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MISSION
STATEMENT
The Department of Reading and language Arts is committed to
promoting and enhancing quality instruction in reading and language
arts.
PREPARING
LITERACY LEADERS FOR SERVICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
is the overarching mission of the Department of Reading and Language
Arts and is consistent with and closely aligned to the theme of
PREPARING LEADERS FOR SERVICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
embraced by the School of Education and Professional Studies. The
underlying principles of our mission are derived from our
professional standards as defined by the International Reading
Association and NCTE, and by state mandates such as the Blueprint
for Reading Achievement and the Language Arts Framework.
Our MISSION is to provide leadership within the Region by:
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preparing
knowledgeable and competent reading specialists/literacy coaches
who meet the CT state standards for advanced certifications in
reading and language arts and the IRA standards or reading
professionals;
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preparing literacy professionals
who can provide leadership through modeling and mentoring to
ensure that classroom teachers and other staff support acquire a
wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and
curriculum materials to facilitate their reading and writing
instruction;
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preparing literacy professionals
who are knowledgeable with various assessments appropriate for a
wide range of diversity in classroom, including
technologically-based assessments and to be able to mentor and
support classroom teachers and other professionals in the
selection, administration, and interpretation of assessments to
enhance student learning, and to communicate results to
education stakeholders;
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preparing literacy professionals who can support and mentor
classroom teachers and other professionals in creating a
literate environment to facilitate successful reading and
writing for all children; and
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preparing literacy professionals who continue to be lifelong
learners and scholars through readings, research and
professional development, and leaders in planning and
implementing professional development programs for teachers and
other professionals, as well as in advocating to advance
professional research base to expand knowledge-based practices.
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The underlying principles guiding our mission are:
Primacy of literacy and preparing teachers to teach for our literacy
futures . We need to prepare teachers who
can prepare their students to meet literacy challenges in an
information age.
Developing knowledgeable literacy teachers .
Investment in time
and energy to develop knowledgeable literacy teachers takes
precedence over the use of scripted programs, particular approaches
and materials.
Valuing diversity and diverse learners with literacy as a tool for
empowerment. We need
literacy teachers who value diversity and make decisions taking into
account diverse learning styles, and the cultural, linguistic, and
social and developmental needs and strengths of the diverse range of
students served in our classrooms.
Research based literacy instruction .
Teaching should be derived from research based practice. We need to
develop teachers who take a reflective stance in their work and use
student learning outcomes to inform and refine their teaching to
better serve their students.
Ethical stance.
Assessment should be
purposeful to inform teaching and learning; not as a punitive
practice.
Professionalism/Collegiality/Leadership.
Reading and language
arts professionals need to work with and support one another as a
community of learners and practitioners.
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