Graduate Departmental Course Syllabus

3/2015

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION GRADUATE DEPARTMENTAL COURSE SYLLABUS (for MAT and graduate state licensure programs)

“The College of Education is dedicated to the ideals of Collaboration, Academic Excellence, Research, and Ethical Practice (CARE). These are key tenets in the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education. Competence in these ideals will provide candidates in educator preparation programs with skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be successful in the schools of today and tomorrow.”

Course Prefix and Number: RED 6540 Credit Hours: 3

Course Title: Assessment in Developing Literacies

Course Prerequisites (if any): none

Regular Instructor(s):

Course Description: RED 6540 is a classroom based course in pk-6 literacy assessment. Students use reading assessments to improve reading of all pk-6 students. Students will develop their capacity for integrating literacy assessment and intervention with in STEM content areas for young readers.

Course Objectives:

1. Understand and apply measurement concepts and characteristics of reading assessments (FEAP 4a-f; CF 2, 6; ILA 3; FRC 1.G.6, 3.1, 3.4; FLCS 1, 10).

2. Develop their understanding of the strengths and limitations of a wide range of reading assessments in order to compare, contrast, interpret and make appropriate assessment recommendations (FEAP 4a-f; CF 2, 6; ILA 3; FRC 2.B.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.8; FLCS 1, 7, 10).

3. Demonstrate a systematic approach to instructional decision making based on assessment data and research-based knowledge about literacy (FEAP 1a-f, 3a-j; CF 2, 6; ILA 3; FRC 2.G.6, 3.6, 3.7, 4.8, 4.12, 4.13, 4.19; FLCS 1, 7, 10).

4. Develop an understanding of current models, systems and structures intended to keep literacy learning constant for students across varying reading profiles (CF 5, 6; ILA 4; FRC 3.7, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.18; FLCS 1, 7, 10).

5. Engage in and reflect on scholarly research and evaluation as it relates to assessment practice (FEAP 5b; CF 4; ILA 1, 6; FRC 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17; FLCS 1, 2, 3).

6. Build an understanding of and be able to demonstrate competencies of literacy leadership and professional collaboration as it relates to reading assessment (FEAP 5e,f; CF 1; IRA 3, 6; FLCS 2, 3, 11).

Course Goals (student learning outcomes):

Content Topic Outline:

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Assessment of Literacy Formal and Informal Measures of Literacy Principles and Issues of Literacy Assessment Matching Reader to Text and Instruction Response to Intervention Data Analysis: Acting on Findings Literacy Leadership: The Complex Process of Change

Evaluation of Student Outcomes:

Reactions to Readings-3 @ 5 pts. each (Individual) (FEAP 1a-f, 3a-i, 5a-j; CF 2, 5, 6; ILA 3; FRC 2.B.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.7, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.18; FLCS 2, 4) You will respond to the readings by exploring the ideas in sufficient depth: In other words, to earn full credit:  Interrogate ideas from the current readings (2pts)  Integrate previous readings and your background experience/knowledge (1pt)  Quote/cite sources appropriately (1pt), and  Use professional/scholarly language (1 pt) In essence, convince your audience that you read the material with the intent of expanding your professional understanding, knowledge and skill set. You should be able to do this in 2-3 pages.

Authentic Tasks (ATs)-4 @ 5 pts. each (Groups of 2 or Individual) (FEAP 5e,f, CF 1; ILA 1, 6; FRC 1.G.6, 3.1, 3.4; FCLS 3, 8) These are applied mini-projects related to the readings. They are also intended to guide your thinking and preparation for your Literacy Improvement Plan.

PLC Presentation-20 pts. (Groups of 3-4) (FEAP 5e,f; CF 1, 4; ILA 3; FRC 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17; FLCS 2, 3) This media-based project will be a culmination of your investigation of a topic of your choice. At least one aspect of your topic must address cultural and/or linguistic diversity within literacy practices In essence, you will become an expert in this area of assessment. On the last Blackboard Collaborate session, you will “teach” us what you have learned and have found to be the salient features of the topic. Full credit is predicated upon your attendance (via Blackboard Collaborate) during the entire evening of presentations. A rubric will be provided.

