Special Education Preparation in Reading:
Louisiana
Delivering Well Prepared Teachers Policy
Analysis of Louisiana's policies
Although Louisiana requires special education candidates to pass the Praxis II Multiple Subjects (5001) test, which includes reading as a topic, this assessment does not generate a separate reading score and, therefore, does not amount to an adequate stand-alone reading test. Further, although better than previous Praxis tests, the Multiple Subjects test does not appear to be fully aligned with scientifically based reading instruction. However, in its reading and language competencies for new teachers, Louisiana does require all teacher preparation programs, including special education programs, to address the science of reading.
Louisiana addresses some of the instructional shifts associated with college- and career-readiness standards toward building content knowledge and vocabulary through careful reading of informational and literary texts associated with college- and career-readiness standards. Its newly required assessment, the Praxis II
Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects (5001) test, includes some of the instructional shifts toward building content knowledge and vocabulary through careful reading of informational and literary texts associated with these standards. However, although the framework now addresses complex texts, it does so only in the context of measuring text complexity and does not address how to also incorporate increasingly complex texts into instruction.
Louisiana's middle and secondary
assessments (Praxis II Middle School English Language Arts [5047] and English Language Arts: Content and Analysis [5039],
respectively) address some of the instructional shifts toward building
content knowledge and vocabulary through careful reading of
informational and literary texts associated with these standards.
Middle and secondary tests in other content areas do not address incorporating literacy skills.
Regarding struggling readers, the state's competencies require that a teacher do the following:
- Systematically examine student achievement data, including early literacy screening assessments and ongoing outcome and progress monitoring data, and adjust practice as needed to meet student reading goals
- Understand how to provide interventions to develop fluency in struggling readers
- Match appropriate intervention instruction to struggling readers.
Recommendations for Louisiana
Require all special education teacher candidates who teach elementary grades to pass a rigorous assessment in the science of
reading instruction.
Louisiana should require a rigorous reading
assessment tool to ensure that its elementary special education teacher
candidates are adequately prepared in the science of reading instruction
before entering the classroom. The assessment should clearly test
knowledge and skills related to the science of reading and address all
five instructional components of scientifically based reading
instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and
comprehension. If the test is combined with an assessment that also
tests general pedagogy or elementary content, it should report a
subscore for the science of reading specifically. Elementary special
education teachers who do not possess the minimum knowledge in this area
should not be eligible for licensure.
Ensure that new special education teachers are prepared to incorporate informational text of increasing complexity into classroom instruction.
Louisiana's adoption of the new Multiple Subjects test is a step in the right direction. However, the testing framework does not adequately capture all the major instructional shifts of college- and career-readiness standards. Idaho is therefore encouraged to strengthen its teacher preparation requirements and ensure that all elementary candidates have the ability to incorporate complex informational texts into classroom instruction.
Ensure that new special education teachers are prepared to incorporate literacy skills as an integral part of every subject.
To
ensure that special education students are capable of accessing varied
information about the world around them, Louisiana should also include
specific requirements regarding literacy skills and using text as a
means to build content knowledge in history/social studies, science,
technical subjects and the arts.
State response to our analysis
Louisiana indicated that the state requires the Praxis Teaching Reading (5204) for early childhood, elementary and special education candidates enrolled in a non institute of higher education (IHE) alternate program. Alternate and traditional early childhood, elementary and special education teacher candidates enrolled in an IHE must earn nine credit semester reading hours that focus on the teaching of reading, emphasizing techniques of teaching reading and the recognition and correction of reading problems. Louisiana referenced Revised Statute 17:7.1(4)(a), which requires candidates to fulfill coursework requirements in the area of teaching reading. The state also referenced its reading competencies required of all teachers. These competencies must be addressed by teacher preparation programs, including but not limited to the reading courses required by state statute.
Further, Louisiana stated that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education policy requires all teacher preparation programs to address State Content Standards, which are the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards require programs to prepare candidates who are sufficiently ready to incorporate informational text into instruction and ensure that all new teachers are prepared to incorporate literacy skills as an integral part of every subject.
The state added that teacher preparation programs are required to realign the teacher preparation curriculum to prepare preservice teachers to teach to the new CCSS, Compass and assessments. The CAEP and LDOE Partnership Agreement states that "Louisiana standards and institutional standards must be applied in the CAEP accreditation process.”
