Literacy Teaching Performance Expectations

Adopted by the Commission

November 2019

Literacy TPE Language for All Teacher Candidates

Literacy Practices in Relation to Subject-Specific Pedagogy

All multiple and single subject and education specialist beginning teachers understand that all teachers have a critical role in literacy development for all TK-12 students. They understand and demonstrate the ability to address the literacy, linguistic, and cognitive demands of different content areas (multiple subject/education specialist) or the discipline(s) of their credential (single subject/education specialist). They demonstrate foundational knowledge of identifying, assessing, and supporting students with reading difficulties, including students with dyslexia, with research based effective reading strategies. They provide integrated instruction incorporating the five themes of literacy identified in the ELA/ELD Framework. They plan and implement lessons that support students’ meaning making and subject-specific language development as students read, write, and converse in each content area. They support students’ ability to effectively express themselves in each content area as well as their ability to analyze the effectiveness of text, presentations, visual representations, and other forms of communication specific to each content area. They plan and implement literacy-based lessons and discipline-specific literacy practices that contribute to building students’ content knowledge (Framework, Chapters 2, 6 and 7). They plan and implement lessons that address the foundational skills of literacy (e.g., decoding and word recognition) in the context of the content area(s) of instruction, as appropriate based on students’ needs and students’ literacy levels. Beginning teachers understand and plan lessons that build on students’ increasing level of literacy skills across the grade levels and content area(s) to promote both continuity of literacy skills development and subject-specific learning in accordance with the applicable student content standards and framework. Beginning teachers observe and practice different approaches to literacy teaching and learning, including but not limited to inquiry-based learning, collaborating learning, and direct instruction.

All beginning teachers identify challenges posed by complex texts in their discipline(s) and help students learn how to navigate increasingly complex text of a variety of forms and organizational patterns as appropriate to the content area, including but not limited to traditional texts, music, maps, graphica¹, graphics, charts, timelines, images, artworks, and multimodal text such as podcasts and videos, to help students read strategically, analytically, critically, and with a critical lens across the curriculum, and to monitor their understanding. They use teaching strategies across the instructional cycle that promote meaning making as students engage with text as readers and writers, and they integrate the use of language arts skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking across the curriculum.

Further information about the five themes of literacy development is available in the Part 2: Teaching English Language Arts in a Multiple Subject Assignment and Teaching English Language Arts in a Single Subject Assignment sections below.

Literacy TPE for Multiple Subject and Education Specialist Candidates

Teaching English Language Arts in a Multiple Subject Assignment

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers apply their knowledge of the California Standards in English Language Arts/English Language (ELA/ELD) Development to frame their planning, instruction, and student assessment in the area of literacy. They demonstrate the ability to design and deliver literacy instruction that reflects the five key themes of a robust and comprehensive literacy instructional program: (1) meaning making, (2) language development, (3) effective expression, (4) content knowledge, and (5) foundational skills that assures that all students develop English proficiency and meet or exceed the California standards. Beginning teachers know how to determine the skill level of students through the use of meaningful indicators of reading and language arts proficiency prior to instruction, how to determine whether students are making adequate progress on skills and concepts, how to use this information to inform instruction, and how to determine the effectiveness of instruction and students' proficiency after instruction.

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers demonstrate the ability to use formative assessment processes and multiple measures to determine students’ progress towards the California English language arts and English language development standards and advance the learning of all students. They are able to analyze and interpret results to plan effective and differentiated literacy instruction and appropriate interventions for students as needed. They demonstrate foundational knowledge of identifying, assessing, and supporting students with reading difficulties, including students with dyslexia, with research based effective reading strategies. Beginning teachers demonstrate knowledge of how to organize and manage differentiated literacy instruction and interventions to meet the needs of the full range of learners.

They apply the five key themes of literacy instruction as described below:

Meaning Making

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers understand that meaning making is the central purpose of reading, writing, spoken/signed language, and all forms of communication in all subjects. They effectively apply their knowledge of factors that affect meaning making, such as, for example, students’ background knowledge and experiences (including cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge), language (including students’ academic language), and motivation (including connections to their daily lives and interests). They design lessons that capitalize on and expand students’ existing knowledge and language, and they draw on and expand students’ interests and experiences.

