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English Language Arts
English Language Arts
The District utilizes a balanced, comprehensive literacy approach to ensure “high-quality good first instruction” in English-Language Arts. In order to prepare students for college, career, and a lifetime of learning, teachers use the district’s comprehensive instructional framework and research-based instructional strategies to foster independence, flexible thinking and proficiency in grade-level standards. Students collaborate with diverse peers around engaging curriculum aligned to the California Standards in English-Language Arts, becoming effective communicators who are reflective, critical, and strategic readers and writers.
Following the Reading Science: Building ALL of Our Students' Capacity to Read
CVUSD is committed to using research based, effective practices in our daily work to ensure that ALL students excel academically and graduate prepared for their future.
Along with many others in the education field, we have been learning more about what research tells us about teaching children to read. The science of reading helps us to know which instructional approaches are most effective, most efficient, and most likely to get ALL our students reading.
We are committed to revisiting current practices in light of new information and updating our approaches if/when there is a need. As a result of our learning, we have re-committed to ensuring that systematic and explicit phonics and phonemic awareness instruction is happening daily in all K-2 classrooms.
The science of reading research has clarified the following:
1) Phonics & phonemic awareness should be the primary methods for word reading instruction;
2) These skills need to be taught in a systematic way following a continuum of skills;
3) Explicit instruction in these skills should be provided to all students. 
To support our teachers and students with these shifts, CVUSD is using a new, updated research- and evidence-based program called UFLI Foundations published by University of Florida’s Literacy Institute. We are also providing additional decodable books for small-group instruction and providing on-going professional learning for all K-2 teachers.
In addition to curriculum adjustments, we have also revised our assessments at the K-1 levels to better measure student progress towards these essential skills. Instead of taking one overall reading assessment, students are now assessed on decoding skills, listening comprehension skills, as well as foundational writing. These new assessments allow teachers to better measure student progress and identify areas for additional instruction.
Even though students in CVUSD continue to perform very well–outperforming both state and county averages on English Language Arts achievement measures–we are still not satisfied! Until ALL our students are proficient readers, we will continue to seek out ways to improve student outcomes. In Castro Valley Unified, ALL really does mean ALL.
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Following the Reading Science: Building ALL of Our Students' Capacity to Read
CVUSD is committed to using research based, effective practices in our daily work to ensure that ALL students excel academically and graduate prepared for their future.
Along with many others in the education field, we have been learning more about what research tells us about teaching children to read. The science of reading helps us to know which instructional approaches are most effective, most efficient, and most likely to get ALL our students reading.We are committed to revisiting current practices in light of new information and updating our approaches if/when there is a need. As a result of our learning, we have re-committed to ensuring that systematic and explicit phonics and phonemic awareness instruction is happening daily in all K-2 classrooms.
The science of reading research has clarified the following:1) Phonics & phonemic awareness should be the primary methods for word reading instruction;
2) These skills need to be taught in a systematic way following a continuum of skills;
3) Explicit instruction in these skills should be provided to all students.
To support our teachers and students with these shifts, CVUSD is using a new, updated research- and evidence-based program called UFLI Foundations published by University of Florida’s Literacy Institute. We are also providing additional decodable books for small-group instruction and providing on-going professional learning for all K-2 teachers.
In addition to curriculum adjustments, we have also revised our assessments at the K-1 levels to better measure student progress towards these essential skills. Instead of taking one overall reading assessment, students are now assessed on decoding skills, listening comprehension skills, as well as foundational writing. These new assessments allow teachers to better measure student progress and identify areas for additional instruction.
Even though students in CVUSD continue to perform very well–outperforming both state and county averages on English Language Arts achievement measures–we are still not satisfied! Until ALL our students are proficient readers, we will continue to seek out ways to improve student outcomes. In Castro Valley Unified, ALL really does mean ALL.