Articles on science of reading
Is the Science of Reading the same as Phonics?
Schools and districts around the country are implementing sweeping mandates that focus on the Science of Reading, which is reduced to phonics programs, but is that enough to solve the reading crisis? And what is the Science of Reading? Is it simply phonics; is that where the science ends? In this article, we will dig into the Science of Reading and the foundational reading skills that, when taught together, lead to proficient reading.
Read MoreWhat Does it Take to Read in the 21st Century?
Researchers found that the meaning of “reading and comprehension” has undergone significant changes over the past few decades; and therefore, how we help children learn across grade levels should also change.
Read MoreImproving Word Recognition and Decoding Skills
The decline in reading achievement nationwide, as witnessed on the latest NAEP results, highlights the need for high-quality interventions to overcome the loss of learning. But, where to start? Using a true diagnostic reading assessment to pinpoint the specific skills readers require support in is the first step. The second step is crafting a learning plan that targets the specific skills students need. In this article, we illustrate how to take action in providing high-quality reading interventions that focus on building word recognition and decoding skills.
Read MoreAssessing the Strands of Skilled Reading | Science of Reading Assessment by Capti
How can educators effectively measure the complex, interconnected skills that lead to reading proficiency, as illustrated by Scarborough`s Reading Rope? This article explores essential assessment methods for each strand, from Phonological Awareness and Decoding to higher-level skills like Verbal Reasoning and Background Knowledge. Discover how tools such as Capti Assess and ReadBasix™ provide comprehensive data on foundational reading skills, allowing teachers to accurately identify reading difficulties and foster success in students from Grade 3 through 12.
Read MoreWhat Educators Want from a Reading Assessment
We administered a survey on what educators really thought about and wanted from their reading assessments. What we learned from the 100+ educators who responded to the survey surprised us, but the most interesting findings were in what educators actually wanted from their assessments.
Read MoreA Critical Link Found between Decoding and Reading Comprehension
It is a well-known fact that the ability to decode printed texts is critical to reading. It is intuitive that the better your students can decode text, the better their reading comprehension will be. However, until now, no one knew what was the critical decoding threshold below which students would not be able to improve their reading comprehension.
Read MoreNAEP Scores Fall; Now What?
With the release of the latest NAEP results, we see the educational consequences from 2 years of interrupted instruction. according to the NAEP reading results, students require weeks or months of additional instructional time to make up for the decline in scores. So, what can we do about the decline in reading and math scores? How long will it take to remediate them? And what can we do to accelerate remediation? — Since an improvement in reading skills has been shown to lead to an improvement in mathematics, let’s focus on remediating reading first...
Read MoreSpeaking is Natural — Reading is Not
Reading is a complex skill that is not naturally acquired through life experiences like speech is. Humans and other hominid species have been speaking for thousands of generations. We have been reading in large numbers for only the last several generations. Therefore it is unrealistic and unreasonable to expect children to learn how to read naturally.
Read MoreThe Importance of Decoding and Word Recognition in Long-Term Reading Success
A hallmark of long-term reading success is the automaticity of decoding and word recognition. Unfortunately, there are students who still struggle with these skills in upper elementary, middle, and even high school. Their reading comprehension is usually impeded, but their teachers do not know what is causing the problem. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers to know what comprises these skills and how to assess them.
Read MoreHow Can We Make Vocabulary Instruction Matter?
The importance of vocabulary knowledge is no more apparent than in its contribution to reading comprehension. Unfortunately, vocabulary is often simplified to learning 8-10 words per week. This pace is not sufficient for long-term success. To build truly broad vocabularies that lead to successful reading comprehension, instruction should focus on developing rich connections between words to construct conceptual knowledge.
Read MorePutting Lexile in Its Place: Addressing Teachers’ Misunderstandings of the Lexile Framework
Text-leveling systems have been around for decades. The most ubiquitous leveling system today is Lexile. While Lexile tells readers and educators the difficulty of a text, teachers are (mis)using it for more than its purpose. Results from a nationally-administered survey about Lexile revealed that teachers misunderstand the use of the Lexile Framework as a measure, and consequently misuse this tool.
Read MoreWhat to Look for in a Diagnostic Reading Assessment
As a former teacher, I recall striving to figure out what was causing my students to struggle with reading. I’d see that my students were highly proficient, proficient, approaching proficient, or below proficient. These four levels told me something about my students, but not enough to identify their strengths and areas of need...
Read MoreHarnessing the Power of Lexile | Step-by-Step Reading Instruction Guide
The Lexile Framework for Reading is a powerful approach that places readers and texts on the same measurement scale, serving as a roadmap to success in school, college, and careers. Discover how to leverage Lexile to effectively measure student progress and create thematically-linked, differentiated text sets. This step-by-step guide provides practical instructions for developing text sets—from administering the Lexile assessment to sequencing texts—for both whole-class instruction and targeted reading interventions, helping you intentionally build a bridge from students` current reading levels to grade-level expectations.
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