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Improve Student Achievement in Early Learning: Learn from 5 Remarkable Case Studies (Looking At 16 Schools)

Student success is often top of mind for educators and administrators. 

Most other early learning outcomes, whether academic, socio-emotional, or more holistic in nature, are intricately connected to the overarching goal of student achievement.

At Sprig Learning, our focus lies in finding effective early learning solutions tailored for teachers instructing preK to Grade 3 children. 

The mission involves facilitating successful learning experiences by presenting proven strategies that have worked for various schools, families and communities.

Sprig has previously presented stories and themes centered around enhancing early learning in school districts. This article covers successful case studies. It sheds light on 5 compelling case studies derived from 16 different schools across the US. 

Each case study is paired with key takeaways, providing valuable insights for both educators and administrators.

 

Case Study 1. Key Lessons in Closing Achievement Gaps: Insights from Successful Urban School Districts

Case Study 1. Key Lessons in Closing Achievement Gaps- Insights from Successful Urban School Districts

Credit: Google Earth. Charlotte-Mecklenburg School.

 

In the early 2000s, Houston Independent School District, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Sacramento Unified School District were able to reduce the achievement gap for disadvantaged and minority students. 

They demonstrated an upward trend of overall student achievement for at least three years.

Improvement was consistent and the rate of improvement was higher than in comparison districts. 

All three of these large urban school districts shared commonalities regarding what worked for them in improving student success.

They were able to align curricula with state standards and translate these standards into instructional practice.

In particular, attention was paid to the lowest performing schools to help them with resources, teachers and administrators. 

Data from early and ongoing assessments were provided to educators and principals to help identify both student and teacher weaknesses, so improvements could be made.

Changes began at the elementary level, emphasizing shared accountability between the board and superintendent for student success, with refined joint visions and enduring relationships.

 

Takeaway: Systematic and Acute Planning for Better Student Results

There were so many critical and important decisions at these three school districts. At the heart of it all was directed planning.  

It was decided from the beginning that the goal would be to improve the assessment scores of those students at the lower end of the achievement distribution.

Every other decision was made in support of this ultimate goal. 

The alignment between the board and the superintendent was ensured from the beginning, to solidify the vision.

The standard of content and instruction were raised that would benefit the students once the changes were made.

On a day-to-day level, the frequent usage of assessment data came into practice, which really helped educators identify students in need of greater support.

From top to bottom, the plan was created and executed to accomplish the set goal of reducing performance disparity.

 

Case Study 2. Boosting Literacy Skills: Andover Schools’ Success Story

Case Study 2. Boosting Literacy Skills- Andover Schools' Success Story

Credit: Andover Public Schools

 

Andover Public Schools was able to decrease the share of K–2 students scoring below benchmark on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment by ten percentage points for the 2018-2019 school year. 

DIBELS is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. 

In that same school year, there was a 14% decrease in out-of-district placements. An out-of-district placement occurs when it is determined that a student needs more intensive support than can be provided in the district. 

Andover partnered with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions, to develop literacy micro-credentialing coursework throughout the first half of the school year. There were 25 Instructional Assistants from 5 elementary schools that were selected.

The training included ten hours of instruction on leading literacy interventions. It also consisted of structured observations of both advanced and struggling readers.

 

Takeaway: Training Paraprofessionals Via Collaborations

Andover Public schools realized that their educators needed more support in providing the type of specific interventions that were required to help struggling readers. 

Such help was ensured very smartly through a collaboration with a local institution, so certain members of the early learning workforce could be appropriately upskilled. 

Seeing the success of involving the instructional assistants, Andover will continue to measure students’ growth in literacy over time, to deploy the right resources to services involving paraprofessionals.

It’s important to partner with the right organizations who have the capacity to train specialists who are adept at doing a particular task. They greatly help teachers in assisting those students who demand more attention. 

 

Case Study 3. Transforming Kindergarten Readiness: Indianola’s Inspiring Success Amid Challenges

Case Study 3. Transforming Kindergarten Readiness- Indianola's Inspiring Success Amid Challenges

Credit: Google Earth. Sunflower County Consolidated School District.

 

The community in Indianola, Mississippi was able to increase the rate of kindergarten readiness by nearly 25%, despite struggling with lack of access to resources and intergenerational poverty. 

Since 2014, there’s been a consistent rise in the percentage of kindergarten entrants who meet or exceed the assessment threshold predicting third-grade reading proficiency.

This was accomplished by working with the Indianola Promise Community to create better early childhood programs and services in the area and the local school district.