They teach literal and inferential comprehension of text as well as critical reading. They identify challenges posed by complex texts and support students’ ability to navigate increasingly complex text of a variety of forms and organizational patterns (including but not limited to traditional texts, music, maps, graphica, graphics, charts, timelines, images, and multimodal text such as podcasts and videos). They help students learn to read strategically, analytically, critically², and with a critical lens, and write and converse meaningfully about content across the curriculum, and monitor their understanding.

They use teaching strategies across the instructional cycle that promote meaning making as students engage with text as readers and writers, and they integrate the use of language arts skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They help students develop increasingly sophisticated oral and written interpretations of texts and presentations, including identifying and citing specific evidence, expressing an opinion, explaining their reasoning and defending a point of view, and developing and supporting an argument, as appropriate to the grade level, student knowledge and skill level, and content area.

Language Development

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers design instruction and create environments that foster language development for all students, including English learners. They provide opportunities and models for students to develop oral and written communication skills on an increasingly complex level as students move through the elementary grades. They help students understand the importance of well-developed vocabulary in their literacy development and knowledge acquisition, and they demonstrate effective teaching of vocabulary both directly through word study (including examination of morphology and etymology where and as appropriate) and indirectly through the use of wide reading of appropriate high-quality literature, informational, technical, and other texts in the discipline(s), rich oral language interactions, and context. Beginning teachers learn how to facilitate students’ learning of complex sentence and text structures. They plan for and encourage students' use of academic language across the content areas. Beginning teachers demonstrate their knowledge about how English works, language acquisition, relationships among languages (spoken and written), culturally and linguistically sustaining instructional practices.

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers understand and can explain the advantages of multilingualism and multiliteracy, and how becoming increasingly literate in one language supports and enhances literacy in another language. They also understand the importance of transfer between languages, and for students who speak one or more languages than English, they are able to support their students in transferring skills across these multiple languages.

Effective Expression

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers support students’ ability to effectively express themselves in each content area as well as their ability to analyze the effectiveness of text, presentations, visual representations, and other forms of communication within each content area. They teach students how to effectively use language and other forms of communication, such as images and graphics, for different purposes, including to share narratives and convey ideas, information, opinions, and arguments as appropriate to students’ grade and developmental levels.

They teach students to write, present, and discuss so that meaning is conveyed clearly, logically, powerfully, and, when appropriate and desired, poetically. They ensure that students can apply knowledge of conventions (e.g., grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling) as appropriate for the grade level and context. They use appropriate teaching strategies to develop students’ abilities to write increasingly more sophisticated opinion/argumentative, informative/explanatory, and narrative texts and for students to adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They provide instruction that fosters students’ ability to identify and evaluate effective practices of authors and speakers (including through a critical lens as they question authors’/speakers’ perspectives and intentions).

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers demonstrate an understanding of the value of the use of a variety of language strategies and practices whereby multilingual speakers use their languages as an integrated system of communication, often simultaneously, within the learning environment (translanguaging³ techniques) as an effective practice when supporting the development of expression in a variety of contexts.

Content Knowledge

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers understand the reciprocal relationship between language and literacy development and content knowledge as well as the different literacy, linguistic, and cognitive demands of each discipline. They demonstrate the ability to address these demands as they integrate instruction in reading, writing, using and interpreting visual representations, and oral/signed communication into every subject area.

They provide opportunities for students to read purposefully, listen attentively, and participate in discussion to build discipline-specific knowledge in the content areas. They use strategies for capitalizing on and extending students’ background knowledge and language relevant to a particular text and/or discipline. Beginning teachers promote students’ engagement in research, inquiry and project-based learning where and as appropriate to expand students’ knowledge and pique their interest in the content. They provide access to the content curriculum through appropriate integrated and designated language development practices and strategies for English learners. They help students understand the strengths and limitations of media and multiple information sources within the content discipline(s) and to evaluate the credibility of information obtained through these sources.