 Working in a collaborative group, you will construct an action plan delineating your topic, readings, and who will complete which tasks by the dates of your choosing. You will submit a planning report that includes your group’s planned learning activities and a delineation of who will complete what tasks toward the final project.

 Throughout the semester, you will meet with your group to enact your plans and prepare your project.

 The final media-based project will be approximately 6-8 minutes in length. You will also submit the completed action plan indicating each member’s contribution to the end product.

Literacy Improvement Plan *-25 pts. (Individual) (FEAP 1a-f, 2a-i, 3a-j; CF 3; ILA 5; FRC 2.G.6, 3.6, 3.7, 4.8, 4.12, 4.13, 4.19; FCLS 3, 10)

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This evaluation project will be an integration of your learning in the course as well as an opportunity to stretch your analytical, research and visioning skills. You will create a literacy improvement plan (9-11 pages) for an individual student or classroom of students. Midway through the semester, for 5 of the 25 points, you will submit an interim report or draft. An organizational guide and scoring criteria will be provided for the draft and final report. The major components of your report will include:

 Data and Discussion of at least four different assessments administered (ranging from informal/internal to formal/external). You will include a discussion of the purposes and limitations of each assessment;

 Matrix and Synthesis of pertinent literature (at least 5 peer-reviewed studies--not commentary) related to what you detect is a primary literacy-related need for the student/class;

 A cited discussion of specific Recommendations for strengthening literacy teaching and learning for this student/classroom.

 A plan for implementation of findings within a STEM area.

 Note: After you receive feedback on this assignment, you will post in Chalk & Wire as a Summative Assessment for FRC Competency 3: Foundations of Assessment.

B. Other Formative Assignments/Assessments (Points and/or %)

C. Quizzes (Points and/or %)

Assessment Literacy Quiz-10 pts. (FEAP 4a-f; CF 2; ILA 3; FRC 1.G.6, 3.1, 3.4; FLCS 1) A 20-question multiple choice quiz on the principles and concepts of assessment (Module 1). Most anything we read/discuss in the first five weeks will be considered as a potential quiz item.

D. Final Exam (Points and/or %) n/a

E. Policies Regarding Other Points Awarded (Points and/or %)

Participation-10 pts. These points include, but are not limited to your participation in online meetings, your collegiality, and your effort toward accomplishing course requirements and non-credit-bearing activities. As indicated in Oasis when you registered, you must be available to meet online from 5:15-6:45 EST on Thursday evenings. This semester, we will meet four evenings using Blackboard Collaborate as a virtual classroom.

Hillsborough County Public Schools Task Force specific class activity statement (if applicable) (This applies to all courses that require USF students to engage with K-12 students, student records, or school settings. To prepare students, faculty are encouraged to include as part of their courses a discussion about the FERPA requirements and what is and is not acceptable.) : This project has been approved through the Hillsborough County Public School Research Review process. Note that individual student information is protected under the Family Educational Right and Privacy Act (FERPA). The University of South Florida and Hillsborough County Public Schools both want to ensure that student records are protected and that teachers and potential teachers have 3 3/2015 the most appropriate training opportunities. Student Information (K-12) collected for this task will NOT include information that identified the individual student and any student identifiable information/data collected will NOT be retained (e.g., videos with students in them, copies of student work, audio recordings of student interviews, etc.) past the completion of the course and the assignment of a grade by the instructor/professor.”

Chalk & Wire ( if course has a critical task) : All tasks designated as critical must be completed with a score of 3 or above on each criterion in order to pass the course. An assignment that receives a score of below 3 on any criterion must be resubmitted until a score of 3 or better is achieved and that score will be entered into the Assignment E- portfolio system. However, the original grade on the assignment will be the score used to compute the final grade for the course. All revisions must be completed before the last class meeting. A Chalk&Wire e-portfolio account may be purchased at the USF Bookstore.

Grading Criteria:

Your letter grade for the course will be determined using a blend of qualitative and quantitative criteria. For each assignment, students will receive an outline of the criteria. The following guidelines will be used to determine your final grade:

A-Consistent and thoughtful participation in all class discussions and activities. Excellent quality and serious thought put into all assignments. Evidence that all reading assignments were read carefully and thoughtfully considered.