Louisiana also noted that an ongoing review of this alignment is occurring as campuses provide documentation for their national NCATE/TEAC/CAEP accreditation and ongoing state approval. The state then referenced Bulletin 996: Standards for Approval of Teacher Education Programs Chapter 7.
Last word
Louisiana's Reading and Language Competencies are included in the analysis. Unfortunately, the competencies fail to indicate how teachers are prepared to incorporate informational texts of increasing complexity into the classroom.
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Louisiana
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Delivering Well Prepared Teachers
- Admission into Teacher Preparation
- Elementary Teacher Preparation
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Mathematics
- Early Childhood
- Middle School Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and Social Studies
- Special Education Teacher Preparation
- Special Education Preparation in Reading
- Assessing Professional Knowledge
- Student Teaching
- Teacher Preparation Program Accountability
Expanding the Pool of Teachers
Identifying Effective Teachers
- State Data Systems
- Evaluation of Effectiveness
- Frequency of Evaluations
- Tenure
- Licensure Advancement
- Equitable Distribution
Retaining Effective Teachers
Exiting Ineffective Teachers
Pensions
Research rationale
Reading science has identified five components of effective instruction.
Teaching children to read is the most important task teachers undertake. Over the past 60 years, scientists from many fields have worked to determine how people learn to read and why some struggle. This science of reading has led to breakthroughs that can dramatically reduce the number of children destined to become functionally illiterate or barely literate adults. By routinely applying in the classroom the lessons learned from the scientific findings, most reading failure can be avoided. Estimates indicate that the current failure rate of 20 to 30 percent could be reduced to 2 to 10 percent.
Scientific research has shown that there are five essential components of effective reading instruction: explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Many states' policies still do not reflect the strong research consensus in reading instruction that has emerged over the last few decades. Many teacher preparation programs resist teaching scientifically based reading instruction. NCTQ's reports on teacher preparation, beginning with What Education Schools Aren't Teaching about Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren't Learning in 2006 and continuing through the Teacher Prep Review in 2013 and 2014, have consistently found the overwhelming majority of teacher preparation programs across the country do not train teachers in the science of reading. Whether through standards or coursework requirements, states must direct programs to provide this critical training. But relying on programs alone is insufficient; states must only grant a license to new special education elementary teachers who can demonstrate they have the knowledge and skills to teach children to read.
Effective early reading instruction is especially important for teachers of special education students.
By far, the largest classification of students receiving special education services are those with learning disabilities. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that reading disabilities account for about 80 percent of learning disabilities. While early childhood and elementary teachers must know the reading science to prevent reading difficulties, special education teachers, and especially elementary special education teachers, must know how to support students who have already fallen behind and struggle with reading and literacy skills. That some states actually require less from special education teachers in terms of preparation to teach reading than they require from general education teachers is baffling and deeply worrisome.
College- and career-readiness standards require significant shifts in literacy instruction.
College- and career-readiness standards for K-12 students adopted by nearly all states require from a teachers a different focus on literacy integrated into all subject areas. The standards demand that teachers are prepared to bring complex text and academic language into regular use, emphasize the use of evidence from informational and literary texts and build knowledge and vocabulary through content-rich text. While most states have not ignored teachers' need for training and professional development related to these instructional shifts, few states have attended to the parallel need to align teacher competencies and requirements for teacher preparation so that new teachers will enter the classroom ready to help students meet the expectations of these standards. For special education teachers, preparation and training must focus on managing these instructional shifts while also helping students who may have serious reading deficiencies.
Elementary Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction: Supporting Research
For evidence on what new teachers are not learning about reading instruction, see NCTQ, "What Education Schools Aren't Teaching About Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren't Learning" 2006) at:http://www.nctq.org/nctq/images/nctq_reading_study_app.pdf.
For problems with existing reading tests, see S. Stotsky, "Why American Students Do Not Learn to Read Very Well: The Unintended Consequences of Title II and Teacher Testing," Third Education Group Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2006; and D. W. Rigden, Report on Licensure Alignment with the Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction (Washington, D.C.: Reading First Teacher Education Network, 2006).
For information on where states set passing scores on elementary level content tests for teacher licensing across the U.S., see chart on p. 13 of NCTQ "Recommendations for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Removing the Roadblocks: How Federal Policy Can Cultivate Effective Teachers," (2011).
For an extensive summary of the research base supporting the instructional shifts associated with college- and career-readiness standards, see "Research Supporting the Common Core ELA Literacy Shifts and Standards" available from Student Achievement Partners.