In the first part of a two-part series on diagnostic assessments, Sprig Learning uncovered the essential qualities of diagnostic assessments, shedding light on their pivotal role in shaping evidence-based literacy instruction. 

Re-entering this exploration, Sprig delves deeper into the nuanced aspects that distinguish diagnostic assessments as indispensable tools in the early literacy landscape.

 

More Diagnostic Assessment Qualities For Evidence-based Literacy Instruction

Part 2 of this series unearths further intricacies of diagnostic assessments, focusing on five more attributes that play a vital role in informing evidence-based literacy instruction.

Together with part 1, this thorough exploration of diagnostic assessments aims to equip educators with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted benefits these assessments have to offer. 

Each is explored below. See how they cater to the evolving needs of modern classrooms.

 

1. Offers Snapshot of Learning After Hiatus

Amid concerns over unmet learning milestones due to prolonged school closures from the pandemic, there was a significant opportunity to identify and address student learning gaps early in their educational journey. 

This is achievable through diagnostic assessments, providing a snapshot of current learning situations at the classroom or school level to guide necessary steps for student improvement.

Beyond the pandemic, there is also the concept of the summer slide, where students forget taught concepts from the previous school year. Here lies another opportunity to properly assess the students’ understanding using diagnostic assessments. 

Wherever there is a risk of early learning slides due to long interruptions or unforeseen circumstances, diagnostic assessments can always restore understanding to that particular situation. 

 

2. Allows The Setting & Monitoring of Goals

Given that literacy forms the foundation for numerous critical academic achievements, it is imperative to incorporate assessments of essential literacy skills when formulating preK-3 goals for school districts.

In the Bremerton School District, short-term objectives involved elevating the percentage of incoming kindergarteners proficient in recognizing the entire alphabet. 

Under the guidance of Superintendent Bette Hyde, there was a remarkable 62 percentage point surge over eight years in the number of kindergarteners entering with knowledge of all the letters.

While standardized testing may measure the outcome of learning, diagnostic assessments measure the progress of learning, which ultimately leads to that outcome. 

Thus by setting achievement indicators at each grade level, it is able to check if the progress monitoring measures are in fact producing the type of progress that is expected.

 

3. Provides Balance to Standardized Testing and Screening

In a meta-analytic review, it was revealed that only a quarter of the variance in academic skills on first and second-grade tests could be precisely predicted by preschool or kindergarten tests. 

While standardized testing and screenings have their role in the education system, more needs to be done at the early stages of learning. 

During this critical period, there’s too much at stake to inadvertently restrict a child’s potential by assessing them against a lower standard based on a standardized test conducted in a brief moment in time.

Excessive time on remediation can deprive a child of grade-level learning opportunities. While interventions are crucial for those requiring additional support, ongoing assessment on key diagnostic measures, especially foundational reading skills, is essential for overall reading proficiency. 

This approach, known as learning acceleration, ensures that students address learning deficiencies while staying on track with the curriculum, avoiding prolonged gaps in their educational progress.

 

4. Enhances Differentiated Instruction

Frequently, assessment and differentiated instruction are seen as a sequential process: conduct assessments first, then adapt instruction accordingly.  But did you know that diagnostic assessments itself can be itself differentiated to gauge learning of students?

Differentiated instruction comprises four key components: curricular content, teaching methods, learning environment, and assessments. These elements can be dynamically adjusted, aligning with grade-level standards while delivering personalized learning experiences for diverse student groups.

Thus changing assessments also count as an instance of differentiated instruction, and teachers have the freedom to change diagnostic assessments using their discernment, as long as certain principles are followed.

For instance, in an article highlighting the benefits of differentiated learning in early literacy, it emphasizes how teachers can allow student do-overs during assessments. There are situations where young learners comprehend a concept but, due to various reasons, may struggle to demonstrate that understanding. 

In such cases, providing additional opportunities for them to showcase their learning before making any adjustments is a strategy worth considering

Other methods of differentiating diagnostic assessments may include scenarios in which educators offer tiered assignments, adjust the number of tasks required for an assessment, and grant additional time for specific students to complete those tasks.

 

5. Conducive for Transformation With Technology While Retaining Teacher Control

In the past, teachers dedicated significant time to manually collect and organize student files, diverting their focus from actual teaching activities. However, with the advent of technology, essential diagnostic tools like observatory notes, performance evaluations, and assessments can now be efficiently stored electronically, streamlining teacher tasks and enhancing overall efficiency.

While diagnostic assessments can be used to assess students on foundational reading skills, it is not limited to just collecting that data. It can also be used as holistic assessments as well, where the viewpoint of educators and other professionals are also considered. Thus, it enables teachers to systematically track a broader range of data fields, ensuring a well-organized system.

While technology-supported self-paced learning provides an ideal platform for differentiation, it’s crucial for adults to supervise such activities in early learning. A reliable diagnosis necessitates trust. Ensuring sufficient teacher involvement in the process means that teachers acquaint the child with the concept of assessment and personally conduct the evaluation, fostering trust.

