Building the Self-Efficacy of Teachers in Using the
Interactive Read-Aloud to Promote Student Reading Performance and Motivation 

According to data from the Curriculum Associates program i-Ready, student comprehension scores within School PSCW and School District V are deficient in comparison to other areas of literacy (i.e. phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and high-frequency words). The purpose of this course is to increase elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy with use of the Interactive Read-Aloud (IRA) instructional routine that is purported to boost students’ comprehension of texts in a way that is inclusive of English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals (ELs/EBs) and special education (SPED) students. Applying both the best practices for literacy and cognitive psychology research (e.g. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Guided Experiential Learning (GEL), information processing theory, cognitive load theory, etc.) this course will aid teachers in developing and executing IRAs and student response tasks, as well as assessing student performance with regard to the state standards for comprehension and English Language Development (ELD), through a one-unit, virtual pre-training module and a four-unit, live professional development (PD) workshop.

Assessment prior to, during, and immediately following the course will include frequent retrieval practice, peer collaboration, and detailed instructor feedback. This, coupled with a subsequent implementation period that includes periodic observation of teachers in the classroom, will systematically gauge teachers’ mastery of the course content. If the curriculum is enacted with fidelity, students’ comprehension scores are likely to increase, preventing students from facing further difficulties with reading and writing that would make them ill-equipped to take advantage of the educational and workplace opportunities that lie ahead for them.