In exemplary classroom practice, the curriculum includes a wide variety of materials that meet student's literacy needs and interest learners in the classroom. Materials should motivate students to develop skills. Young learners should be exposed to an array of genres and printed materials including newspapers, magazines, menus, travel brochures and trade books. Diverse reading materials expand vocabulary and linguistic experience, showing students that worlds are expanded through language.
In exemplary practice, the curriculum embraces cultural diversity, allowing students to develop basic literacy skills that they have already learned in social settings before formal school. The curriculum should support student diversity by affirming the context of acquired literacy skills. In addition, the curriculum should promote social interaction to increase peer engagement and to expose students to new understandings and viewpoints.
Literacy assessments in exemplary classroom practice support and guide instruction. Assessments are used to provide feedback for teachers and students. Class-wide assessments provide feedback to teachers on the efficacy of instruction. Individual assessments indicate a particular student's strengths, weaknesses and areas of need. Ideally, assessments are varied -- written, spoken and performed by students -- as standardized tests are not always the most reliable indicators of progress and ability. Assessments should test just material presented in the classroom, rather than prior knowledge of concepts.
Teachers recognize each student's literacy level and select instructional materials appropriate for each student. Each student should be challenged, but she should be instructed and assessed at a level suited to her abilities. Students not challenged and those who are over-challenged will not progress. Teachers should accommodate each student's different learning and literacy needs by individually assigning reading books and practice materials.