The Early Head Start Child Care Partnership program’s Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®1) scores from different teachers were analyzed to identify teachers making the most gains with their students.

(CLASS®1) is a PreK teacher-child observation instrument used to assess preK children. 

These high-quality teacher-child interactions were studied for modeling purposes. 

The strategic use of data to align early childhood strategies continued into elementary school. 

The Sunflower County Consolidated School District in Indianola had to build the culture of using data at the classroom level. 

The district created a tracker that each teacher, principal, superintendent, school could use.

The data from this tracker was used to identify students who needed extra support. Targeted interventions were subsequently personalized to meet students’ needs. 

The school district also regularly sent data cards home to families and provided activities to help parents interpret the data. 

 

Takeaway: A Joint Effort Between Early Learning Programs, the School District and Families.

What happened in the community of Indianola is a classic example of involving the whole community to be more child centric. 

By sharing data between the early learning programs, the school district, and the parents, it became easier to track student progress as they moved through the education system.

 

Case Study 4. Valuable Insights from Chicago Elementary Schools: Strategies for Elevating Standardized Test Gains

Valuable Insights from Chicago Elementary Schools- Strategies for Elevating Standardized Test Gains

Credit: Abc 7 Chicago

 

The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research conducted a study on 6 elementary schools in Chicago Public Schools. Three of the schools had improving Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) Scores, while three of them had declining or flat ISAT scores. The ISAT (now discontinued) measured achievement in both reading and math from grade 3 to grade 8. 

The schools with improving ISAT scores shared similar traits. The names were anonymized in the case studies. 

The findings provide an insight as to what can be done to achieve higher learning gains on standardized tests.

The lessons congregate around two themes — individualizing student goals and systematizing approach to meeting goals. 

 

Takeaway 1: Individualizing Student Goals

Differentiating instruction is the first step of the personalization of instruction. It usually refers to differentiating by groups of students. 

For example, in the case studies, the staff identified different tiers of support for student groups. 

Tutoring programs were made available for students who needed extra support. Counseling was made available for students with attendance issues. 

But beyond differentiated group instruction, a culture had been created to support and nurture each and every student at an individual level, without constraining any of the existing resources.

The staff encouraged students to set their own learning goals. Learning was very personalized where students took ownership over what they learned and met the goals they set for themselves. 

Indeed, activating early learners by getting them to own their learning is one of the suggested best practices of formative assessments, a type of assessment used widely by educators across North America. 

If anyone steered off track with lower grades or missed assignments, teachers met with the students and parents to find out what’s happening. 

There were also homeroom teachers in place to make interventions after observing a student and their behaviors across the different classes. 

In the Sprig Learning platform, it’s possible to filter down to the individual level, where a history of assessments and activities completed can be seen for any student. 

 

Takeaway 2: Establishing Mechanisms for Ongoing Progress Monitoring

The expectation for schools in the case studies, was for every student to reach high academic levels. 

The staff met in grade level teams to set growth targets in reading, math and attendance for the year. 

Teachers and administrators collaborated to monitor progress towards goals by regularly meeting in grade-level and vertical-planning teams.

Administrators helped educators  break down the data by student, classroom, and grade level. 

The Sprig platform also allows teachers, staff and administrators to filter data by classroom and grade, facilitating grade-level and vertical-planning meetings.

Even where leadership was decentralized and educators were given more freedom to take actions best suited to help their students, there was some sort of mechanism in place to ensure progress was being made.

At regular intervals (every 5 weeks, in one example), the principals or instructional coaches looked at student progress reports to identify trends. In grade-level meetings, teachers are asked to explain their choice of assignments. Coaches would provide feedback to teachers on their assignments.

Teachers would also get together to give each other advice about how to help students. 

Though collaboration time and preparation time were scheduled, teachers would often meet before and after school and during lunch breaks to discuss such matters.

Lack of time for educators is often cited as one of the major challenges in early learning. Even in success stories, it’s seen that teachers have to improvise work hours in order to accomplish everything that they want to. 

It helps to have a platform that keeps all student data in one place, and makes that platform available to all educators and professionals who consult on a certain student’s learning. 

It certainly speeds up things in getting everyone on the same page when it’s time to discuss learning needs, thereby saving valuable time for all educators involved. 

 

Case Study 5. Unveiling Success: Key Insights from Maryland’s High-Performing Schools

Case Study 5. Unveiling Success- Key Insights from Maryland's High-Performing Schools

The Maryland State Department of Education did a cross case analysis of some of its schools that were classified as high-performing or high-growth for disadvantaged student groups, such as students from low-income families, minority students, and English language learners. 