Also, despite the benefits of gamification, an offscreen learning approach is still preferred by many teachers, with teachers utilizing technology to monitor and track the progress of young learners.

 

Understand Diagnostic Assessments To Drive Evidence-based Literacy Instruction

Sprig hopes that this two-part series has amply showcased the profound impact of diagnostic assessments on evidence-based early literacy instruction.

Many case studies of high-performing schools involve using the right frequency of assessments. 

Diagnostic assessments, along with progress monitoring assessments, form the core of a school’s assessment strategy, due to their high frequency.

Together, they are the pulse of early literacy performance, and thus have to be understood properly via their qualities.

By exploring the qualities mentioned in this article and part 1, educators can harness the full potential of diagnostic assessments to drive evidence-based literacy instruction.

Sprig Learning covers all the intricacies of early literacy assessments in its blog, providing valuable insights for educators. 

Previous articles demystify the distinctions between formal and informal assessments, offering a valuable resource for teachers seeking a balanced approach in their classrooms. 

They venture into the future of assessments, embracing a holistic perspective that considers various facets of a child’s learning experience. 

They further delve into the nuanced parameters involved in assessment design.

Sprig is passionate about assessments and their profound impact on a young learner’s educational journey. With the same dedication, this article explores the indispensable role of diagnostic assessments in shaping evidence-based literacy instruction.

This is part of a two-part series on the qualities of diagnostic assessments. 

Diagnostic assessments are typically administered at the outset of a school year, term, semester, or teaching unit. Serving as essential tools for teachers, these assessments play a crucial role in planning instruction and establishing precise learning goals. 

They offer valuable insights, empowering both teachers and students to assess existing knowledge and skills related to overall and specific expectations.

Diagnostic assessments embody five powerful qualities that make them powerful drivers of evidence-based early literacy instruction, meeting the pressing needs of teachers in today’s educational landscape.

 

They Are As Follows: 

 

1. Greatly Supplements Screeners

Timely screening and early diagnosis are recognized as pivotal factors in shaping early literacy outcomes, standing out among the six key strategies for making a difference in early literacy. Screening tools play a crucial role in swiftly identifying students requiring additional support. However, the effectiveness of tier 1 instruction raises a compelling question: do these students, after exposure to robust classroom teaching, still require the same level of assistance? 

Or what about those students that the screener did not identify as needing support but who are bound to fall through the cracks due to lack of engagement in the classroom or an inability to absorb the required learning concepts.

This is where diagnostic assessments step in, offering invaluable insights to determine the ongoing needs of students and ensuring that intervention aligns precisely with their evolving requirements.

 

2. Reduces Dependence on Others

Teachers frequently turn to literacy coaches and other specialists for assessment guidance. Diagnostic assessments streamline this process as they are designed to be specific in evaluating targeted skills, aligning closely with the curriculum in use. 

While collaboration among teachers and early literacy specialists remains essential, the beauty of diagnostic assessments lies in their ability to empower teachers to assess their students without unnecessary barriers.

In fact, insights 15 to 20 from 40 Science of Reading Insights deal with leadership practices that significantly raise the percentage of students’ reading at-grade level by Grade 2. What stands out in particular is “empowering teachers to own and lead interventions” and “sharing granular data with students”.

By fostering a culture of diagnostic assessments, teachers undergo training to consistently diagnose their students on highly specific skills, such as the foundational reading skills. This empowers them to be deliberate in their teaching practices, encompassing instruction, assessment, and intervention with precision.

 

3. Measures The Right Things

Diagnostic assessments adopt the right perspective on academic return on investment. Like any investment, the return should ideally enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness.

These assessments diagnose specific units of learning, validated by extensive research to contribute significantly to reading proficiency. This proficiency can be viewed as a substantial output or return for any school system aiming to address the learning needs of its students!

 

4. Helps Classroom to Be Assessment Centric

Barring progress monitoring assessments, diagnostic assessments are the most frequently employed in classrooms. This emphasis on assessment-centric classrooms aligns with one of the four ideal classroom characteristics identified by The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Literacy Network, based on meta-research supporting early literacy best practices that lead to enhanced student achievement.

Indeed, this quality of being assessment-centric plays a pivotal role in reinforcing all other essential classroom characteristics—student-centricity, knowledge-centricity, and reflection-centricity. 

Especially when it comes to knowledge-centricity, it entails grasping the significance of reading and establishing connections between acquired knowledge and its application in reading. 

Diagnostic assessments, along with subsequent progress monitoring assessments, facilitate this by offering ongoing tracking of all the subskills measured at specific intervals.

 

5. Offers Design Flexibility

Designing effective assessments in early childhood education involves careful consideration of both content and structure. The content of assessments focuses on what is being measured, while the structure deals with how that content is assessed and the manner in which information is stored. 

In the context of diagnostic assessments, teachers can gather information by assigning tasks to students, maintaining individual portfolios that document developmental progress, and utilizing rubrics to assess and evaluate students’ comprehension of taught concepts. 

This flexibility and teacher autonomy afforded by diagnostic assessments empower educators to tailor the educational experience to best suit the needs of their students.

