What is the Interactive Strategies Approach (ISA)?

The ISA is a comprehensive and responsive approach to early literacy instruction and intervention. The ISA was developed over the course of three major federally funded longitudinal studies focused on comprehensive early literacy instruction and reducing the number of children who experience reading difficulties in the primary grades. The approach is responsive to learners’ current skills and emphasizes responsive instruction to promote the development of phoneme analysis and phonics skills as well as the use of word learning strategies to enable learners to build their sight vocabularies. The approach also emphasizes the development of language skills and world (background) knowledge. The combination of word-level and spoken language skills and background knowledge enables learners to devote their attention to understanding, learning from, and enjoying the texts they read. 

As the name implies, the use of strategies is central to the approach. The emphasis is on the child becoming a strategic reader and the teacher being strategic in and implementing effective and responsive instruction. Instruction based on the ISA is aligned with (and contributed to) the Science of Reading. It is also well-aligned with the New York State Literacy Briefs.  

The ISA focuses on the following core components of early literacy development and instruction: responsive and coherent instruction (across instructional groupings and settings), and the development of: a) motivation to read and write, b) an understanding of the  purposes and conventions of print, c) skill with phonological analysis, d) knowledge of and skill with the alphabetic code, e) the ability to engage in strategic word solving to enable self-teaching and the development of sight vocabulary, f) automaticity with identification of high frequency words, g) vocabulary and oral language skills, and h) comprehension and knowledge. Teachers employing the ISA provide children with instruction that includes guided practice in motivating and engaging reading, writing, and oral language experiences that utilize interesting, meaningful, and manageable materials. 

 

What is the ISA Professional Development (PD)?

The ISA PD builds teachers’ knowledge of literacy development and instruction. Participants learn about the development of each above-mentioned literacy component as well as aligned instruction that may be adapted to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Participants engage in analysis and discussion of video exemplars depicting teachers providing responsive literacy instruction aligned with the ISA to children in primary classroom and intervention settings. PD participants are introduced to tools, such as an Alphabetics Decision Tree, to guide critical decision making related to differentiating instruction, as well as student support materials, such as a list of word solving strategies. As part of the PD, teachers learn to use record keeping devices that we refer to as snapshots to document students’ skills, strategies, and attitudes and to guide their thinking about what students are ready to learn and whether students are appropriately grouped. 

 

The PD may be provided to teacher leaders who, in turn, facilitate book study sessions with teachers in their schools/districts or to individual classroom teachers and educators with an interest in early literacy development and instruction. The PD, which typically entails 31-39 hours, depending on the amount of participant discussion, may be delivered in 5 full-day or 10 half-day sessions*. Participants will have access to the ISA Professional Development website (isaprofessionaldevelopment.org), which includes video exemplars, participant study guides, facilitator guides, and teaching materials and resources. Participants are also be provided with a copy of the current ISA text, Early Literacy Instruction and Intervention, described briefly below.

*Additional scheduling options may be available.

​

To learn more, contact CASDA Executive Director Timothy Backus at tbackus@casdany.org today!