Introduction

Introduction

This Poudre School District CBLA Guidebook provides information needed by principals and administrators, counselors, classroom teachers, literacy teachers, Title One teachers, and others who provide literacy services for compliance with the Colorado Basic Literacy Act (CBLA) of 1996.

This guidebook does not constitute a training manual for the Colorado Basic Literacy Act.Literacy teachers, classroom teachers, testing coordinators, or special educators not familiar with the CBLA assessments, informed instruction, ILP process, or the parent communication required by the CBLA, should discuss the need for CBLA training with their principals.The PSD Curriculum and Instruction Department may also be contacted for more information regarding CBLA training and reading.

State Law

The Colorado Basic Literacy Act was enacted in 1996 by the Colorado general assembly in order to ensure that by third grade all students have the literacy skills essential for success in school and life. The Act calls for local districts to identify students who are exiting 3rd grade reading below grade level and provide them with necessary reading interventions until they are reading at grade level. These students are referred to in Poudre School District as “Group 1,” which is synonymous with what the state calls the Cohort Group.

CBLA legislation (22-7-501) speaks only to what is required for students who are permitted by the school district to pass from 3rd grade to 4 th grade and are not reading at or above grade level—Identifying and addressing the needs of other students in the 4th-12 th grades is the responsibility of the local district and is not governed by CBLA.

Education Reform legislation (22-7-407) requires district’s to develop a plan for revising curriculum and programs of instruction to align them with adopted content standards and to ensure that each student will have the educational experiences needed to achieve the adopted content standards.

CBLA Update Presentation

CDE Policy

Colorado Department of Education (CDE) looks at CBLA beyond 3rd grade. They also incorporate CBLA requirements into the PSD accreditation plan submitted to the state.

The reading comprehension levels established by the state board for 4th-10 th grades are measured by CSAP. The CSAP assessment frameworks contain a sampling of skills that demonstrate proficiency in reading comprehension at each grade level much like the CBLA proficiencies in the CBLA Rules for K-3.

For those students required by CBLA to be on an ILP in 4th–12 th grades, CSAP reading proficiency would provide initial screening information. Students who are not proficient at grade level on CSAP require additional assessment in the 5 essential components of reading* to determine the foundational skills needed and develop an appropriate intervention plan (ILP).

CBLA Update Presentation

*Phonemic Awareness-The knowledge and manipulation of sounds in spoken words.
Phonics-The relationship between written and spoken letters and sounds.
Reading Fluency, Including Oral Reading Skills-The ability to read with accuracy, and with appropriate rate, expression, and phrasing.
Vocabulary Development-The knowledge of words, their definitions, and context.
Reading Comprehension Strategies-The understanding and meaning in text.

CDE strongly recommends, and Poudre School District does in practice, the reporting of all students reading below grade level, even those who are not in the Cohort Group. These students are referred to as “Group 2” students in Poudre School District. These are ILP students who are not part of the CBLA Cohort. They were identified after 3rd grade as needing services based on failure to pass 2 of 3 Spring assessments or 1 of 2 Spring assessments when 3 haven’t been given.

Poudre School District

Poudre School District takes the broadest view by identifying Group 3 students who are monitored, but who do not require an ILP and who are not reported to the state.

The 2005-06 PSD accreditation report from CDE specifies the following under “Actions to Be Taken”:

The district should continue to work toward a comprehensive secondary literacy model, which targets specific deficient skills for struggling readers. Basic guidelines outlined in CBLA proficiencies will assist the district in the development of a secondary literacy program. Board of Education Rules 2202-R-4.01 (1) (F).

Overview of Procedures

Students are placed in Groups 1, 2, or 3 based on formal and informal assessments. In the secondary grades, these measures include the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI), Levels/MAPs, and the CSAP reading test. Support for struggling readers is coordinated by reading/literacy teachers working in coordination with building personnel and parents.