Division of Instruction

Elementary Literacy in APS

Literacy for the 21st century

In order to function fully in the 21st century, students will need to develop powerful literacy abilities. The complex, technological workplace and society of the future will place dramatically increased demands on the use of written, spoken and visual communication. Clearly, literacy expectations will accelerate in the coming decades. For that reason, curriculum for the 21st century must reflect a view of literacy that is more comprehensive and more demanding than the curriculum of the past.

Literacy today must include the capacity to accommodate a wide range of reading, writing and other language arts tasks associated with everyday life.  The National Literacy Act of 1991, for example, defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write and speak English...at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."

Philosophy

As educators, we believe:

• the learner is the center of the educational experience.
• all children have a rich and varied potential for learning and must be provided with appropriate educational opportunities to meet their diverse learning needs.
• ongoing assessment must drive instruction so that instructional methods and sequences are based on the strengths, needs and experiences of the learners.
• students build knowledge and develop competency over time. This progression in students' competencies is reflected in the APS Communication and Arts and Humanities standards and benchmarks, as well as the APS developmental continuums for reading and writing.

To implement these beliefs, we will develop a balanced curriculum which will include:

• explicit instruction provided within meaningful contexts in:
  • the three cueing systems: phonics, syntax and semantics so that students can integrate these skills to create meaning
  • reading comprehension strategies so that students can develop a repertoire of skills and strategies for creating, analyzing and interpreting text
  • language conventions such as punctuation, grammar usage, sentence structure and spelling so that students can communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• the use of a broad range of authentic texts in a variety of genres, both spoken and visual, as well as written
• oral language development in emergent and early readers and writers, which will expand to include explicit instruction in speaking, listening and viewing as the student progresses developmentally
• a classroom climate in which strategic, critical and creative thinking skills are taught, encouraged and rewarded.

To accomplish our goals and ensure continuous improvement in literacy instruction, we support a comprehensive professional development program which:

• reflects a systemic effort to initiate and sustain professional learning opportunities for all stakeholders
• aligns with long-term school and District goals for the implementation of standards-based education
• is results-based, data-driven and tied to improving student achievement
• uses the systematic study of student work to improve teaching and learning
• requires the participation and ongoing professional development of all educators in the Aurora Public Schools
• allocates adequate resources, including people, time and facilities, to improve the instructional program
• is teacher-designed and school-centered
• is sustained over time and provides for extensive follow-through, layered support in the form of coaches and/or on-site teacher-leaders, and time for collegial planning and dialogue
• provides a variety of approaches and professional development models to meet the diverse needs of the adult learner
• occurs in an environment of safety, trust and shared problem-solving

Literacy Resource Pages