The performance or growth of such performance, was measured using the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the Maryland School Assessments. 

Looking at five elementary schools (Chillum, Bel Air, Chadwick, James. H Harrison and North Frederick) from four different counties, many common characteristics were identified. 

 

Takeaway: Empowering Education Through Data-Informed Strategies and Collaborative Cultures

Schools that integrated ongoing data analysis into their teaching practices demonstrated a commitment to understanding their current situation and progress.

This involved regular meetings among teachers and instructional staff to discuss data and adjust instruction based on insights gained. This foundation of data-driven decision-making enabled schools to identify areas of improvement and set up practices to address them effectively.

Additionally, revising curriculum, adopting new instructional materials, offering multiple interventions like tutoring and extended day academic help, and implementing summer school programming played pivotal roles in raising education quality. These multifaceted interventions catered to the diverse needs of students, offering targeted support to those who needed it most.

By zooming out to the entire class, schools could explore innovative instructional approaches and materials that aligned with both rigorous standards and individual learning styles. 

Ultimately, these strategies created a holistic educational experience, closing the loop on the data-driven cycle and fostering a collaborative culture that propelled student achievement.

 

Improving Student Achievement– Replicating Early Learning Student Successes 

Improving Student Achievement– Replicating Early Learning Student Successes

Having read all of these case studies, one notices that they each have slightly different goals. Some specifically wanted to reduce the success gap between groups of students, others catered more towards kindergarten preparedness, while others focused on raising performance on tests. 

All are however related to improving student achievement, which remains a topmost priority for all school districts and schools in North America. 

Whether it’s creating the right vision for early learning, or writing a high-performing school improvement plan, Sprig likes to present what works for schools with articles such as these.

The findings from these five case studies provide invaluable insight. They demonstrate that it is indeed possible to ensure school readiness, achieve greater scores and reduce the performance gap by taking the right actions. 

Hopefully, these shared experiences from school districts across the continent are useful to you. To explore solutions that help to replicate such early learning student success, please see our homepage.

5 More Emerging Themes for Success in Early Literacy

Building on this week’s article, 5 Emerging Themes in Improving Early Literacy, Sprig Learning is thrilled to present 5 more of such themes for success in early literacy.

Hopefully, this series has been useful in getting ideas and inspiration for taking on initiatives to improve the quality of early literacy programs in your classrooms and schools. 

There are more stories corroborating these themes, or exploring new themes that may be just as useful in rethinking existing literacy initiatives at your school.

Please subscribe to Root to Fruit, our twice-a-month newsletter on all things early learning, that thoroughly covers all such news items pertaining to early literacy improvement.

Stay completely updated on all relevant Pre-K to 3 news on early literacy.

Without further ado, here are 5 more emerging themes in improving early literacy. Let’s nurture a generation of confident and enthusiastic readers together! 

 

Theme 1: Principal’s Role in Literacy Improvement

Principal

In early childhood education, the elementary school principal wields significant influence over school administration. Their guidance is pivotal in making informed decisions about early literacy, from implementing evidence-based instruction and assessments to adopting new curriculums and managing funds effectively. Hiring the right principal with ample experience is essential for success.

 

  • Jill Bjorge is the new principal of Riverside Elementary School in Brainerd, Minnesota. Drawing experience from her background as a classroom teacher and literacy coach for many years in the school district, she wishes to provide every child a fun, safe and loving learning environment. Jill is a strong advocate of early childhood literacy, having previously developed a reading curriculum for Grade 3 that allowed her to meet the needs of a diverse classroom. 

 

  • Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board will add a system-wide school principal to support principals with learning recovery initiatives at all schools. Additionally, a special assignment teacher will be added to provide system support to English language classes. Funding for this move will come from the $3 million that is left of the COVID-19 learning recovery fund. 

 

  • For the past 5 years at Denver Public Schools (DPS), the percentage of K to 3 students scoring significantly below grade level has hovered around 22%. In 2021, DPS performed worse than all other big school districts in Colorado, whereas previously it fared at the top of this list. Inexperienced principals is cited as a major reason for this plummeting of scores. Henry Roman, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, wants more hires with a “strong background in curriculum and instruction”.

 

  • The Frank Defino Central Elementary School,of Marlboro K-8 School District in New Jersey, has been awarded a national Blue Ribbon award, in recognition of high student achievement for 2022. School principal David Stratuik cited the school’s Teacher Passion Projects as a highlight of the school and commended the staff’s efforts in going above and beyond for students and their families. 

