If you are working your way through an education degree, you may realize more than others how much we struggle with the issue of literacy in America. Happily, the Internet provides more and more ways in which teachers can help children become lifelong readers; reading is the foundation for virtually every career one might choose to do.
One of the newer tools that aims to improve students’ reading skills will help libraries, schools, and other organizations evaluate how well their literacy programs are working. The FREE tool, provided by Thinkfinity Literacy Network, is the Verizon Literacy Program Self Assessment Tool (VLP-SAT).
“We believe this self-assessment tool can play a tremendous role in improving literacy rates,” Darling said. “It provides a roadmap with more scope and depth than any other tool currently available.”
This free, online tool provides individuals with a detailed questionnaire asking about a literacy program’s methods, parental involvement, the education level of students, and current methods being used to assess the success of the program.
The literacy provider is then given a “grade” of 1 to 5 in several different areas. The grades are indicative of whether or not an organization is using the research-based, proven methods that will help them achieve the best results possible.
If an organization scores a “3” or below in a particular area, the online tool gives them a list of resources created and recommended by education and literacy experts.
On the Thinkfinity website, browsers of the internet can explore the more than 55,000 research- and standards-based educational resources, which include free K-12 lesson plans, program assessment tools, teaching and learning tools, online courses, abundant research that highlights the importance of literacy development, and more.
Program staff will ideally use this tool as a benchmark in evaluating current practices of literacy organizations and schools and to find resources to improve various key areas.
Kathy Brown, senior vice president of public policy and corporate responsibility for Verizon has said that Verizon has a strong interest in providing philanthropy dollars “to help leverage… [individuals’] assets and skills and to start some sort of measurement…”
I think we’re off and running; online tools will only improve and enhance our literacy programs henceforth…
Fri, Mar 5, 2010
Programs, Teachers, Testing