 

Use Diagnostic Assessments to Drive Evidence-based Instruction

The regular assessment of learning is listed as one of the major uses of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund . It’s concerning that about 70% of U.S. educators lack access to high-quality, standards-aligned curriculum. 

It underscores the importance of ensuring curricula align with state academic standards and incorporate embedded assessments for monitoring progress. 

This dual need emphasizes the requirement for both top-notch instructional materials and a systematic assessment process to measure and monitor student learning.

Navigating the assessment landscape involves various considerations, including the formality of assessments, the exploration of holistic formative assessments, and efforts to reduce bias. Each of these topics is covered in separate articles written by Sprig, linked above.

However, in the current era, marked by a focus on evidence-based literacy mandates and the adoption of strategies for effective implementation, assessments must align with the measurement of explicitly and systematically taught foundational reading skills. 

Sprig aims for the drivers outlined in this article to serve as compelling reasons for including diagnostic assessments in your assessment toolbox.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article, which will uncover more intriguing insights about diagnostic assessments.

Assessing early literacy skills is an essential part of ensuring that all young learners develop the foundational skills needed for reading success. 

A wide range of assessments are available to school leaders and educators, each serving specific purposes in identifying, monitoring and supporting a child’s literacy development. 

In this article, Sprig Learning explores the various types of early literacy assessments and provides guidance on choosing the right assessment tool based on your specific needs. 

The format consists of a series of 11 questions, as asking questions is integral at any phase of gathering information when deciding what is the right early literacy assessment for your school and students at this time.

 

1. What Is The Purpose of The Early Literacy Assessment?

There are various types of assessments in early literacy, each with their own purpose.  It is important to understand the early literacy assessment landscape when choosing the best tool for your school and students.

The primary types of early literacy assessments are listed below, with their respective purposes and examples mentioned.

 

Types of Early Literacy Assessments

Screeners

Purpose: To quickly identify students at risk of reading difficulties early in the school year. Includes standardized tests and brief assessments of key literacy skills.

Examples: DIBELS, AIMSWeb, FastBridge.

 

Diagnostic Assessments

Purpose: To identify specific areas of literacy that require intervention. Includes running records of in-depth assessments targeting a comprehensive reading skill inventory such as phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Examples: Acadiece, Sprig Reading, i-Ready.

 

Progress Monitoring Assessments

Purpose: To track a student’s growth over time and evaluate the effectiveness of early interventions. Often includes regular and ongoing assessments throughout the school year to measure progress and adjust instruction accordingly.

Examples: Sprig Reading, CORE Phonics Survey, CKLA.

 

Formative Assessments

Purpose: To inform instruction by providing real-time feedback on student learning. Often  includes teacher observations, classroom quizzes and anecdotal records.

Examples: GOLD, Sprig Reading, Core5.

 

Summative Assessments

Purpose: To evaluate a student’s overall literacy performance at a specific point in time. Includes state standardized tests and end-of-year reading assessments.

Examples: Ontario’s EQAO, Texas’ STAAR, North Carolina’s BOG3.

 

Choosing the Right Assessment Based on Purpose

Selecting the appropriate assessment tool depends on the specific needs of the school and/or school district.

If the goal is to quickly identify students at risk, screeners are the assessment of choice. 

For a more in-depth understanding of a student’s literacy profile, diagnostic assessments provide valuable insights.

When it comes to tracking literacy growth over time and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, progress monitoring assessments are essential. 

For real-time feedback on student learning and instructional planning, formative assessments are very handy. They are very similar to progress monitoring assessments, and can also include diagnostic assessments as a part of its wider definition. 

Lastly, if the aim is to evaluate a student’s overall literacy performance at a specific point in time, summative assessments come into play. 

In practice, many schools and school districts employ a combination of these assessment types, creating a comprehensive and well-rounded approach to address various objectives. 

The key is to align the choice of assessments with the specific goals and requirements of the educational context, allowing for a tailored and effective approach to enhancing early literacy outcomes.

 

2. How Often Should Assessments Occur?

It’s important to decide how frequently assessments need to be conducted in your classrooms.

For ongoing monitoring of student learning, diagnostic assessments and progress monitoring assessments are ideal. 

For periodic evaluations, screeners and summative assessments are better suited.

 

3. What Resources Will Be Required to Deploy the Assessments?

Assess the available resources, including time and personnel, for administering any assessment.

Some assessments, like formative assessments conducted by teachers, require minimal resources, while others, such as summative state standardized tests, can involve significant logistical planning and training.

But even within each assessment type, there are variations in the utilization of resources. 

For example, both diagnostic assessments and progress monitoring assessments can be considered a part of formative assessments. 

But the diagnostic assessments typically require more intensive teacher involvement. Teachers administer these assessments, analyze the results, and use them to develop individualized intervention plans. 

Progress monitoring tools are generally less time-consuming for teachers. They involve regular, brief assessments conducted at intervals, for eg. weekly or monthly, to gauge a student’s progress. They often include digital tools and technology that support the ongoing tracking of outcomes.

Regardless of the degree of teacher involvement and resources needed, it helps to have documentation and support available that guides teachers on how to implement an assessment tool effectively.