Foundational Skills

Beginning multiple subject/Education Specialist teachers demonstrate understanding of the crucial role of the foundational literacy skills of reading, and they are able to assess, plan for, explicitly teach, and support students’ development of print concepts, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, and fluency. They demonstrate instruction that ensures the application of these skills in learning to read and communicate their ideas, opinions, and knowledge in writing in a variety of contexts and learning experiences. Beginning teachers promote students’ understanding of the alphabetic principle, ability to read single- syllable and multisyllabic words, and acquisition of accurate and rapid word recognition (including teaching sight words). Beginning teachers demonstrate understanding of how to use the relationship among foundational skills, spelling, and morphology to advance students’ reading and writing development. They recognize in their planning, instruction, and assessment practices that students’ literacy needs may be affected and influenced by the students’ prior schooling experiences, current level of foundational skills knowledge, the language of instruction, the relationship between the students’ primary language and English (for English learners), and the students’ prior content knowledge.

Literacy TPE Language for Single Subject English Teacher Candidates

Teaching English Language Arts in a Single Subject Assignment

Beginning Single Subject English Language Arts (ELA) teachers understand and use the California Standards in English Language Arts, Literacy, and English Language Development (ELD) as required resources for planning and implementing instruction with students. Beginning single subject ELA teachers study, observe, and practice the five key themes of a robust and comprehensive literacy instructional program: (1) meaning making, (2) language development, (3) effective expression, (4) content knowledge, and (5) foundational skills. They integrate and apply the five key themes of literacy instruction, consistent with the grade levels, developmental levels, literacy learning needs, and prior knowledge and experiences of their students, to advance students’ English Language Arts/English Language Development as described below. They understand how to plan and deliver instruction of increasing complexity in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language to assure that students meet or exceed the standards.

They understand principles of language acquisition and learning (including first, dual, and multiple languages as well as Standard English), consistent with the principles of the ELA/ELD Framework. They demonstrate how to make English Language Arts comprehensible to students at various English language proficiency levels and they model and encourage the use of all forms of language as tools for thinking, learning, and communicating, including academic discourse and structured conversations across disciplines.

Beginning single subject teachers know how to determine or assess the skill level of students through the use of meaningful indicators of literacy proficiency prior to instruction, how to determine whether students are making adequate progress on skills and concepts, how to use this information to inform and adjust instruction, and how to determine the effectiveness of instruction and students’ proficiency after instruction.

Beginning single subject teachers demonstrate the ability to use formative assessment processes and multiple measures to determine students’ progress towards the California English language arts and English language development standards and advance the learning of all students. They are able to analyze and interpret results to plan effective and differentiated literacy instruction and appropriate interventions for students as needed. Beginning teachers demonstrate knowledge of how to organize and manage differentiated literacy instruction and interventions to meet the needs of the full range of learners.

Meaning Making

Beginning single subject /ELA teachers help students understand that meaning making is the central purpose of reading, writing, oral/signed language, and all other forms of communication in all subjects. Beginning teachers effectively apply their knowledge of factors that affect meaning making, such as, for example, students’ background knowledge and experiences (including cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge), language (including students’ academic language), and motivation (including connections to their daily lives and interests). They design lessons that capitalize on and enrich students’ knowledge and language, draw on and expand students’ interests and experiences, and help motivate students’ interest in the content of the curriculum.

Beginning single subject ELA teachers teach literal and inferential comprehension of text as well as reading with a critical lens. They teach students to recognize and use text features and structures to facilitate and communicate meaning, and they teach them to cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written analysis of a text or presentation and supporting an argument with claims. Beginning single subject ELA teachers identify challenges posed by complex texts and support students’ ability to navigate text of a variety of forms and organizational patterns (including but not limited to traditional texts, music, maps, graphica, graphics, charts, timelines, images, and multimodal text such as podcasts and videos), to read strategically, analytically, critically, and with a critical lens, and to monitor their understanding as they become increasingly independent in reading texts inside and outside of class. They employ teaching strategies throughout the instructional cycle—before, during, and after students engage with text as readers and writers—that promote meaning making and integrate the language arts (i.e., reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Language Development

Beginning single subject ELA teachers design instruction and create environments that foster language development for all students, including English learners. They provide opportunities and models for students to develop oral and written communication skills. They understand the importance of well-developed vocabulary as well as its role in literacy development and knowledge acquisition, and they understand how to teach vocabulary both explicitly through word study (including examination of morphology and etymology) and indirectly through the use of wide reading of high quality literature and other text, rich oral language interactions, and context. Beginning teachers learn how to facilitate students’ deeper understandings of syntax (i.e., the way that words are combined into phrases and sentences and the way that sentences are structured and ordered to convey particular meanings) and the structure of complex texts.