B-Effort to participate in most class discussions and activities. Extra effort and above average quality in class assignments and projects. Evidence that readings were completed and contemplated.

C-Occasional participation in class discussions and activities. Assignments and projects adequately completed. Evidence that reading was completed.

D/F-Lack of participation in class discussions. Assignments incomplete and/or poorly done. Lack of evidence that reading was completed.

A+ = 97-100% B+ = 87-89% C+ = 77-79% D+ = 67-69% A = 94-96% B = 84-86% C = 74-76% D = 64-66% A- = 90-93% B- = 80-83% C- = 70-73% D- = 60-63 F=59%

Textbook(s) and Readings:

Duke, N. (2014). Informational texts and young children: When, what, why, where and how. Best practices in Science Education. Washington, DC: National Geographic.

Baccellieri, P. (2010). Professional learning communities: Using data in decision making to improve student learning. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education. ISBN 978-1-4258-0518-0

Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murname, R. J. (2005). Data Wise: A step-by-step guide to using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. ISBN 1-891792-67-9 Fischer, D. & Frey, N. (2010). Enhancing RTI: How to ensure success with effective classroom instruction and intervention. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ISBN 978-1-4166-0987-2

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You will also need access to a published Informal Reading Inventory. This is a set of leveled readings designed to determine (at a minimum), a student’s word accuracy and comprehension scores for each level.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES: Standard Policies covering these and other areas can be found at: http://www.grad.usf.edu/policies_Sect7_full.php#resp  Academic Integrity of Students  Disruption of the Academic Process  Student Academic Grievance Procedures Students with Disabilities - Students with disabilities are responsible for registering with Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) in order to receive academic accommodations. SDS encourages students to notify instructors of accommodation needs at least 5 business days prior to needing the accommodation. A letter from SDS must accompany this request. See student responsibilities: http://www.sds.usf.edu Turnitin Privacy Policy In order to comply with privacy laws, students are not required to include personal identifying information, such as name, in the body of the document. Turnitin provides an originality report letting the instructor know how much of the assignment is original. Please follow your instructor's instructions carefully regarding what identifying information to include. o How do I submit a Turnitin Assignment?

Gender-Based Crimes - Educators must report incidents of gender-based crimes including sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, dating violence and domestic violence. If a student discloses in class, in papers, or to an instructor, the instructor is required by law to report the disclosure. The Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention (813-974-5757) is a confidential resource where you can talk about such situations and receive assistance in

University Emergency Policy In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It's the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

Academic Dishonesty Plagiarism is defined as "literary theft" and consists of the unattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs information gathered from books, articles, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public-at-large, must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Citations may be made in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as one's own, segments or the total of another person's work.

Punishment for academic dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and may include receipt of an "F" with a numerical value of zero on the item submitted, and the "F" shall be used to determine the final course grade. It is the option of the instructor to assign the student a grade of "F" of "FF" (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the course.

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Detection of Plagiarism The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to 1) request that assignments be submitted to me as electronic files and 2) electronically submit to SafeAssignment.com, or 3) ask students to submit their assignments to SafeAssignment.com through myUSF. Assignments are compared automatically with a database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student's paper was plagiarized.

Web Portal Information Every newly enrolled USF student receives an official USF e-mail account that ends with "mail.acomp.usf.edu." Every official USF correspondence to students will be sent to that account. Go to the Academic Computing website and select the link "Activating a Student E-mail Account" for detailed information. Information about the USF Web Portal can be found at: http://www.acomp.usf.edu/portal.htm.

ADA Statement Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice (typically 5 working days) prior to requesting an accommodation.

USF Policy on Religious Observances Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class meeting.

ESOL & Florida Accomplished Practices (FAP) Requirements (for ESOL-infused courses and other courses where assignments need to be collected by students to complete their portfolios): Please note certain assignments are marked (e.g., AP4 and 8, and/or ESOL22) or (*) and should be saved once graded, as appropriate documentation for one or more of the Florida Accomplished Practices/ESOL Performance Standards.

ATTACHMENT I

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This attachment must be completed for the following graduate programs: all MATs; MA and PhD in School Psychology;, Educational Measurement and Evaluation; Guidance and Counseling; Educational Leadership; MA programs in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Physical Education; and all programs that teach courses for majors in the above listed programs. This attachment is to be completed on a separate page(s) since it is for the College of Education files only.