Professional development measures are required to be put in place that provide the relevant training and support for teachers on how to assess students consistently and effectively. 

 

4. How Individualized Should Assessments Be?

Consider the unique learning strengths, gifts and needs of each student. 

Formative assessments allow for individualized analysis through running records and note taking. In both diagnostic assessments and progress monitoring assessments, many details of each student can be recorded.

For summative assessments like standardized tests, achieving such a detailed understanding is not feasible. 

However, these assessments serve the valuable purpose of evaluating both individual and group-level learning outcomes, which is a distinct advantage.

 

5. What is the Relationship Between the Assessment and Curriculum?

Ensure that the assessment you choose aligns with the curriculum and literacy goals you have. Assessments should reflect what students are expected to learn and achieve.

If the assessment focuses on one major learning outcome such as a reading level or reading proficiency, it’s a summative assessment. 

If it aims to gauge students’ pre-existing knowledge to determine their readiness and understanding of the curriculum’s concepts, it’s a screener.

If the assessment covers multiple skill sets essential for achieving a major goal in an evidence-based curriculum, it’s a diagnostic assessment. 

If it focuses on measuring finer details, like a subskill within a skill set, over time, it leans toward being a progress monitoring assessment.

 

6. What Type of Students Are The Assessments For?

Questioning who the assessments are for addresses accessibility. 

Evaluate the accessibility of the assessment tool, including whether it’s suitable for students with diverse learning needs and backgrounds.

Ensuring assessment validity and proven to mitigate  bias is critical, given the increased diversity in classrooms today, both in terms of learning skills and background. 

Bias is one of the featured terms that are essential to know in the cause for early literacy equity. 

There is implicit and explicit bias, and assessments must be both inclusive and culturally responsive to tackle such biases head on.

 

7. Who Will Be Doing The Assessment?

There can be multiple roles involved in assessment beyond just teachers. Sometimes there is collaboration between teachers and other specialist roles in the assessment process.

For example, reading specialists often assess students’s reading abilities and develop intervention plans. They work closely with classroom teachers to support student progress. 

Speech language pathologists assess oral language skills and phonological awareness. 

 

8. Are Assessments Easy to Administer?

The rigidity or lack of flexibility when it comes to the administration of assessments may pose a hindrance to some early literacy school teams. But some assessments are more intuitive and easy to use than others.

However, it’s important not to mistake an evidence-based teaching framework for lack of flexibility. Teachers must still customize instruction for diverse student needs, hence there will always be scope for flexibility.

Formative assessments play a crucial role in enabling such personalized instruction, allowing regular tracking of student understanding of foundational reading skills to inform instruction.

Teachers will always maintain autonomy with assessments, because while it’s imperative to follow the evidence and teach all the foundational literacy skill sets to every student, assessments will determine if 1) students are ready to learn 2) if they are learning new concepts 3) if they are retaining the knowledge required to advance. 

Given their pivotal role and the demands for classroom teachers, it’s important  that assessments are easy to administer.

 

9. When Should the Assessments Occur?

 

Timing (During the Academic Journey)

Assessments should be introduced as early as possible in a child’s life, because prioritization of early childhood education is critical. It is a powerful driver of literacy equity and there are strong ties between high-quality Pre-K education and primary education student performance.

The case for early literacy intervention is undeniable, and it is only made possible by use of early assessments, preferably starting at preschool, and not any later than Grade 3.

 

Timing (During the School Day)

A teacher can assess students at any time of the day depending on their daily schedule.

Here are some contexts in which assessment may occur:

 

Morning Routine

Some teachers incorporate brief literacy assessments as part of their morning routine. 

This can involve short activities like sight word recognition, letter naming, or phonemic awareness exercises to gauge students’ readiness for the day’s lessons.

 

Small Group Instruction

During small group literacy instruction, teachers may assess students individually or in small groups. 

This allows for more targeted assessment and immediate feedback, particularly for skills like reading comprehension, fluency, or phonics.

 

Literacy Centers

Many classrooms have literacy centers where students rotate through different small-group literacy activities. 

Teachers can use this time to assess specific skills related to the center’s focus, such as vocabulary development, phonics, or reading comprehension.

 

One-on-One Assessment

Some assessments, especially diagnostic assessments or more in-depth evaluations, may require one-on-one sessions between the teacher and the student. 

These assessments may occur at various times during the day, depending on the teacher’s schedule.

 

End of Lesson

Teachers often use the end of a literacy lesson to assess students’ understanding and progress related to the lesson’s objectives. This can involve quick checks for understanding of the taught concepts.

 

Scheduled Assessment Periods

In some cases, teachers may have dedicated assessment periods built into the weekly schedule. 

These periods can be used for more formal assessments, progress monitoring, or data collection.

 

10. Should the Assessments Have One or More Features?

Assessments could have other features that either add value to the assessment or complement it.

Small group instruction is one of the featured trends in a list of evidence based early literacy trends. Many schools have adopted high-dosage and high-impact tutoring in small groups. But with such efforts, ongoing diagnostic assessments are key. 

