9/9/2024

Accelerating Virginia’s ALL In Initiative: How Lexia Aspire Helps Elevate Literacy for Secondary Students

To maximize the impact of Virginia’s ALL In initiative, it's crucial to integrate the literacy skills students develop during tutoring into their broader education. By fostering a schoolwide commitment to literacy through science of reading-based professional learning, Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning helps educators accelerate students’ progress toward grade-level proficiency and enhances the overall effectiveness of the ALL In initiative.

The Importance of Content Teacher Buy-In

One of the most significant factors in the success of the ALL In tutoring initiative will be the active participation and buy-in from content teachers across all subjects. Literacy instruction is not solely the responsibility of English Language Arts (ELA) teachers or tutors using Lexia® PowerUp Literacy®. Aspire equips educators across all subjects to integrate literacy instruction effectively, ensuring a unified approach. It is a critical component that should be integrated into every subject area. This approach ensures literacy skills are reinforced throughout the school day, making tutoring sessions more impactful and helping students make greater strides in their learning.

The Critical Role of Literacy Instruction Across All Subjects

Research has shown that approximately 85% of the public school curriculum is delivered via text. This means students need strong reading skills to succeed not only in ELA but also in subjects like science, social studies, and mathematics. When content teachers incorporate literacy instruction into their lessons, they help students develop the reading and writing skills necessary to understand complex texts and concepts across all subjects.

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Tutoring Efforts

When content teachers embrace literacy instruction, they create a cohesive and supportive learning environment for all students. This reinforcement ensures tutoring sessions are more effective and targeted, accelerating student literacy improvements.

Key Points:

• Continuous Reinforcement: Literacy skills are reinforced throughout the school day, making tutoring more impactful.
• Subject-Specific Integration: Teachers integrating reading strategies in their lessons helps students better analyze and understand complex texts.
• Writing Integration: Formal and informal writing activities enhance students' comprehension and retention of material.
• Holistic Approach: A culture prioritizing literacy across all subjects ensures comprehensive student support and success.
• Empowerment Through Aspire: Aspire equips educators with strategies to integrate literacy into their teaching, accelerating student progress and achieving ALL In initiative goals.

“When teachers and students started transferring knowledge and skill, which you don’t often see in a professional learning or program, I knew Lexia® was the right solution for our district. With Lexia, teachers and students are able to articulate and understand the why.”
—Renee Hesson, Supervisor of Instruction for Secondary English & Fine Arts, Caroline County Public Schools, Maryland

What Secondary Students Need

Secondary students have distinct needs regarding literacy education, which are critical to their academic success and future opportunities. Addressing these needs requires a comprehensive approach to integrating literacy instruction across all subjects. Here are five key needs of secondary students and how Lexia helps educators support each one.

Understanding Academic Language

• Need: Students struggle with subject-specific terminology.
• Aspire Support: Provides educators with tools and strategies for teaching academic language effectively through focused modules.

Integrating Writing to Enhance Understanding

• Need: Writing helps students organize thoughts, reflect, and retain information.

• Aspire Support: Offers educators practical applications and resources for incorporating writing into instruction, both formally and informally.

Receiving Targeted Literacy Instruction Across All Subjects

• Need: Continued literacy instruction tailored to specific needs.
• PowerUp Support: PowerUp provides targeted literacy instruction directly to students, offering personalized interventions that address specific skill gaps across various subjects.
• Aspire Support: Aspire equips educators with the knowledge and confidence to integrate literacy instruction seamlessly into their content-area teaching. Through personalized, continuous professional learning that uses evidence-based pedagogy, Aspire helps teachers effectively support and reinforce the targeted instruction students receive through PowerUp.

Engaging Students With Relevant and Age-Appropriate Materials

• Need: Engagement with relevant and developmentally appropriate texts.
• PowerUp Support: Includes a range of age-appropriate resources and flexible, self-paced modules for educators to select relevant content.

Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation of Instruction

• Need: Ongoing assessment and adaptation of teaching strategies.
• PowerUp Support: Offers robust progress-monitoring tools, embedded assessments, and skill checks for dynamic and responsive literacy instruction.
• Aspire Support: Equips educators with the skills to adapt their instruction based on the progress observed, ensuring interventions are effective in the classroom.

By addressing these critical needs, Aspire empowers educators while PowerUp supports students, creating a comprehensive and effective literacy education environment. This support is essential for helping secondary students succeed academically and prepare for their future endeavors, making Aspire an invaluable partner to PowerUp and Virginia’s ALL In tutoring initiative.