Course Prefix and Number ___RED 6450______Course Name ______Assessment in Developing Literacies______Credit Hours ______3______

Briefly describe the following:

 The nature and duration of any field-based experiences. NA

 Any experiences that include instruction, observation, practice, and/or competency demonstration in any of the following: instructional strategies that address various learning styles, exceptionalities, achievement levels, and other specialized circumstances.

1. Reactions to Readings-3 @ 5 pts. each (Individual) (FEAP 1, 3, 5; CF 2, 5, 6; ILA 3; FRC 2.B.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.7, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11, 4.18; FLCS 2, 4) You will respond to the readings by exploring the ideas in sufficient depth: In other words, to earn full credit:  Interrogate ideas from the current readings (2pts)  Integrate previous readings and your background experience/knowledge (1pt)  Quote/cite sources appropriately (1pt), and  Use professional/scholarly language (1 pt) In essence, convince your audience that you read the material with the intent of expanding your professional understanding, knowledge and skill set. You should be able to do this in 2-3 pages.

 Activities and assessments that assess the impact on pk-12 student learning.

4. Literacy Improvement Plan *-25 pts. (Individual) (FEAP 1, 2, 3; CF 3; ILA 5; FRC 2.G.6, 3.6, 3.7, 4.8, 4.12, 4.13, 4.19; FCLS 3, 10) This evaluation project will be an integration of your learning in the course as well as an opportunity to stretch your analytical, research and visioning skills. You will create a literacy improvement plan (9-11 pages) for an individual student or classroom of students. Midway through the semester, for 5 of the 25 points, you will submit an interim report or draft. An organizational guide and scoring criteria will be provided for the draft and final report. The major components of your report will include:

 Data and Discussion of at least four different assessments administered (ranging from informal/internal to formal/external). You will include a discussion of the purposes and limitations of each assessment;

7 3/2015

 Matrix and Synthesis of pertinent literature (at least 5 peer-reviewed studies--not commentary) related to what you detect is a primary literacy-related need for the student/class;

 A cited discussion of specific Recommendations for strengthening literacy teaching and learning for this student/classroom.

 A plan for implementation of findings within a STEM area.

 Note: After you receive feedback on this assignment, you will post in Chalk & Wire as a Summative Assessment for FRC Competency 3: Foundations of Assessment.

 Any components of the course that prepare candidates in the use of technology in instruction, record-keeping, and other professional responsibilities.

The course is conducted online which requires technology mediation.

 Any components of the course designed to prepare teacher candidates to help pk-12 students achieve the Sunshine State Standards?

The Reactions to Readings, The Professional Learning Community group projects, Authentic Learning Tasks, and Literacy Improvement Plan are all aligned with Sunshine State Standards.

 How issues of diversity are addressed in this course? Indicate which aspect(s) of the course (e.g., instructional strategies and/or experiences) provide the teacher candidates the opportunity to acquire and/or apply knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions necessary to help all students learn. (“all students” includes students with various learning styles, students with exceptionalities and different ethnic, racial, gender, language, religious, socioeconomic, regional/geographic origins, and achievement levels)

PLC Presentation-20 pts. (Groups of 3-4) (FEAP 5; CF 1, 4; ILA 3; FRC 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17; FLCS 2, 3) This media-based project will be a culmination of your investigation of a topic of your choice. At least one aspect of your topic must address cultural and/or linguistic diversity within literacy practices. In essence, you will become an expert in this area of assessment. On the last Blackboard Collaborate session, you will “teach” us what you have learned and have found to be the salient features of the topic. Full credit is predicated upon your attendance (via Blackboard Collaborate) during the entire evening of presentations. A rubric will be provided.

 Working in a collaborative group, you will construct an action plan delineating your topic, readings, and who will complete which tasks by the dates of your choosing. You will submit a planning report that includes your group’s planned learning activities and a delineation of who will complete what tasks toward the final project.

8 3/2015

 Throughout the semester, you will meet with your group to enact your plans and prepare your project.

 The final media-based project will be approximately 6-8 minutes in length. You will also submit the completed action plan indicating each member’s contribution to the end product.