enjoy reading a wide variety of texts and learning about diverse identities, abilities, experiences, families, cultures, and communities.
This approach connects with our assessment practices, lesson planning, and classroom instruction. Our students are teaching us about the importance of the text selections we make, ensuring that books serve as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.
