Literacy Now

October's featured council is the Mississippi Reading Association (MRA) in the Magnolia State. MRA Past President Stacy Reeves took a few moments to share what is so valuable about the diversity and enthusiam of MRA members with Reading Today Online.

MRA is a Kaleidoscope of Literacy Professionals: we have very different backgrounds while holding various titles and positions including classroom teachers, university and college professors, administrators, retired educators, preservice teachers, community leaders, assistant teachers, AmeriCorps tutors and trainers, and others. We are united by the belief that literacy benefits all people in our communities, our state, our nation, and our world.

We are a small group, but when we come together, unified in one voice for the progression of literacy, we are mighty in force. We lead by example in our classes, our teaching environments, our communities, and our centers of learning.

We are joined in agreement in the Mississippi Reading Association and we belong to our local reading councils, too; additionally, we guide our schools and districts to success, and many of us serve in various ways for the MS Department of Education, for national groups, and for international groups across a variety of subjects and areas. One of our coalescent factors is concern for the betterment of others through literacy teaching and learning.

We know that our state has far to go, but we also know the riches that it holds and that there are many resources which have not yet been tapped. We are not finished leading students to the treasures found in reading and the resources available in communicating through writing, speaking, and listening. We support IRA and one way we do that is through our 2012 State Conference titled, “Reading in 3-D” to be held December 2-5. Information which may be accessed at www.ms/. For more information about Mississippi Reading Association, please contact Stacy.Reeves@usm.edu, past president 2012-2013.

Pictured at the 2010 conference in Biloxi, MS, at the Beau Rivage Resort: an AmeriCorps tutor, Pat Ross (president 2010-2011); Janice Cate (treasurer for past several years), Anne Matheny (president 2012-2013), Phyllis Armstrong (Pine Belt Reading Council, Hattiesburg, MS), Stacy Reeves (past president 2012-2013), author Jon Scieszka, Stephanie Peets (membership director for past several years), Tracie Bernard (secretary 2010-2013), and Lauren Hutto (president of Pine Belt Reading Council, Hattiesburg, MS).

How does a book become an IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award winning title? Authors and publishers may nominate books for consideration, and IRA particularly invites publishers to submit eligible titles for consideration.

To be eligible, a book must be the first or second children’s book from the author and first published in English during the past year. Each book submitted is checked for eligibility and classified for consideration in one of the six categories. An average of about 200 eligible books are submitted in award cycles. 

In 2011-12, 14 IRA members served on the awards committee. For initial review, every committee member reads and rates each Primary fiction and nonfiction title, but the committee splits into two panels for the other books, with one focused on Intermediate titles and the other focused on Young Adult.

Committee members carefully review each book to find nominees that can serve as “a reading and literary standard by which a reader can measure other books,” (IRA, 2013). Books are rated on a four-point scale in the initial reviews, and committee members provide comments with their scores. Committee members may also join in electronic discussions of particular books as they read and assess.

At the end of the initial reviewing, scores are aggregated across all readers to determine the top ten to twelve finalist books in each category. The finalists are then read and reviewed by all committee members who rank the titles in order. Committee members examine the groups’ overall rankings and engage in extended discussion about the results, and the particular nature of the award to recognize new promising authors, before finally recommending award winners in each category. These recommendations are submitted to the IRA Board of Directors for final approval. The winners are announced at the IRA Annual Convention and appear in Reading Today.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2012 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The deadline for the International Reading Association (IRA) Maryann Manning Outstanding Volunteer Service Award is November 15. The award is given annually to four volunteers within North America and one volunteer outside of North America in recognition of their outstanding dedication to developing children’s literacy.

An ideal candidate is a dedicated volunteer that has made a lasting commitment to a local, state/provincial, or regional council and gone above and beyond their required duties. Volunteers outside of North America can be a member of an international affiliate to be considered. Also, candidates should have been active within their councils for at least ten years prior to being nominated.

Candidates must be current IRA members, and they should be nominated by their IRA council, affiliate president, or coordinator. It should also be noted that preference will be given to candidates that have not been previously recognized by IRA for their service.

Applications should be completed by the nominator and must include a description of the nominees lifelong commitment to volunteer work in regards to literacy. The educational background and career summary of the nominee is also required, along with three letters of support. All the required information can be submitted online at the International Reading Association website.

Dr. Jo Anne Raiford Bryant received the award in 2012 for her commitment to the Alabama Reading Association (ARA). Over her thirty year involvement, Dr. Bryant served as chair to a variety of committees and presented at a number of ARA fall conferences.

Serge Terwagne was recognized in 2012 for his volunteer services outside of North America. Serge was an active member of IRA at the national and international level until his retirement in 2009. However, he continued volunteering and played a large role in developing the 17th European Conference on Reading.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

 

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA) will hold two workshops—one for program report writers and one for program report reviewers—at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) Conference on Saturday, November 3, 2012, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The conference will be held from November 1 to November 4. This year’s theme will be “Literacy is Transformative.” Speakers for the event include Dr. Taffy E. Raphael and Dr. Nell Duke, along with children’s author and illustrator Lynne Rae Perkins.

The NCATE sessions will focus on the online submission process, creating reliable assessments that meet IRA standards, and specific instructions for properly submitting a report to the IRA. The workshops will also review model assessments, rubrics, and scoring guides and update participants on any developments from NCATE. Finally, the workshops will explore the national recognition process and address any specific concerns of participants.

Since these workshops are held in conjunction with the program reviewers, attendance greatly improves the chances of accreditation with the first submission. Talking with reviewers at IRA workshops allows program writers a unique chance to gain further clarity regarding program expectations and the submission process.

The IRA believes that only high-quality teachers can deliver high-quality instruction. As an NCATE specialized professional association, IRA reviews advanced programs for candidates preparing to serve as reading specialists/literacy coaches.

The IRA will hold a day-long institute on program report preparation and review in April at their 2013 convention in San Antonio, Texas. More information about the convention can be found on the International Reading Association’s annual convention website.

To register for the ALER conference visit www.aleronline.org. Contact research@/ for more information or to learn how you can become an IRA/NCATE reviewer.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA) Nila Banton Smith Award is given to teachers that show outstanding initiative in developing current content area literacy research into applicable classroom practice. Nila Banton Smith, author of American Reading Instruction, was a specialist in reading instruction and the award is meant to honor her contributions to the field.

Applications for the award are due November 15. To be eligible for the award, nominees must be current IRA members and be classroom or reading teachers that work directly with students on a regular basis at the middle school, secondary school, vocational, or junior college level. Additionally, nominees are expected to have made significant contributions to developing content area teaching skills in the classroom at either the building or district level.

At the time of submission, nominators are required to include specific information about the nominee’s classroom level, building level, and/or district level contributions in content area literacy development. The information should demonstrate the nominee’s leadership abilities and provide evidence that the developed improvements had a positive impact on literacy in the classroom.

The application also requires a letter from the nominee’s principal/supervisor. The letter should be submitted on the appropriate letterhead and support the assertions of the other submissions included with the application.

Kelly Killorn, a sixth grade reading and language arts teacher in Minnesota, received the award in 2010 for her R.E.A.D. Framework. The Framework uses specific reading strategies and activities to enhance adolescent readers’ comprehension of text. Though she developed R.E.A.D. as a tool for students, Killorn realized that teachers could benefit from it as well. Killorn’s goal is that, eventually, all teachers across the U.S. will have access to her framework and implement it in some way.

For more information on the IRA Nila Banton Smith Award, visit the International Reading Association website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.