No single literacy program can address every possible need of students and teachers in a particular local setting. That is why this discussion will focus on literacy plans as frameworks for literacy learning that are context-driven and, therefore, more effective than any particular literacy program. Schools need literacy action plans to “guide decision making around instruction, programming, and resource allocation” (Irving, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007). The goal of a literacy plan is to effect positive change that leads to improvement of literacy outcomes for all students.
What makes a high quality school-wide or district-wide literacy program? A quality literacy program should be comprehensive, meaning, it should cover all aspects of literacy development. At the elementary level, this means addressing the foundational skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension instruction, as well as writing. At the middle and high school levels, comprehensive literacy programs should address disciplinary literacy and domain-specific pedagogy practices (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p. 224), as well as 21st century literacies (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p. 228), with the “emphasis on student motivation, engagement, and achievement” (Irving, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007).
What should be included? Based on the literacy plans I reviewed, they should include clearly defined goals and outcomes, as well as action steps to achieve them. The examples of action plan goals provided by Irving, Meltzer, and Dukes (2007), offer a template to record the timeline for accomplishing the goal, people responsible for implementing a particular action step, resources needed, as well as documents and assessments that will be used as evidence of progress and success in reaching a particular goal.
Likewise, districts and schools should promote a shared vision, culture, and practices regarding literacy. This entails articulating instructional models and approaches, types of assessments along with a rationale, support structures for intervention, provisions for teacher support and improvement, and staff development goals in the areas of student learning as well as professional learning. Local literacy plans can include other areas of need, based on the local context. For example, Proctor Public Schools district has a provision for continued DBT training for teachers and staff to address behavior supports, while Bloomington Public Schools had a section delineating Student Support Systems for ELLs.
What is most important? It is essential that literacy plans should drive action. In other words, they need to be clear and outline concrete steps toward improvement, focusing on “curriculum implementation and improving instruction” (Irving, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007). There is no point in having an eloquently articulated and formulated plan that no one will even want to read, let alone ever use, because it is impractical and too complicated to decipher.
Likewise, it is important to realize that the literacy professional is “not the only leader in the process” (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p. 240), but a member of a larger collaborative team where everyone is equally responsible for building team capacity, establishing an atmosphere of shared responsibility and consensus on important issues, and creating “networks of expertise” (Shearer, Carr, & Vogt, 2019, p. 242) through coteaching, modeling, and colearning alongside other professionals and experts in the field of education.
References:
Irving, J. L., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M. S. (2007). Chapter 5: Develop and implement a schoolwide literacy action plan. In Taking action on adolescent literacy: An implementation guide for literacy leaders. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Develop-and-Implement-a-Schoolwide-Literacy-Action-Plan.aspx
Shearer, B. A., Carr, D. B., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Aleksandra's Literacy Blog 
Dear Aleksandra,
Thanks for your thoroughness, as usual.
The statement which resonated with me: No single literacy program can address every possible need of students and teachers in a particular local setting.”
Of course, I agree and because a plan can only be a framework due to the many variables–people, resources, and the like–what does a classroom need?
A classroom needs innovated, creative, thinking-out-side-the-box teachers. In other words, teacher, themselves, need training in higher-level-thinking.
Well, Aleksandra, you might ask–where do they get this?
Ha! ha!, in school to some degree. So this means that our schools training and teaching future teachers are NOT up-to-par. Well, I said it in a nice way, because the blog is public. So until we change our college-level instructors’ ineptitude, future teachers will not be able to apply flexibility to those framework-plans you discussed.
When I speak about change, I am referring from the bottom up and it all begins the our future teachers’ classrooms.
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“There is no point in having an eloquently articulated and formulated plan that no one will even want to read, let alone ever use, because it is impractical and too complicated to decipher.”
This sentence is so important! As you stated, literacy plans need to drive action. They should be so practical, that every teacher has it easily accessible because they need to be checking it frequently. I want to be able to easily understand my role in our school’s literacy. How often am I assessing? How am I expected to communicate? I don’t have time during the school year to sit and really dig into a document. I need to be able to find and apply the most important parts of the plan to my classroom and students, and do it quickly.
I think Jodi talks about having her school having a beautifully written, yet ineffective, plan. I wonder how many schools are sitting in the same situation?
~Ali
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I think your line “It is essential that literacy plans should drive action” is so important. Why does a district even have to have a literacy plan? Because in order to create change and be effective, a detailed and organized plan must be in place. Great job!
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Aleksandra,
I appreciate that you believe a literacy plan should drive action. It should be the place that teachers are looking to when developing lesson plans, working with struggling readers and examining data.
Thank you for also mentioning that the literacy professional is not the only literacy leader. Any member of the literacy team should be considered a literacy leader. A teacher who is putting the literacy plan into action and seeing results is by far one of the best resources and should be sharing their expertise with others.
Great post as usual. Good work!
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