Assessment is needed on the journey from emergent literacy to reading mastery. In laying and building on a strong reading foundation, there is a need for individualized instruction which can only be administered on the basis of ongoing assessments that monitor progress. 

So then, it would make sense for assessment tools to have other features as well, such as differentiated instruction capabilities.

Also, to enhance reading instruction in the classroom, it’s recommended to make assessments fun and engaging. Thus, assessments could have recommendations as a feature, which suggest how to best incorporate it into play-based learning. 

There could be more of such value-adds and complements. The school’s early literacy team could consider assessment tools with multiple features to align with the diverse objectives of the early literacy team.

 

11. How Many Assessments Are Needed?

It can be beneficial to rely on more than one source of assessments. Especially, if there are multiple assessment goals the school or school division has.

Rather than one tool with multiple features, the school can consider multiple assessment tools each specializing in one thing. 

For example, specifically designing strategies for struggling students is a recommendation for improving reading instruction in schools. A school may have a large body of students who need extra support. 

These numbers will skew reading performance, and so it’s important to know this information. Thus in this case, addressing the root issue with an assessment such as a screener is important.

For improving early literacy achievement, stories of using multiple types of assessments are trending, where there are screeners, diagnostics, progress monitors, and standardized assessments.

For example, the Upper Grand District School Board Director of Education, Peter Sovran, assures that besides the EQAO assessments data, the district also has report card data and teacher assessments data to understand student progress.

 

Select The Right Assessment(s) For Your School

Early literacy assessments play a crucial role in helping educators support young learners on their journey to becoming proficient readers. 

By understanding the various types of assessments and their purposes, school leaders, administrators and educators can make informed decisions about which tools to use. 

Whether it’s identifying at-risk students, tailoring interventions, monitoring progress, or evaluating overall literacy performance, there’s an assessment method suited to every need. 

Implementing ongoing progress monitoring was featured as a major takeaway in a prior article featuring some brilliant case studies on improving student achievement. It’s important that a school’s early literacy team is on board with the decision of what assessment to use. 

In that particular case, Chicago public schools administrators and educators set grade level teams to set growth targets in reading, math and attendance and would regularly meet in both grade-level and vertical-planning teams. 

Ultimately, the key to effective literacy assessment lies in using the right tool at the right time for the right purpose. Sprig hopes to guide you toward selecting the appropriate assessment through the questions presented in this article.

This article is the second installment in a two-part series aimed at assisting education leaders  in refining and enhancing existing reading strategies and programs for the upcoming school year. If you missed part 1, Starting Strong: How Educational Leaders Can Transform Reading in Their School, be sure to give it a read, as it offers valuable insights into how to lay the foundation for future reading achievement by addressing all aspects within the system.

This article delves deeper into what to watch for and how to continually enhance the implementation and sustenance of a reading strategy once it has been set into motion.

 

Steps to Uncover Hidden Challenges and Boost Reading Program Performance

Enforcing comprehensive change in response to the increasing number of laws advocating for evidence-based reading practices necessitates a strategic, multi-step approach. 

Here are four amazingly practical steps for school and district leaders implementing evidence-based reading strategies, picked from a report published on Reading League, a national education nonprofit led by educators and reading experts. The author is Dena Mortenesen, Elementary Reading and Language Arts Supervisor for Waterbury Public Schools in Connecticut. 

 

1. Analyze and Adjust Assessments

Collaborating with educators and literacy coaches to assess the value of classroom assessments is essential. 

It’s crucial to monitor whether existing assessments are consuming more instructional time, as seen from Dena Mortensen’s experience of over two decades.

Evaluate if there’s a universal screener to identify at-risk readers and a curriculum-based measure to track progress. 

Remember that school district requirements are only a part of the assessment plan; teachers should also employ diagnostic assessments as necessary to customize lessons for individual students.

 

2. Analyze Curriculum and Secure Resources

Leaders must ensure alignment between their expectations for teachers and the resources they provide to enable them to meet those expectations. 

Empower teachers for success by equipping them adequately. Waterbury Public Schools used their newfound knowledge to establish criteria and make informed choices regarding the provision of materials and human resources. 

Dena’s team had invested in a foundational skills program for K3 and also a core reading program for K-5. They had also hired more literacy facilitators.

To kick start the process, start by evaluating the curriculum. Is it aligned with the principles of the science of teaching reading? Verify that teachers have access to research-based materials. 

Scrutinize the staffing structure to ensure you have the required personnel to teach the core curriculum and cater to the needs of students who may require additional support. If needed, reassess your staffing model and contemplate hiring extra assistance.

Provide evidence-based rationale to support change in areas where there is a need for overhauling the old way of doing things. 

Both educators and administrators become accustomed to the current curriculum and resources. There must be a compelling reason to encourage active participation in adopting new processes.

 

3. Redesign Schedules

The district implemented schedules that allowed for a total of three and a half hours to be dedicated to core instruction and intervention. Specifically, each school assigned 90-120 minutes to both whole group and small group Tier 1 instruction in reading and language arts. 

