Page | 7 Rationale The challenge. Large numbers of students arrive at high school with significant language deficits. Research has shown that a growing portion of students in high school cannot read at grade level. In fact, according to a study by the Alliance for Excellent Education, one in four secondary students was unable to read and understand textbook content. The Nation’s Report Card reveals that one-third of secondary students in the US score below a basic level in reading (NAEP 2019, 2022). Research shows that students unable to read fluently by the end of third grade have a nearly five times greater rate of dropping out of high school. These language deficits put high school students at significant academic risk. Educators and, ultimately, students, need e7ective tools to change this and achieve language proficiency. This is a particularly complex challenge for secondary students; the process is complex and requires consideration of the intricacies of reading as an ongoing developmental process. For striving readers and multilingual students especially, literacy encompasses much more than reading, as students traverse language domains (including listening, speaking, and writing). Thus, the research underpinning these unique needs is also part of the foundation. The solution. Engage with Literature and Content is an engaging solution grounded in current research and pedagogy and aligned to nationally accepted standards developed to address deficits among high school students. The program is based on scientifically proven research and pedagogy in literacy and language, providing instructional strategies, materials, and activities aligned with this research. Deep attention to literacy development and the science behind it are the foundation of the program. Engage is steeped in the Science of Reading (SoR), as it pertains to readers in high school, including the five pillars of literacy. Research indicates that a role remains for sound-symbol phonological awareness and phonics and this is reflected in the Program. As students encounter unfamiliar multisyllabic words, they use not only morphology, but graphophonemic strategies to pronounce new vocabulary (Hougen 2015; CDE 2022). A continued focus on vocabulary development, fluency, and text comprehension remains vital for academic success. Research-driven driven strategies, materials, and activities aligned to targeted literacy outcomes are included and address digital and discipline-specific literacies, as well as language specific to career and technical education. Each academic content area requires its own development of vocabulary, knowledge of syntax, and useful comprehension strategies for fluency and understanding to grow. To address these language and content needs, the strategies, materials, and activities ae aligned to academic content and language development standards. The research-based and standards aligned strategies, materials, and activities drive the lessons in each unit, building rigor toward achievement. Beyond schoolbased academic literacy, adolescents often rely on out-of-school literacies that are brought to the classroom setting. These skills are recognized within the Engage instructional framework and are capitalized on as academic assets (Gonzales, Moll & Amanti 2005; Moll 2019).
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