N.M. Admin. Code § 6.64.3.9

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 21, November 5, 2024

Section 6.64.3.9 - COMPETENCIES FOR ENTRY-LEVEL READING TEACHERS

A. Philosophy of reading instruction.

(1) Reading as a complex, interactive, and constructive process.

(a) Recognizes the importance of teaching reading as a balanced process incorporating skills and strategies in a meaningful context.

(b) Recognizes the importance of using a wide variety of print throughout the curriculum, including high-quality children's or adolescent literature and diverse expository materials appropriate to the age and developmental level of learners.

(c) Has knowledge of current and historical perspectives about the nature and purposes of reading and about widely used approaches to reading instruction.

(d) Recognizes and appreciates the role and value of language, language diversity, and culture in the reading and learning processes.

(e) Recognizes the importance of embedding reading instruction in a meaningful context for the purpose of accomplishing specific, authentic tasks or for pleasure.

(f) Recognizes the value of reading aloud to learners.

(g) Recognizes the influence and value of family in reading development.

(2) Professionalism.

(a) Pursues knowledge of reading, learning processes, and other key educational developments by reading professional journals and publications and participating in conferences and other professional activities such as technology, bilingualism, and multiculturalism.

(b) Uses what is learned through professional inquiry and reflection to improve teaching and assessment techniques.

(c) Interacts and participates in decision-making with teachers, teacher educators, parents, and researchers and plays an active role in schools, classrooms, and the wider professional community.

(d) Supports and participates in efforts to improve the reading profession by being knowledgeable about licensure, certification, and other professional issues.

(e) Participates in local, state, national, and international professional organizations whose mission is the improvement of literacy.

(f) Promotes collegiality with other literacy professionals through regular conversations, discussions, and consultations about learners, literacy theory, and instruction.

(g) Shares knowledge, collaborates, and teaches with colleagues, across the full range of school and educational programs.

(3) Moral dimensions and values.

(a) Recognizes the importance of literacy as a mechanism for personal and social growth.

(b) Recognizes that literacy can be a means for transmitting moral and cultural values within a community.

(c) Recognizes values and is sensitive to human diversity.

(d) Recognizes and is sensitive to the needs and rights of individual learners.

(4) Perspectives about readers and reading.

(a) Understands and accepts the importance of reading as a means to learn, to access information, and to enhance the quality of life.

(b) Understands and is sensitive to differences among learners and how these differences influence reading.

(c) Understands and respects cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, and recognizes the positive contributions of diversity.

(d) Understands importance of integrated community and school efforts in meeting the needs of diverse learners.

(e) Understands the importance of making reading relevant to the learners' lives.

(f) Believes all students can learn to read and share in the communication process.

(g) Recognizes the importance of using reading in positive ways in the classroom.

(h) Recognizes the value and importance of creating a supportive and positive environment for literacy learning.

(i) Recognizes the importance of providing learners opportunities in all aspects of literacy.

(j) Recognizes the importance of implementing literacy programs designed to meet the needs of the students.

(k) Recognizes the importance of building on the strengths of individual learners.

(5) Language development, cognition, and learning.

(a) Understands that language is a symbolic system.

(b) Understands and uses major theories of language development, cognition, and learning and uses them in a well-planned and comprehensive reading program.

(c) Is aware of the linguistic, sociological, cultural, cognitive, and psychological bases of the reading process.

(d) Is aware of the impact of physical, emotional, social, cultural, environmental, and intellectual factors on learning, language development, and reading.

(e) Recognizes dialect variations and respects linguistic differences.

(6) Knowledge of the reading process.

(a) Perceives reading as the process of constructing meaning through the interaction of the reader's existing knowledge, the information suggested by the written language, and the context of the reading situation.

(b) Understands the spectrum of the pre-K-12 reading process and how to effectively address the needs of learners of different ages.

(c) Uses the relationships among reading, writing, listening, and speaking to reinforce learning.

(d) Has knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices that support emergent literacy, particularly of diverse learners.

