Reading

Competencies
The Third Grade Reading Guarantee legislation within Senate Bill 21 requires reading competencies to
be adopted by the State Board no later than January 31, 2014. Reading competencies communicate
what teachers should know and be able to do in order to provide effective reading instruction and
support to students, inform credential and training programs, while also contributing to the
development of an assessment required for a pre K-3 and 4-9 license on or after July 1, 2017.
Legislation requires the reading competencies to include an understanding of phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, the appropriate use of assessments, differentiated
instruction, the selection of appropriate instructional materials, and the application of research-based
instructional practices. The organizational structure of the competencies includes a knowledge section:
what teachers should know about reading; and an application section: ways to demonstrate
understanding.

A. Phonological Awareness
Knowledge
Understand progression of development
concerning phonological awareness skills: rhyming,
sound deletion and phoneme blending, sound
manipulation, blending and segmenting syllables,
onset- rimes, and phonemes.

Understand the relationship between phonological
awareness and early concepts about print (e.g.,
the concept of sentence structure, spaces between
words, and matching one spoken to one written
word).
Understand the difference between speech sounds
(phonemes) and the letter/letters (graphemes)
and the relationship between them.

Understand writing experiences, in conjunction
with phonological awareness instruction, to
enhance development.
Understand phonology (e.g., phonological
processing, phonemic awareness skills, phonemic
analysis and synthesis) as it relates to the learners
reading development.
Understand how phonological deficit and
phonemic differences in language vary across
regional, cultural, and individual backgrounds and
may affect reading and writing development.

January 8, 2014

Application
Use a variety of intentional, explicit, systematic
instructional practices which are embedded in
continuous text and isolated activities to scaffold
development of phonological awareness.

Use writing experiences, in conjunction with

phonological instruction, to enhance reading
development (e.g., Elkonin boxes or magnetic
letters, interactive writing, shared writing, or
individual response whiteboards).

Provide opportunities for students to use
oral/aural language to enhance phonological
awareness (e.g., rhyming and alliteration).

Apply knowledge of variations in phonology within
instruction to affect the reading and writing
development of learners across diverse regional,
cultural, developmental, and individual
backgrounds.

B. Phonics
KNOWLEDGE
Understand how phonological units (words,
syllables, onset-rimes, and phonemes) map onto
orthographic units (words, rimes, letters) in English
orthography.

Understand phonics development on a continuum
from the individual phoneme-grapheme level
through multi-syllabic word level.

Understand morphemic analysis of words
including syllable types, division patterns and
morphological units to read words (e.g., Latin,
Greek prefixes).
Understand the relationship between oral
language and writing to enhance phonics
instruction.

APPLICATION
Apply intentional, explicit, systematic instructional
practices to teach phonics concepts and skills to
meet the diverse needs of learners (e.g., students
with dyslexia, students with reading difficulties,
English language learners) with both decoding and
encoding activities.

Provide a variety of literacy experiences that

integrate oral/aural language and writing
experiences, and phonics instruction. Examples
of instruction:
shared writing
word sorts
interactive writing
independent writing
automaticity practice

C. Fluency
Knowledge

Application

Understand how the components of reading

fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, prosody, expression)
impact a students reading endurance and ability
to comprehend text.

Understand the relationship among fluency, word
recognition and comprehension.

Apply intentional, explicit, systematic instructional

practices to support all dimensions of fluency (e.g.,
phrase reading, independent level texts, paired
reading, repeated reading, physical prompts with a
masking card, echo reading, readers theater, etc.)
to meet the individual needs of learners.

Use oral/aural language and writing experiences to
enhance fluency (e.g., shared reading, poetry
charts, and readers theater).

Understand effective readers adjust their reading
rate to accommodate the demand of text to
ensure comprehension.

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Scaffold reading experiences that require students

to monitor their comprehension and adjust
reading rate based on the demands of the text.

D. Vocabulary
Knowledge
Understand the role of vocabulary in listening,
speaking, reading and writing and how the
interplay of these domains impact reading
development.

Understand morphology as it relates to
vocabulary development (e.g., morphemes,
inflectional and derivational morphemes,
morphemic analysis).

Application
Apply intentional, explicit, and systematic
instructional practices to scaffold vocabulary
development (e.g., direct vocabulary instruction,
interactive read aloud, guided reading, individual
reading/writing conferences, shared reading,
semantic mapping, etc.).

Plan instructional activities to highlight the
meaning units of English such as sorting words
with ed, -es, -s, or ing or creating lists of words
from roots such as vis or graph.

