District Reading Program Review

EDES 6359

Natalie Lozano

Loyola Marymount University

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Benchmark Advance i​ s the reading curriculum currently used in the Archdiocese of Los

Angeles and in LAUSD. Designed for students in kindergarten through sixth grade, ​Benchmark

Advance i​ s part of the ​Benchmark Education Company,​ and through the curriculum addresses

many topics and standards. ​Benchmark Advance​ is rooted in scaffolding reading instruction

through it’s vertical alignment, and allows for students to engage in complex fiction and

non-fiction texts through books they can write and annotate in. ​Benchmark Advance​ has multiple

resources, including read aloud texts and leveled texts to ensure that all educators have the tools

necessary for whole group and small group instruction. Students and teachers have access to the

technology component of ​Benchmark Advance.​ This technology component gives students and

teachers access to digital texts with features that include digital annotation markings. In addition,

there are digital assessments through ​Benchmark Advance​ that teachers can administer to

students and easily track data. ​Benchmark Advance’s c​ laims for student outcomes include an in

depth development of content knowledge over time through the use of scaffolded literacy

instruction.

Benchmark Advance​ scaffolds curriculum so each year, students are building upon the

foundation that was solidified the previous year through effective reading instruction. For

example, in the sixth Common Core State Standard involving narrator and point of view, the

vertical alignment would progress as follows:

● Kindergarten: Writers tell many stories.

● 1st: Stories have a narrator.

● 2nd: Many characters have different points of view.

● 3rd Comparing points of view.

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● 4th: Understanding different points of view.

● 5th: Recognizing the author’s point of view.

● 6th: Understanding the reader’s perspective.

The skills detailed in the rest of the Common Core State standards are also vertically aligned in

this way to ensure that not only standards are being met, but also that students are tapping into

prior knowledge while actively engaging in rigorous texts.

The research base for the ​Benchmark Education​ program stems from an evidence based

research study in eight elementary schools in Fairfax County, VA in 2016. Though not

conducted on ​Benchmark Advance ​in particular, ​Benchmark Literacy ​and ​Benchmark Advance

fall underneath the same category of incorporating a strong literacy base using rigor and multiple

texts from ​Benchmark Education.​ Data collected from classes using ​Benchmark Literacy​ and

those not using any form of curriculum demonstrated that students who engaged in literacy

instruction using ​Benchmark Literacy​ demonstrated mastery of standards and performed better

on standardized tests.

Benchmark Advance i​ s a great program for English Learners because it is modifiable and

adaptable. ELL students still have the ability to engage in the same rigorous texts as their peers,

while enhancing instruction through visuals and strategies aligned with ELD standards. The

reading curriculum for ​Benchmark Advance​ is designed in a way that oral language development

is supported and encouraged throughout each lesson. There are specific ELL texts that can be

used as a supplement to the core ​Benchmark Advance ​curriculum, and a variety of ELD

strategies listed in the teacher edition of the book that can be implemented to support ELL

students in the classroom, including the use of sentence frames and pre-teaching of vocabulary.
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Benchmark Advance​ is also a great program for struggling readers because of the

emphasis the program places on small-group instruction. This program gives teachers access to

leveled readers, which are essential tools in effective guided reading instruction in the classroom.

These leveled readers cover different social studies and science topics that allow for students to

read texts at different levels, yet on the same topic. This type of differentiated instruction can

help students meet the needs of all students in the classroom, including struggling readers.

Students who have already reached a level of proficiency in reading and writing can still

benefit from the abundance of resources ​Benchmark Advance​ has to offer. The use of leveled

readers can help students that are in need of a challenge engage in rigorous texts that align within

their zone of proximal development. In addition, students that have reached proficiency in

reading and writing can also begin to form a level of independence in their learning and reading

through ​Benchmark Advance’s​ gradual release of responsibility. In this framework, the teacher

models reading strategies, skills, and standards, over the course of a unit, and slowly releases

responsibility through shared reading, guided reading, and eventually independent reading. This

curriculum allows for students to practice key components of literacy, including reading, writing,

speaking, and listening through rigorous and cross-curricular topics, including social studies and

science, allowing for the integration of literacy in all subjects.

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References

Benchmark advance. Benchmark Education Company, LLC. (2018).

http://www.benchmarkadvance.com/#collapseExample6

Evidence based research. Benchmark Education Company, LLC. (2016).

https://benchmarkeducation.com/media/files/pdf/BL%20-%20VA%20Statewide
%20Results%20-%202016.pdf

Overview brochure. Benchmark Education Company, LLC. (2018).

https://benchmarkeducation.com/online/Publications/BE2964_Benchmark_Advan
ce_Overview/0001_BE2964_page01FrontCover.pdf_FlexPaper-Joined.php