Literacy Competencies for Secondary and PreK—12 Teaching Areas. Teacher candidates completing programs that lead to licensure in secondary and PreK—12 content areas shall demonstrate an understanding of the following competencies: The Learner and Learning. The teacher candidate shall: Define, describe, explain, and analyze the developmental characteristics of adolescent literary learners, active independent readers, processes of making meaning, and motivation and engagement; Interpret, synthesize, and apply learning of active independent readers, processes of making meaning, and motivation and engagement to specific content area instruction; Define and distinguish features of diversity and interpret linguistic cultural differences among adolescent learners; Examine, evaluate, and apply learning of inclusive content area literacy environment and instruction to close achievement gaps; Describe the characteristics of a high quality learning environment; and Construct high quality learning environments that support individual and collaborative interaction and engagement. Content Knowledge. The teacher candidate shall: Describe purposes and opportunities for reading, writing, and communicating within and across content areas and analyze types of new literacies and their uses for acquiring content knowledge and student understandings; Use new literacies for acquiring and developing content knowledge and student understanding; Identify and select appropriate multi-modal sources and resources for inquiry; and Evaluate and use discipline-specific processes of inquiry to engage in collaborative problem solving and critical thinking. Assessment and Instruction. The teacher candidate shall: Describe guiding principles and practices and examine assessment types, tools, and purposes for content literacy assessment; Select or develop content-specific assessment tools to evaluate student performance and the effectiveness of assessment tools for content-specific assessment; Identify deficits in reading and develop a plan to address using strategies aligned to the science of reading to support appropriate interventions; Examine factors of text complexity and analyze student data to inform and evaluate instructional practice; Synthesize multiple data points to evaluate and to refine content area instructional practice; Identify professional and literacy standards and curricula for lesson development to plan and evaluate engaging instruction that supports all learners in meeting goals and intended outcomes; Use professional and literacy standards and curricula to plan, implement, and evaluate lessons and instructional units of study within content areas; Critique effectiveness of instruction and design next steps for students and teachers; Examine research and theoretical frameworks and investigate evidence-based multi-modal instructional practices to develop comprehension; Use evidence-based multi-modal instructional practices to develop and evaluate comprehension within content areas; and Examine research and theoretical frameworks and investigate evidence-based multi-modal instructional practices for general academic and content specific vocabulary use. Professional Responsibility. The teacher candidate shall: Examine current trends, initiatives, and educational reform efforts as relative to content literacy; Explore professional dispositions and engage in critical self-reflection to construct a professional development plan as a content area literacy teacher; Identify organizational structures and school-based resources for specific needs; and Investigate opportunities for collaboration with families/school/communities and develop leadership capacities through actively participating in school-based opportunities for growth and development. Literacy Competencies for Early Childhood, Elementary, Special Education, and English to Speakers of Other Languages. Teacher candidates completing programs that lead to licensure in early childhood, elementary, English to speakers of other languages, and special education areas shall demonstrate an understanding of the following: Literacy Processes. The teacher candidate shall: Identify the component processes involved in reading and writing aligned to the science of reading; Apply that knowledge to understand the reading and writing processes of native English speakers and English learners; Describe how key components of reading and writing processes develop and what biological, cognitive, linguistic, and sociocultural factors may influence literacy development; Identify characteristics that define evidence-based practices in literacy programming and instruction aligned to the science of reading; Use evidenced-based criteria aligned to the science of reading to select and organize print and multimedia resources for teaching reading and writing; and Use a variety of print and multimedia resources to engage students as readers and writers. Literacy Instruction in the Diverse Classroom. The teacher candidate shall: Develop in their students the awareness of the sounds made by spoken words; Systematically map speech sounds with letters and letter combinations; Provide extended practice for reading words to develop fluency; Provide opportunities for students to devote energy to the meaning of text to build content vocabulary; Develop student understanding of what is being read to them and what they will eventually read themselves; Provide instruction focused on the core components of reading that lead to proficient and motivated reading behavior for all students; Provide instruction focused on the core components of writing that lead to proficient and motivated writing behavior for all students; Design speaking and listening opportunities that lead to more active, equitable, and academically oriented conversations for all students; Identify the role of classroom literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading in a multi-tiered system of supports and work with colleagues to provide effective interventions for students who struggle as readers and writers; and Provide literacy instruction that reflects and is responsive to the diversity of the classroom community and promotes all students’ cultural competence through inclusive and equitable literacy learning opportunities. Effective Literacy Assessment. The teacher candidate shall: Identify the foci, purposes, and features of literacy assessments and application; Identify and implement a developmentally appropriate reading screener to identify students at risk for reading difficulties; Select or design appropriate diagnostic assessments and use data from those assessments to determine areas of need, provide targeted instruction, collaborate with instructional specialists, monitor progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of literacy instruction; and Use effective techniques for communicating assessment information to a variety of stakeholders. Researched-based literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading, to include: Phonological and phonemic awareness; Phonics and decoding; Fluency; Vocabulary; Comprehension of literary and informational text; Written expression, spelling, and grammar; Assessment and instructional decision-making; Long-term planning aligned with the literacy curriculum, student needs, instructional histories, school/grade level needs; Effective methods for promoting the reciprocal relationship between writing and reading; Strategies that foster connections to students’ homes and communities; and Multiple opportunities for incorporating oral language variation.