“Aspire gives teachers the resources they need and PowerUp brings the resources to the student level, using their progress data.” 
—Renee Hesson, Supervisor of Instruction for Secondary English & Fine Arts, Caroline County Public Schools, Maryland

How Aspire Supports Literacy Initiatives

Aspire is a comprehensive solution designed to address the instructional needs of educators of students in grades 4–8. Grounded in the science of reading, Aspire offers a range of features and benefits that make it an invaluable tool for educators across all subjects. The flexible, online courses provide professional learning to educators and tutors, enhancing their ability to effectively implement PowerUp and support student literacy. Aspire trains all educators to weave literacy skills and strategies into their instruction so they can support learners in reading, comprehending, and articulating their ideas across various subjects.

Features and Benefits of Aspire

• Flexibility and Choice: On-demand, self-paced digital program with selectable content relevant to educators' needs, fitting seamlessly into busy schedules.
• Personalized Continuous Learning: Adapts to individual educator performance, providing personalized content and scaffolded support as needed.
• Practical and Transferable Resources: Includes "Bridge to Application" opportunities, helping educators apply evidence-based concepts and best practices in daily instruction.
• Evidence-Based Pedagogy: Uses the science of reading to inform instruction, providing a solid foundation for comprehensive literacy teaching.
• Progress Monitoring for School Leaders: Tracks educators' progress through completion rates, time spent, quiz scores, and assessments to ensure improved teaching practices and student performance.
• Alignment With Accreditation Standards: Courses align with the International Dyslexia Association® and Common Core State Standards, and offer opportunities for educators to earn graduate-level credits from the American College of Education.

Going Beyond Traditional Tutoring Support

• Comprehensive Support: Aspire equips educators, including teachers and tutors, with the skills to integrate literacy instruction across subjects, enhancing the impact of PowerUp in achieving significant literacy gains for students.
• Collaboration and Community Building: Encourages educators to share insight and strategies, fostering a supportive network to improve literacy outcomes between teachers and tutors.

Additional Support Provided by Aspire

• On-Demand, Self-Paced Modules: Flexible modules allow educators to learn and revisit content at their own pace, ensuring continuous professional learning without added stress.
• Continuous Learning Opportunities: Ongoing professional development with resources such as video tutorials, interactive modules, and practical guides to help teachers integrate literacy skills effectively.

Aspire supports literacy initiatives by providing these comprehensive features and benefits, equipping educators to contribute to their students' success. This holistic approach will help district leaders accelerate their literacy progress toward Virginia’s ALL In goals and improve literacy outcomes for statewide secondary students.

“The way Aspire is arranged topically and by domain made for a much more powerful professional learning experience, in real time.” 
—Renee Hesson, Supervisor of Instruction for Secondary English & Fine Arts, Caroline County Public Schools, Maryland

Final Thoughts

Virginia’s ALL In tutoring initiative is a bold and essential move to address learning loss exacerbated by the pandemic. By combining academic tutoring with the expertise of PowerUp and the professional learning resources of Aspire, districts can significantly improve literacy outcomes for secondary students.

• Enhancing ALL In Efforts: Aspire complements the initiative by equipping educators with the knowledge they need to reinforce student literacy skills learned in tutoring sessions, translating and applying them to the classroom. 
• Accelerating Literacy Outcomes: Provides flexibility and evidence-based strategies, helping teachers deliver high-quality literacy instruction tailored to student needs, closing literacy gaps, and ensuring academic excellence.
• Comprehensive Literacy Strategies Across All Subjects: Integrates literacy instruction across all subjects, reinforcing skills taught during tutoring sessions and creating a cohesive learning experience that accelerates student progress.
• A Collaborative Effort for Greater Impact: Supports the collective efforts of educators, school leaders, and the community, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous professional development to create an environment where literacy thrives.

Aspire enhances the effectiveness of Virginia's ALL In initiative by equipping educators with the skills to integrate literacy instruction across all subjects. While PowerUp plays a central role in the ALL In program, Aspire supports educators in applying literacy strategies that reinforce the progress students make during tutoring. By providing ongoing professional development, Aspire helps educators create a cohesive learning environment that accelerates student progress and strengthens the overall impact of the ALL In initiative. Together, we can make a significant impact on the future of our students and the overall educational landscape in Virginia.