Additionally, 30-45 minutes were allocated for foundational skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and handwriting or cursive (for grades K-3). 

An additional 45-minute block was reserved for intervention or enrichment activities. This scheduling arrangement was designed to ensure that expert reading teachers and tutors could deliver Tier 3 intervention lessons seamlessly across all grade levels throughout the day, without any scheduling conflicts.

 

4. Provide Systematic and Ongoing Professional Learning

With a roster of more than 400 elementary classroom teachers, it proved impractical to conduct in-person training sessions with each one. 

Instead, a system was devised to facilitate scalable training. In this model, 20 literacy facilitators underwent initial training firsthand using a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach. 

These facilitators, in turn, conducted training sessions for the teachers. Teachers benefited from continual support through bi-weekly Instructional Data Team (IDT) meetings and coaching cycles.

Beyond teacher training, literacy facilitators themselves underwent specialized professional development to enhance their content knowledge and coaching skills. 

Maintaining up-to-date expertise is of utmost importance, with weekly meetings between the literacy facilitators and the concerned personnel to exchange new insights and address any queries. 

Additionally, literacy facilitators convene weekly with principals and vice-principals during Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) meetings to deliberate on literacy-related matters. 

This approach underscores the significance of continuous, embedded training and communication in achieving success.

 

Length and Breadth of a Successful Reading Program

Exploring the four steps mentioned earlier provides valuable insights from a teacher’s perspective, considering their pivotal role in early education. Yet, it’s equally essential to view the educational process through the student’s perspective. 

This entails assessing individual student learning, comparing to standards and learning expectations, and monitoring their academic journey throughout the primary grades, recognizing the critical importance of each year in this foundational learning phase.

These two themes are explored as follows: 

 

Implementing Research-based Practices across all Three Tiers 

Jocelyn Auger, Principal of the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board (BGCDSB), discusses the proactive measures her district implemented to enhance early reading proficiency among students. 

BGCDSB engaged its top educational and curriculum experts in researching evidence-based reading strategies. Drawing upon resources like Essential Practices of Literacy, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, as well as their internal Reading Continuum and Phonological Screener, they identified deficiencies in their instructional methods that had led to students lacking crucial components in their foundational literacy skills.

The school board began to offer relevant professional development opportunities to their primary team, and hire specialist roles such as instructional coaches and literacy consultants. It also implemented instructional changes in all tiers of interventions.

It also identified next steps such as: 

Delving deeper into the science of reading within their Primary Professional Learning Network (PLN). Transitioning to a school-wide PLN ensured that teachers across different grade levels had access to uniform learning resources.

Fostering professional collaboration to tailor interventions for individual students.

Establishing open and transparent communication channels with parents and guardians to discuss the specific strengths and needs of each student.

Embracing the evidence-based science of reading has proven to be a transformative experience within our institution. This literacy approach ensures that every student, irrespective of their background, entry-level, or prior school experience, undergoes systematic and thorough assessment and receives the necessary support.

 

Continuity In-between Grades

Utilizing assessments, standards, and a well-structured curriculum ensures educational continuity as students progress through the primary grade levels. 

Additionally, the abundance of student data offers valuable insights for schools, aiding teachers in effective class planning and decision-making. While kindergarten entry assessments can provide initial insights into incoming students’ academic abilities, it’s essential not to solely rely on them. 

A comprehensive approach, including ongoing assessments and observational measures, offers a more accurate understanding of individual student needs, guiding tailored instructional strategies.

Scheduling joint professional development sessions for preschool and kindergarten educators fosters collaboration and facilitates seamless transitions for young learners.

 

Specific Strategies for Coordinating, Monitoring, and Increasing Instruction Time

Regardless of the nature of challenges that are solved, whether they are teacher or student centric, a lot of it comes down to the actual quality of the instruction in the classroom. 

There is so much room for improvement when it comes to the coordination, monitoring, and the increment of instructional time, given the immense weight it holds in the success of reading strategies and programs.

According to Dr. Karen Carlson, former principal of Chicago Public Schools, the most effective elementary schools prioritize a reading-enriched curriculum for all students, commencing in the first grade with a robust emphasis on phonetics. 

Furthermore, this approach is reinforced through continuous monitoring to prevent any student from slipping through the cracks.

The following advice is extracted from a thorough two-year study conducted by the Academic Accountability Council, aimed at enhancing the coordination, monitoring, and maximization of instructional time.

 

Coordinated and Aligned Curriculum

• Implement a curriculum with vertical and horizontal coherence.
• Align school curriculum to local and state standards and assessments.

 

Monitor Both Students and Teachers

• Employ specific techniques for monitoring educators, such as collecting, reading, and commenting on teachers’ lesson plans on a weekly basis.
• It’s important to be visible and visit classrooms regularly. It’s good to meet regularly with teachers and grade-level teams to review student progress and solve problems that come up. 

 

Increase Time on Task

So much of reading success comes down to the actual spent time on providing instruction. 

• Implement smaller class sizes or offer tutoring to maximize students’ time-on-task during regular school hours.
• Create additional learning opportunities before and after school to extend overall learning time.
• Consider extending the school day and academic year for all students, utilizing available discretionary resources.

