Education Department Receives Grant to Develop Future Teachers’ Instructional Practices in Early Literacy
Assumption student teachers worked directly with students at Nelson Place Elementary School this spring semester with the help of $10,000 in grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The funding, through the Early Literacy Consortium Grant, was awarded in collaboration with Worcester Public Schools and Clark University—which is working with Jacob Hiatt Magnet School through their teacher preparation program.
Through an initiative created by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey called Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3, Assumption helped in the state’s effort to improve early literacy by equipping teachers and teachers in training with the necessary skills to instruct early readers.
“Early literacy education is an area where we fall short in the state and across the country,” says Samantha Goldman, associate professor of special education and chair of Assumption’s education department. “In Massachusetts, we see a big gap between our highest and lowest performing students in early literacy. The purpose of this grant is for school districts and institutions of higher education to partner and build new programs to support this initiative so that we’re sending teachers into the field who are well equipped to teach kids how to read.”
“The grant is designed to support teachers’ professional development and teacher candidates’ preparation by advancing instructional practices that help children learn to read through evidence-based approaches,” says Professor Marisa Segel. “We do everything from phonics instruction, reading comprehension, knowledge building, and writing instruction.”
Assumption education students who were enrolled in an early literacy methods course this semester taught by Segel commuted together on Wednesday mornings to Nelson Place to work with nine teachers and their students, who are learning to read.
“It seemed like a natural opportunity to partner with Nelson Place, which is in our backyard, and we are hopeful that we’re bringing positive contributions to their school community,” Goldman says.
“We’ve all had the same education classes since freshman year, and we’ve become a really tight knit group of students,” says Isabella Cavallo ’27. “It’s a community here, and I feel like that’s reflected at Nelson Place—the two schools go really well together.”
Two to three Assumption students were placed together in kindergarten, first, and third grade classrooms to observe and support teachers as they work on early literacy curriculum. Over the course of the semester, students taught three early literacy lessons in the classrooms.
“Having multiple students observing one classroom is new to us, and we have found it positive for them because they can talk about and process what they are experiencing together,” Goldman says. “This partnership is beneficial to us and our teacher candidates, and to the school with which we’re working.”
“The collaboration of being in the same school also helps in class,” says Dominic Simonelli ’27. “We’re able to have multiple classes dedicated to practicing the lessons we’re going to teach. Being able to take that time to practice in front of our peers, to see others teach the same lessons and adjust based off that, has been helpful too.”
Segel both taught the early literacy course and observed the students firsthand as they taught at Nelson Place, which the students said was a huge benefit to their learning and preparation for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).
“In this class, we’re being observed almost every time that we teach, and our professors can see when we apply the feedback that they give us,” says Emma Tremblay ’27. “It’s really helpful for us to get more of that feedback.”
“This class is one of our biggest in preparation for getting our licensure, and Professor Segel has done a great job of preparing us for both teaching and the test,” says Claire Crossman ’27. “She is instructing us both in how we can do better at the school while sharing things that are going to help on the MTEL too.”
Due to its success with both current teachers and teacher candidates, Assumption and Nelson Place hope to continue the partnership in the future.
“The teacher candidates are doing complex work,” says Segel. “They’ve grown considerably in their understanding of literacy concepts and in their ability to translate those ideas into culturally sustaining instruction with the diverse learners at Nelson Place. I’m incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
“Nelson Place has been very lucky to partner with Assumption University for the DESE Early Literacy Consortium Grant,” says Nicole Moisan, a focused instructional coach at Nelson Place. “This has been a mutually beneficial experience for the teacher candidates from Assumption University as well as our primary teachers and students in kindergarten and grades one and three. The teacher candidates have gotten over 25 hours of real-world classroom experience, while our students have benefited from extra support and instruction in phonics, reading, and writing. It has been wonderful for our teachers to be able to mentor the next generation of teachers in our school this semester, and we look forward to continuing this partnership next year!”