In March, a group of committed educators traveled
to San Diego, CA, to engage in professional
learning about literacy and equity. ILA West 2018,
which attracted 600-plus attendees, provided an
opportunity to interact in a smaller venue than our
annual conference. As a participant and presenter,
I was proud of our organization for creating this
opportunity.
A few key takeaways for me came from the
opening session by Glenn Singleton, who shared
alarming information regarding students of color:
They do not have the same opportunities
to choose what they want to read as white
students.
They do not have access to the same quantity,
quality, and variety of books.
They do not have the same opportunities for
deep, intellectual discussions around text.
Many do not see themselves as readers and
have not been told of the power there is in
reading.
The sessions during the two-day event provided
ideas that educators could use to change those
facts. I am particularly interested in developing
assessment-capable learners, a term I borrow from
John Hattie. When students have ownership over
their learning and they come to see themselves as
their own teachers, they are increasingly motivated
to learn. I believe this can significantly impact the
equity gaps we have seen.
As Nancy Frey and I have worked on this
concept, we believe teachers can create
assessment-capable learners when they change
practices. Our synthesis led to six components.
Assessment-capable learners
1. Know their current level of understanding
2. Know where they’re going and are confident
to take on the challenge
Literacy: The Pathway
to Equity
ILA UPDATE
3. Select tools to guide their learning
4. Seek feedback and recognize that errors are
opportunities to learn
5. Monitor their progress and adjust their
learning
6. Recognize their learning and teach others
In my experience, every teacher has some
students who exhibit these characteristics. But the
question is, what can we do to ensure all of our
students develop these skills and habits? And, how
different will the outcomes be when students are
able to do that?
Discussions around equity will continue
at the ILA 2018 Conference in Austin, TX, July
20–23. Along with the conference theme of Be a
Changemaker, there’s a particular focus on equity
embedded throughout the event, including a panel
moderated by Eliza Byard of GLSEN: “Literacy
and Our LGBTQ Students: Starting and Sustaining
Schoolwide Transformation.”
Literacy is an important and often-missing
ingredient in equity conversations. In fact, literacy
is one of the best antidotes to poverty, racism, and
discrimination that we have. Literacy becomes the
currency of other learning.
That’s why we do what we do. I hope to see you
in Austin as we all learn new tools to improve our
practices. Our students are worth it, and every one
of them deserves a great, supportive teacher who is
supported by amazing administrators. That’s why we
convene, and that’s how we
become changemakers.
Douglas Fisher
President of the Board
6
literacyworldwide.org | May/June 2018 | LITERACY TODAY