 

Focusing on The Right Areas

In the National Research Council’s seminal report Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, the authors had identified three significant hurdles hindering the widespread adoption of effective reading instruction practices. 

 

1) The first challenge stems from a short-term approach to teaching, prioritizing easier-to-learn reading skills while neglecting vocabulary, conceptual knowledge, and reading comprehension strategies. 

 

2)The second obstacle relates to insufficient expertise among educators in effectively teaching these more complex reading skills. 

 

3) Lastly, the limited time within the school day and year presents difficulties in meeting high expectations for children’s learning. 

 

Throughout this article, the lack of research-based instructional strategies, lack of professional development to help understand and teach according to these strategies, and the lack of enough instruction time has been highlighted.

Hopefully, the advice given is helpful in overcoming some of these challenges and creating a roadmap for school administrators seeking to streamline their reading programs as the new school year begins. 

It’s the beginning of another school year. 

It’s a time where many schools are looking at optimizing their current reading programs, tools, approaches and resources in order to improve early literacy outcomes.

For others, it’s a time to evaluate existing early literacy resources already in place.

In both cases, the new school year presents itself as an opportunity to do things right. 

Starting strong is essential to early reading success. Not only for young learners, but for teachers and administrators as well, where they review what has worked and what can be improved, to create an action plan that will serve them well for the upcoming school year.

This article will help school leaders to optimize early reading resources, engage educators, and implement impactful changes to elevate literacy outcomes.

 

Knowledge, Application and System

Ensure All Three Are in Your School Improvement Plans

A successful reading program develops reading proficiency in every student and relies on proven practices. 

There are three essential elements that are vital for designing, executing, and maintaining effective reading instruction.

• Providing educators with comprehensive professional development.

• Utilizing instructional tools aligned with this knowledge.

• Establishing school systems that support and cultivate successful implementation.

 

So it’s important to ensure that all three elements are a part of your schoolwide strategy to improve reading outcomes. 

Ensuring the presence of all three ensures the sustainability of a well-functioning early reading program.

Educators must feel supported with adequate professional development at a time when there is a strong resurgence of evidence-based early literacy. 

Furthermore, there must be an outlet for this knowledge to translate into classroom practices. Educators need to be equipped with the right tools. 

Finally, the school culture must be ready to embrace and support the cause to improve early literacy. 

When all three components are present in the school’s early reading program, this effectively supports actual practices, beginning with teaching strategies. 

 

Tier 1 Instructional Strategy

 

Build a Strong Core

Before all else, is your tier 1 instruction sufficiently comprehensive? 

If not, it could be a stumbling block to early reading success for students. 

Researchers have found out that choosing and implementing a research-based core reading program is the key first step in a model that is designed to prevent reading supports for most students.

Studies have explored different methods of teaching reading on Title 1 student achievement. The findings suggest that programs employing explicit instruction on foundational skill sets result in higher achievement, particularly among students at risk of reading difficulties.

 

Audit of Assessment Practices

 

Standardized, Diagnostic and Ongoing— Need for All Three Types

Assessment is a vital component of any effective reading program. 

It should align with the reading curriculum, allowing for the tracking of student progress and helping teachers gauge the pace of instruction. 

In such programs, assessment informs instruction for both large groups and individuals, with various assessment tools serving distinct purposes.

Statewide achievement tests, for instance, provide insights into systemwide instructional effectiveness. 

Diagnostic tests aid classroom teachers in planning instruction and communicating student needs to parents. 

Ongoing assessments guide decisions on groupings, instructional speed, and the need for individual support.

It’s important to audit your existing assessment practices to ensure that all three of these types of assessments are present. 

 

Regarding Content of Assessment

In the early grades, assessing foundational skills and strategies crucial for long-term outcomes, is of utmost importance. 

Consequently, early-grade reading assessments should be frequent and skill-specific.

 

Developing Differentiated Instruction Capabilities

 

Strengthen Differentiated Instruction to Realize Full Value of  Ongoing Assessments

Studies have revealed that in highly effective schools, more time is devoted to small-group instruction, which is a powerful approach of differentiating instruction to individual and group needs. 

Frequent and ongoing assessments, coupled with early intervention, facilitate students moving reading levels, a characteristic of the most effective schools.

It allows for adaptable pacing and complexity adjustments according to the level of the students. 

But there is no question of intervening without the ability to group students, or isolate individual students.

Thus, ensuring ongoing assessments that measure the foundational reading skills is just one half of the equation. 

In order to truly enable early reading success, teachers need to be able to differentiate instruction for their diverse classrooms, both in terms of background and ability.

 

The Runway for Early Reading Success

Timing is really important. Some of the newer evidence-based literacy legislations that have been enacted will not fully come into effect until the 2024-2025 school year. 

Any forecasted academic improvements will take even more time to become visible. Amy Rhyne, Director of Early Literacy in North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction, says “Anything in education, it takes three to five years”

Transformation, as observed in North Carolina, is unfolding gradually, marked by disparities from one school to another, and sometimes even from teacher to teacher. 