Apply intentional, explicit, systematic and
instructional practices to scaffold vocabulary
development (e.g., direct vocabulary instruction,
interactive read aloud, guided reading, individual
reading/writing conferences, shared reading,
semantic mapping, etc.).

Use multiple methods of vocabulary instruction
(e.g. multiple contexts, comparisons, elaborations,
reference materials, etc.).

Understand the cueing systems of reading:
semantic
syntactic
pragmatic
graphophonemic

Cultivate an environment that supports wide

reading and writing of print and digital texts, both
informational and literary, in order to enhance
vocabulary.

Understand the domain specific vocabulary

demands of academic language.

Incorporate vocabulary instruction through

morphology and etymology (e.g., cognates, Greek
forms, Latin roots). (Grades 4-9)

Understand that vocabulary acquisition occurs

within and across multiple listening, speaking,
reading and writing experiences.

Use oral/aural language and writing experiences to

enhance vocabulary (e.g., interactive word walls,
word sorts, word charts, semantic mapping.

Understand the specific vocabulary needs of
diverse learners.

January 8, 2014

Use multiple methods of vocabulary instruction

(e.g. multiple contexts, comparisons, elaborations,
reference materials, etc.).
Incorporate instructional practices that develop
authentic use of English to assist all learners,
particularly those from various regional, cultural,
and individual backgrounds.


E. Comprehension
Knowledge
Understand how the interaction of reader, text,
and lesson impacts comprehension and student
engagement.

Understand the impact of text structure on
reading comprehension (e.g., genre, topic,
coherence, text structure, and text complexity).
Understand that reading comprehension is a
process of constructing meaning from a wide
variety of print and digital texts for a variety of
purposes.

Application
Apply intentional, explicit, systematic instructional
practices for scaffolding development of
comprehension skills before, during, and after
reading (comprehension monitoring, self-
correcting, reciprocal teaching, think-aloud, etc.)

Design instruction that utilizes increasingly
complex print or digital text, includes scaffolding,
and provides re-teaching and challenge when
necessary for individuals and small groups.

Understand that comprehension processes rely on
oral language, decoding skills, background
knowledge, comprehension monitoring and
reading experiences.

Using the systems of strategic activity, scaffold the

development of thinking (e.g. solving words,
monitoring or correcting, searching for an using
additional sources of information, adjusting,
predicting, making connections, inferring,
synthesizing, critiquing and analyzing).

Provide opportunities for extended text discussion
to enhance comprehension, promote motivation,
and deepen student engagement.

Understand the reading demands posed by
domain specific and increasingly complex texts.

Select narrative or informational print or digital

texts that are appropriate to the comprehension
instruction to be provided.

Provide comprehension instruction that supports
students ability to read multiple print and digital
texts at an increasingly complex level.

Design instruction that requires students to
demonstrate comprehension by determining key
ideas and details using textual evidence, apply
understanding of craft and structure of text, and
integrate knowledge and ideas within and across
text.

January 8, 2014


F. Differentiated Instruction
Knowledge
Understand and apply knowledge of socio-cultural
and linguistic backgrounds to differentiate reading
instruction for all students.

Application
Design instruction and select and use
developmentally appropriate materials that
acknowledge sociocultural and linguistic
differences, and address the diverse needs of
learners (e.g., students with dyslexia, students
identified as gifted, or students with disabilities).

Understand and apply current theories of second
language acquisition to differentiate instruction for
English language learners of diverse backgrounds
and various levels of prior education.

Understand how to determine difficulties students
are having with a foundational component(s) of
reading, or the integration of these components
that impede reading development.

Differentiate reading instruction for English

language learners with various levels of first
language literacy.

Scaffold instruction for students having difficulty
with a foundational component(s) of reading (e.g.,
phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary,
fluency and comprehension).

Use data to differentiate instruction for all
students, monitor student progress, and adjust
instruction as appropriate.

Understand how characteristics of both language
and cognitive development can impact reading
proficiency.

Understand the characteristics of proficient and
advanced readers to more effectively differentiate
instruction.

Implement research-based practices in

comprehension, oral language, phonological
awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary to
differentiate instruction for all students.

Implement research-based instructional practices

for developing students systems of strategic
activity.

Use independent, collaborative, small group and
whole class instruction to support individual
learning goals and provides varied options for how
students will demonstrate mastery.

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G. Research-Based Instructional Practices
KNOWLEDGE
Understand the prerequisite relationship among
the content, concepts, and processes in school and
district curriculum priorities and Ohios New
Learning standards.

