Disciplinary Literacy Task Force
Newsletter: March 2026
Cultivating Literacy Across the Disciplines: A Shared Responsibility
As March unfolds and we eagerly await the first signs of spring in Michigan, it feels fitting to reflect on growth — both in the world around us and in our classrooms. Just as new life in nature requires the right conditions, time, and care to flourish, literacy too thrives when it is deliberately nurtured and supported.
Literacy is more than reading and writing — it’s the foundation for how students think, communicate, and make meaning across every subject. Yet too often, literacy instruction is seen as the sole responsibility of English class, and students miss out on the growth that comes when every discipline actively engages in apprenticing students into the practices and mindsets of their disciplines. Our Task Force seeks to bridge that gap, connecting research and practical strategies for educators across all subject areas.
In this issue, we explore a question central to every secondary teacher's work: What do ALL, SOME, and FEW adolescents actually need for literacy development? Drawing on decades of research, we unpack how literacy is far broader than a single skill set — and why labels like "struggling reader" rarely capture the full picture of what students can do. We also highlight language and vocabulary resources that provide concrete tools to support students’ growth across disciplines.
Our goal with each issue is to make disciplinary literacy research accessible, practical, and worth your time. We hope these resources spark reflection on how literacy instruction can be a shared responsibility — one that equips every student to read, write, and think like an expert across multiple disciplines.
As always, we’re eager to learn from you and alongside you.
- This year will be a busy one for our Task Force, so be sure to invite a colleague to join our mailing list as well!
- Want to access previous newsletters? No problem! Click here to access the archives.
- Looking to explore all that our website has to offer, including vetted resources? Click here!
Happy Reading!
First, let's clarify the term "adolescent". The World Health Organization defines adolescence as ages 10–19. In schools, we typically focus on students ages 11–18 (middle and high school). It’s also helpful to clarify literacy. While often used interchangeably with English Language Arts (ELA), literacy is broader and applies to courses beyond ELA. It includes the ability to read, write, speak, and listen effectively (National Reading Panel, 2000) and encompasses several layers of development, including foundational, content-area, and disciplinary literacies.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/8
Adolescents’ literacy strengths often look like a patchwork quilt. Depending on the topic, task, or discipline, any student may experience challenges. For that reason, broad labels like “struggling reader” rarely tell the full story. If our Tier I instruction is aligned to research-backed practices, the following statements should be generally true.
ALL Adolescents Benefit From:
Disciplinary literacy instruction that helps students read, write, and think like historians, scientists, mathematicians, and other experts (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012; Moje, 2008).
Explicit vocabulary instruction embedded in meaningful content learning.
Continued development of foundational literacy skills important for adolescents—word knowledge, sentence structure, fluency, and comprehension.
Direct comprehension strategy instruction to support understanding of complex texts.
Rich discussion of texts so students can interpret ideas and learn from one another.
Engaging learning goals tied to important disciplinary ideas and authentic purposes for reading and writing.
When literacy is connected to meaningful disciplinary work, students are far more likely to engage.https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/8
SOME Adolescents Also Need:
Additional practice with content-area literacy supports—general reading and writing strategies that can be applied across subjects (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). However, as Timothy Shanahan notes, these strategies are “necessary, but not sufficient”, as adolescents seek meaningful, authentic purposes to engage in various literacies.
FEW Adolescents Require:
Intensive, individualized literacy intervention (Tier II or Tier III) provided by trained specialists.
Importantly, students do not need to fully master foundational skills before engaging in content-area or disciplinary literacy. Literacy development is layered and ongoing, and students can build these skills simultaneously with thoughtful scaffolding (Fagella-Luby et al., 2012; Moje, 2008; Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008; Petscher et al., 2020). Clarifying Foundational, Content Area, and Disciplinary Literacies in English Language Arts
Click on our professional learning flyer to find more information and registration links for these upcoming professional learning events:
- Michigan Assessment Consortium Assessment Learning Network
EduPaths online courses (they're free!)
- Disciplinary Literacy for Secondary Leaders online course