It hinges on a delicate blend of encouragement, incentives, and teacher support. It is a challenging equilibrium given that many school systems and educators have long held the autonomy to determine what and how they teach.

A good way to plan for these legislative changes is to ask what is the change, how much is the change, and what can be done about it beginning today? 

The runway has to be adequately planned, so it’s a smooth ride before take off.

If a school’s reading program has already thought about professional development, its application into practice, the systems that will support it, and also how it plans to address tier 1 instruction, formative assessments, and differentiated instruction, it can then consider supporting teachers to be more deliberate about their teaching strategies. 

 

School Leaders Supporting Teachers

Teachers, even those with the most advanced knowledge and skills,cannot and should not be asked to carry the entire burden of improving reading outcomes for all learners. 

There is a need for system-level change. Distinguished early literacy researchers in the The American Federation of Teachers have listed 6 steps that teachers can implement in their classrooms now, which school leaders should start supporting immediately. 

 

1. Use academic learning time deliberately and purposefully to ensure students receive the maximum amount of evidence-based instruction. 

Academic engagement, often measured as “time on task”, serves as a strong predictor of academic success. Reflect upon the allocation of your teaching hours, ensuring a substantial focus on explicit instruction and high-priority skills linked to improved reading outcomes. Observations indicate that classrooms often underutilize instructional time for these critical skills. 

2. Consider the value of the one-minute lesson. 

Numerous students grappling with substantial reading challenges find immense value in concise one-minute lessons. These sessions offer a quick review of challenging tasks, the chance to practice word reading with immediate feedback, or the opportunity to showcase their understanding with feedback.

3. Offer customized instruction that reflects students’ learning needs. 

While some of your students may grasp reading effortlessly, others with reading difficulties, disabilities, or dyslexia demand personalized instruction tailored to their unique learning requirements. Start by scrutinizing their screening and progress monitoring data. Identify the key areas where they need supplementary instruction and practice. Then, strategize on integrating this work into daily individual mini-lessons or with small groups of students who share similar needs. 

4. Give struggling readers instruction in small groups, in pairs, or one on one. 

Numerous students facing reading challenges thrive when exposed to specialized instruction, which can be effectively delivered in small-group settings, paired sessions, or one-on-one interactions. These formats offer the flexibility to customize instruction to their specific needs, delivering the right balance of practice and precise, targeted feedback

5. Create many opportunities to read a range of text types and a range of text levels. 

Students encountering reading challenges find value in broadening their reading experiences to encompass diverse text genres, spanning digital, informational, and narrative texts. This diversity in text types shouldn’t be limited to older students; it can be integrated into the listening comprehension and text reading of younger learners, even those who are just beginning to read. With sufficient background knowledge, motivation from intriguing topics, and additional instructional support, students can engage with and comprehend more advanced texts.

6. Provide explicit instruction that incorporates clear feedback. 

Before teaching, clear expectations should be established for student actions and responses. It should be clearly communicated what they should know. Students must showcase their understanding of the taught concepts. Specific feedback must be provided that encourages the desired behavior while addressing any errors. 

 

Getting Teachers to Adopt The Above Techniques For The New School Year

Despite the involvement of three major agents of change—legislatures, researchers, and activist parents, persuading teachers to adopt new techniques remains a challenging endeavor.

Kymyona Burk, instrumental in driving Mississippi’s early literacy transformations and now a policy fellow at the think tank ExcelinEd, says “The hardest part was convincing others who had done things a certain way for such a long time that we needed to make a shift. We had to make a shift in our instructional practices; we had to make a shift in the curricula that we were purchasing; and also we had to just really come to terms with the fact that there were so many of our teachers who had come through our education-preparation programs who still were not equipped to teach children who struggle how to read.”

Mississippi initiated a comprehensive teacher retraining program, which involved a rigorous module that delves into the fundamentals of speech sounds, known as phonemic awareness. Several states have since adopted similar approaches. 

However, retraining educators with packed schedules is a time-consuming process and may not necessarily result in substantial changes to their classroom practices. As Timothy Shanahan,  former director of reading for Chicago schools and an early-literacy expert, points out, “There are tens of thousands of schools in the United States, and there’s limited oversight into their day-to-day operations.”

 

Need for Strong Leadership

School leaders have the great task of working with teachers to gradually implement instructional, assessment, and differentiation practices that align with the extensive body of research aimed at enhancing reading outcomes.

Effective leadership at the local policy and school levels holds substantial influence.States and local districts wield significant financial power when it comes to educational decisions. 

Numerous organizations who advocate for struggling students, emphasize the pivotal role of school-based leadership in successfully implementing top-tier reading instruction and professional development. 

Research highlights how capable leadership correlates with commitment to professional development and teacher adherence to literacy practices.

By following the guidance outlined in this article, administrators can confidently kickstart the school year on the right footing. They will be able to evaluate whether their existing infrastructure and resources are primed to support teachers in implementing the practices that lead early readers to proficiency!

In Part 2 of this series, we will delve into the next steps, including navigating this new approach, addressing associated challenges, and strategies for overcoming them throughout the academic year.