Application
Design and sequence instruction that reflects an
understanding of the relationship among the
content, concepts, and processes within school
and district curriculum priorities, Ohios New
Learning standards and the multiple pathways for
learning depending on student needs.

Understand that instruction should connect a
students regional, cultural, linguistic and
individual background to their reading and writing
development.

Understand instructional activities should

integrate phonological skills, phonics decoding,
spelling, word recognition, reading fluency,
vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.

Understand theories and research that describe

the cognitive and motivational foundations of
reading and writing development, processes and
components.

January 8, 2014

Design instruction that links to students regional,

cultural, linguistic and individual backgrounds.

Foster learning environments that value the
commonalities and differences in the diverse
backgrounds of students and support equity.

Establish routines within learning environments,
through modeling and teaching that support
positive and respectful social environments.
Design and implement instructional activities that
build on an understanding of the integration of
phonological skills, phonics decoding, spelling,
word recognition, reading fluency, vocabulary,
comprehension, and writing related to authentic
texts.

Use resources and research-based practices that
create information intensive environments (e.g.,
diverse classroom libraries, inquiry reading).
Cultivate effective learning environments that
support individual motivation to read and write
(e.g., choice, challenge, interest, and access to
print, digital text and online resources).


H. Appropriate Instructional Materials
Knowledge
Understand what makes text complex (e.g.
purpose for reading, quantitative, qualitative,
matching text to reader)

Application
Evaluate and select texts using quantitative and
qualitative tools, and the use of professional
judgment to decide how suited a text is for a
specific instructional purpose with a particular set
of students.

Understand high-quality programs, print, digital
instructional materials and resources are research-
based.

Ensure materials and resources reflect the

continuum of skills in reading, writing, and oral
language proficiencies.

Use a wide range of texts from print, digital and
online resources.

Use evaluation tools and programs to determine
the effectiveness (e.g., research-based) of
materials and resources that are appropriate to
the students interests and proficiency.

Be able to make informed decisions about
implementing packaged programs of reading
instruction.

Understand how instructional materials and
resources should be aligned with instructional
practices, be varied and appropriate to the ability
of students, actively engage readers in ownership
of their learning, and integrate technology where
appropriate.

January 8, 2014

Match instructional strategies, materials, and/or

pacing to the individual needs of learners to make
learning both accessible and challenging for all
students in the classroom.

Analyze and select instructional materials and
resources that align to instructional goals and are
attentive to cognitive, cultural, environmental, and
linguistic differences.

Select, develop and use media (books, technology,
and non-print materials) to support instruction,
based on considerations of student interests and
cultural and linguistic backgrounds in reference to
scientifically based reading research.

I. Assessment
Knowledge
Understand the purposes of various assessments
(e.g., informal reading inventories, running
records, analyzing writing samples and classroom
observation, summative) and know how to
implement them appropriately to monitor and
measure student achievement.

Application
Use evidence-based rationales to monitor the
progress in students reading development and to
determine targets for instruction.

Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics,
administration, and interpretation of both
quantitative and qualitative assessments (e.g.,

screening, progress monitoring, diagnosis and
outcome measures).
Understand the technical adequacy of
Communicate information from assessments
assessments, the meaning of test reliability,
effectively and clearly to parents in order to
construct validity and standard error of
cooperate in providing effective reading practice
measurement and describe major types of derived at home.
scores from standardized tests.


Use evidence-based rationale to inform and drive
Understand the differences between norm-
instruction for prescriptive and diagnostic
referenced and criterion-referenced assessments
teaching, and interpret scores for parents and
and how to interpret data reports.
other stakeholders.
Understand how assessment data is used to
Identify and interpret issues that may arise when
differentiate instruction, intensify intervention and assessments in English are used to measure
meet the needs of all students. (e.g., grouping
reading proficiency in English language learners.
practices, appropriate curriculum materials).

Recognize, describe, and incorporate appropriate

foundational assessments (e.g., phonological
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
comprehension) to guide instruction.

Recognize, describe, and incorporate how to
encourage attention to visual, structural and
meaning cues in text to aide in problem solving
difficult portions of text.

Use data from formal and informal foundational

assessments (e.g., phonological awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) to
make instructional decisions to meet individual
student needs.

Identify and implement allowable
accommodations for monitoring reading and
writing progress of all students.
Understand the effective use of technology within Integrate technology within an assessment
an assessment environment and the importance of environment to create a relevant and engaging
connecting it to the instructional environment.
experience.
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January 8, 2014