They plan for and foster students’ use of general academic and subject-specific language across the content areas. Beginning single subject ELA teachers demonstrate their knowledge about how English works, language acquisition, relationships among languages (spoken and written), and culturally and linguistically sustaining instructional practices. Beginning teachers understand the advantages of multilingualism and multiliteracy, how becoming increasingly literate in one language supports and enhances literacy in another language, as well as the importance of transfer between languages, and they are able to support their students in transferring skills across their multiple languages.

Effective Expression

Beginning single subject ELA teachers teach students how to effectively use language and other forms of communication, such as images and graphics, for different purposes, including to share narratives and convey ideas, information, opinions, and arguments. They teach students to write, present, and discuss so that meaning is conveyed clearly, logically, powerfully, and, when appropriate and desired, poetically. They select appropriate teaching strategies to develop students’ abilities to write increasingly more sophisticated argumentative, informative/explanatory, and narrative texts and for students to adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They provide instruction that fosters students’ ability to identify and evaluate effective practices of authors and speakers (including through a critical lens as they question authors’/speakers’ perspectives and intentions). They support students in learning to critically view their own writing, to strengthen the focus or controlling idea, to improve support and organization, and to edit or proofread text for correctness, for logical progression and connection of ideas, syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Beginning single subject ELA teachers demonstrate an understanding of the value of translanguaging⁴ techniques as an effective practice when supporting the development of expression in a variety of contexts.

Content Knowledge

Beginning single subject ELA teachers understand the reciprocal relationship between language and literacy development and content knowledge as well as the different literacy, linguistic, and cognitive demands of literary and informational texts. They demonstrate the ability to pair literary and informational texts and integrate instruction in reading, writing, using and interpreting visual representations, and oral/signed communication across text genres. They use strategies for capitalizing and extending students’ background knowledge and language relevant to a particular text genre. Beginning single subject ELA teachers promote students’ engagement in research, inquiry, and project-based learning and help students develop research questions, locate information from multiple sources, and evaluate its credibility. 

Beginning teachers plan opportunities for students to read independently across genres in ways that build on and expands students’ interests and fosters engagement.

Beginning single subject ELA teachers model and assist students to develop digital literacy, and integrate information technology, and media into language arts when conducting research, producing and publishing writing, creating multimedia presentations, and interacting and collaborating with others in this and other disciplines (including but not limited to social media, blogs, and academic publications). (Framework, Chapter 10)

Foundational Skills

Beginning single subject ELA teachers demonstrate understanding of the crucial role of the foundational skills of reading in reading and writing development. They promote students’ ability to read multisyllabic words and guide students in applying the foundational skills in a variety of reading and writing learning experiences. Beginning single subject ELA teachers apply their knowledge of the relationship among foundational skills, spelling, and morphology to advance students’ reading and writing development. They support students in being metacognitive about their own problem-solving strategies while reading. Beginning teachers are able to identify students who need additional support with foundational skills and make appropriate referrals for assistance while supporting their continued practice and development within their grade-level English language arts classroom.

¹ Graphica refers to graphic novels, books, branding, logos, emojis, and other materials that use images to convey meaning

² Reading strategically, analytically, and critically refers to the skills of adjusting reading based on purpose, using reading strategies to understand, think about, analyze, and critique increasingly complex texts, as well as to question an author’s intent, purpose, and bias

³ Translanguaging techniques: Translanguaging fosters linguistic diversity within the classroom by valuing the use of multiple languages to leverage and apply students’ background language knowledge to support and promote learning.

⁴ Translanguaging techniques: the use of a variety of language strategies and practices whereby multilingual speakers use their languages as an integrated system of communication, often simultaneously, within the learning environment. Translanguaging fosters linguistic diversity within the classroom by valuing the use of multiple languages to leverage and apply students’ background language knowledge to support and promote learning.