(e) Is aware that reading develops best through activities that embrace concepts about the purpose and function of reading and writing and the conventions of print.

(f) Is able to explain and model the various word recognition, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies used by fluent readers.

(g) Understands the role of metacognition in reading.

(h) Has knowledge of the importance of reading for language development; listening ability; cognitive, social, and emotional development; and perceptual motor abilities.

(i) Understands the nature and multiple causes of reading disabilities.

(j) Understands the relationship of phonemic, morphemic, and semantic syntactic systems of language to the reading process.

(7) A literate environment.

(a) Promotes the development of a literate environment that fosters interest and growth in all aspects of literacy.

(b) Uses texts to stimulate interest, promote reading growth, foster appreciation for the written word, and increase the motivation of learners to read widely and independently for information and for pleasures.

(c) Models and discusses reading as a valuable activity.

(d) Engages students in activities that develop their image of themselves as literate.

(e) Promotes feelings of pride and ownership for the process and content of reading.

(f) Provides regular opportunities for learners to select from and be exposed to a wide variety of books or other quality written materials.

(g) Provides opportunities for students to be exposed to various purposes for reading and writing, to experience reading and writing as relevant to themselves, and to write and have their writing responded to in a positive way.

(h) Recognizes the importance of providing time for reading of extended text for authentic purposes.

(i) Provides opportunities for students to respond personally, analytically, and critically to a variety of texts.

B. Organization of effective instruction.

(1) Knowledge of contextual factors.

(a) Understands that all students have the ability to learn to read and that certain conditions are necessary for this to happen.

(b) Understands how factors such as content, purpose, tasks, and settings influence the reading process.

(c) Provides flexible grouping based on students' instructional levels, rates of progress, interests, or instructional goals.

(d) Understands how assessment and grouping procedures can influence motivation and learning.

(e) Understands the relationship between environmental factors, cultural factors, and students' performance on measures of reading achievement.

(f) Understands the relationship home factors, social factors, cultural factors, and reading habits have in students' performance.

(g) Understands the influence of school programs (e.g., remedial, gifted, tracking) on students' learning.

(2) Knowledge of individual differences (possesses strategies to deal with differences).

(a) Understands what the reader brings to the reading experience (e.g., prior knowledge, metacognitive abilities, aptitudes, motivation, attitude).

(b) Understands the influence of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds on the reading process.

(c) Understands the relationship among reader's self-concept, attitudes, and learning.

(d) Understands the interactive nature and multiple causes of reading difficulties.

(3) Knowledge of instructional materials.

(a) Understands how to design, select, modify, and evaluate materials that reflect curriculum goals, current knowledge, and the interests, motivation, and needs of individual learners.

(b) Has a thorough understanding of literature for children and young adults, including multicultural literature.

(c) Understands the structure and content of various texts used for instruction.

(d) Understands and uses new instructional technologies.

(e) Understands methods for determining whether materials are clear and appropriate for individual students.

C. Knowledge of instructional strategies.

(1) Teaching strategies.

(a) Understands the importance of using a balanced approach to the teaching of reading that integrates the full range of effective instructional strategies.

(b) Has a thorough understanding of phonics including effective strategies for teaching sounds, blends, diagraphs, diphthongs, and other key aspects of reading.

(c) Has a thorough understanding of comprehension including effective strategies for teaching the use of background knowledge, summarizing, prediction, synthesizing, and other key aspects of reading.

(d) Has a thorough understanding of children's literature including strategies for teaching children to use language and literature to gain insight into their own and others' lives, to build understanding of moral and aesthetic dimensions of human experience, and other key aspects of reading.

(e) Understands the importance of modeling reading for children, including strategies for oral reading, questioning strategies, reading for pleasure, and reading for understanding.

(f) Provides direct instruction and models what, when, and how to use reading strategies with narrative and expository texts.

(g) Uses strategies to encourage and motivate students to pursue and respond to reading and writing for personal growth and fulfillment.

(h) Teaches effective study strategies.

(2) Learning strategies.

(a) Helps students learn and apply comprehension strategies for a variety of purposes.

(b) Helps students monitor their comprehension and reading processes.

(c) Understands and helps students learn and apply reading comprehension strategies in the content areas.

(d) Helps students gain understanding of the conventions of language and literacy.

(e) Teaches word recognition through the use of phonics, contextual analysis, word analysis, and syntactic cueing strategies.

(f) Helps students learn that word recognition strategies aid comprehension.

(g) Helps students learn effective techniques and strategies for the ongoing development of vocabulary.

(h) Helps students analyze information presented in a variety of texts including narratives, expository, practical, and technical documents.

(i) Helps students connect prior knowledge with new information.

(j) Assists students in becoming self-sufficient and independent readers.

(k) Helps students use new technology and media effectively.

(3) Demonstrate knowledge of assessment principles and techniques.

(a) Recognizes that a critical goal of assessment is to help the student become a more reflective and self-sufficient learner.

(b) Recognizes assessment as an ongoing and indispensable part of reflective teaching and learning.

(c) Recognizes and understands that assessment must consider the complex nature of reading, writing, and language, and must be based on a range of authentic literacy tasks using a variety of texts.

(d) Is able to conduct assessments that involve multiple measures over time and in different contexts.

(e) Uses information from norm-referenced tests, criterion-referenced tests, formal and informal inventories, constructed-response measures, portfolio-based assessment, observations, anecdotal records, journals, and other indicators of students' progress as basis for instruction.

(f) Recognizes and understands the importance of using meaningful assessment to improve curriculum and instruction.

(4) Communicate information about reading.

(a) Communicates effectively with students, parents, teachers, and support personnel about strengths and areas that need improvement.

(b) Able to communicate to parents important information about the developmental nature of reading and expectations for achievement.

(c) Understands how to involve parents in cooperative efforts and programs to help students with reading development.

(d) Communicates information about reading programs to administrators, staff members, school board members, parents, and the community.

(e) Effectively communicates information and data about reading to the media, policymakers, and the public.

(f) Interprets and communicates research findings related to the improvement of instruction to colleagues and the wider community.

(g) Communicates with allied professionals in assessing and planning instruction.

D. Planning and enhancing programs.

(1) Curriculum and development.

(a) Initiates and participates in ongoing curriculum development and assessment.

(b) Adapts programs to the needs of different learners to accomplish different purposes.

(c) Is able to coordinate and support all services associated with reading programs.

(d) Understands and uses multiple indicators of curriculum effectiveness.

(e) Is able to evaluate adoption materials and other instructional materials to best support and develop a balanced curriculum.

(2) Professional development.

(a) Engages in an ongoing program of personal professional development.

(b) Has a knowledge of resources, organizations, web sites, and other sources that provide opportunities and support for professional development.

(c) Incorporates what is learned from personal professional development into the classroom and is able to share this information with others.

(d) Facilitates an inclusive approach to professional development by respecting and appreciating each participant's potential contributions.

(e) Provides professional development experiences that effectively meet and are appropriate for school needs.

(f) Understands and uses multiple indices of professional growth.

(3) Research.

(a) Initiates, participates in, or applies research on reading.

(b) Reads or conducts research within a range of methodologies (e.g., ethnographic, descriptive, experimental, historical).

(c) Promotes and facilitates teacher- and classroom-based research.

(d) Is a knowledgeable consumer of research.

(4) Reading instruction in New Mexico.

(a) Is knowledgeable about the New Mexico Standards of Excellence, including goals for all students, educational plan for student success, and the content standards with benchmarks for pre-K-12.

(b) Is knowledgeable about current policy and legislation that affects reading.

N.M. Admin. Code § 6.64.3.9

07-15-99; 6.64.3.9 NMAC - Rn, 6 NMAC 4.7.1.2.9, 10-31-01; A, 06-30-06, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 07, April 5, 2022, eff. 4/5/2022