 

  • Last year, just 27.3% of Grade 3 students at Jefferson Township Schools in Ohio achieved reading proficiency. As an example of a response, Blairwood Elementary Principal Anne Watson said the district is using a state-recommended curriculum, assessing students multiple times a year to monitor progress, and intervening to help families of those students identified as needing more support. 

 

Theme 2: Curriculum Reforms

Curriculum Reforms

Schools are widely introducing new curriculums that align with the latest research, scientifically proven to enhance literacy and numeracy. Such a move was inevitable, and it set in motion the need  for effective professional development for the new content areas, seamless integration of new lessons, and their accurate assessments—all stemming from a well-crafted curriculum update.

 

  • As Alberta prepares to introduce its new K to 3 language and math curriculum, schools are adopting varied measures to prepare. Wolf Creek Public Schools in Ponoka were able to get three full days of professional development ready for all elementary teachers. Edmonton Catholic Schools grew its contingent of curriculum consultants to get teachers ready. Teachers from Black Gold School Division in Leduc are engaging more in teacher-collaboration

 

  • The Ministry of Education in Ontario will be investing $109 million in 2023-24 to improve young students’ reading skills, introducing new early reading screening requirements and a standardized screening tool for students in Year 2 of Kindergarten to Grade 2. The funding will support additional specialist teachers, nearly 700 educators, and an overhauled language curriculum with a focus on mastering basic literacy from an early age.

 

  • Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) is using a new curriculum with a greater focus on phonics and professional development. It’s a departure from long-used leveled literacy interventions. Chief Academic Officer Marcey Sorensen says that the research shows “that leveling kids’ texts and not exposing them to grade-level text” can be harmful. FWISD is also partnering with organizations this summer that focus heavily on reading, but also address the whole child. 

 

  • Spring results from K-12 comprehensive tests were released in the state of Washington. In a pattern noticed in most school districts,language and math scores increased compared to last fall, but are still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. This is especially true for math scores, which faced a sharper decline compared to language proficiency scores in the last two years in the state. In response, Central Valley School District in Spokane, have begun implementing a new math curriculum this year. 

 

  • Joshua Elementary School, in Lancaster, California, has adopted a new curriculum and is implementing more professional development for teachers to improve literacy scores for its students. After focusing on word recognition last year, as a part of its 3 year phonics program, the number of students not reading at grade level  dropped from 65% to 15%. In the current school year, the school has introduced a second new curriculum that focuses on language comprehension. 

 

Theme 3: Regular and Comprehensive Assessments

Regular and Comprehensive Assessments

The demand for frequent and holistic assessments is evident across North American schools. With the increased diversity of students in classrooms, in both ability and cultural and linguistic backgrounds,  teachers require a deeper understanding of each student’s unique educational circumstances. Regular monitoring ensures their comprehension of taught concepts. 

 

  • The Southern Berkshire Regional School District in Sheffield, Massachusetts, has seen a 38% increase in math skills for its Kindergarten to Grade 8 students. Superintendent Beth Regulbuto is happy with a new system of regular assessments that monitor student progress in real-time, instead of just assessing once a year. She attributes the improvement in math skills to the instant identification of skill gaps, which results in a greater individualized learning experience.

 

  • The Algoma District School Board (ADSB) welcomed 68 multilingual students speaking 16 languages for the new school year. ADSB has a student registration process which includes a family interview. It allows them to get information about each child’s prior educational experiences, language profile and interests. As multilingual learners increase in enrollment, ADSB strives to provide a welcoming learning environment to all.

 

 

Theme 4: Small Group Instruction

Small Group Instruction

There is overwhelming evidence that supports the idea of differentiated instruction. Small group instruction is efficient at improving learning outcomes, and also effective to administer for schools, because the same lesson can be delivered to more than one student. As such, the shift towards scheduled small group instruction models for things such as interventions and summer programs is widely observed.

 

  • In Chelmsford Valley District Composite School’s daily practice, there are more than 40 small reading groups and multiple targeted reading interventions. Reading Stars are rewarded to recognize an increase in reading level and are used to celebrate both individual and school success. The Ontario-based school was recently selected to participate in the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s annual fundraising program. Donations will be used to purchase library books.

 

  • The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board ran their summer learning program in July. The program focused on students sustaining or making gains in literacy and numeracy skills. Students used engaging resources, games, and hands-on learning activities in small groups, to develop  effective strategies in reading, writing and math. They also had a chance to experience Indigenous stories, arts and songs. 

 

  • Carson City School District’s literacy plan for K-3 students has been a success in improving early reading interventions. Cheryl Macy, director of equity in curriculum and instruction, says that “schools have scheduled time for differentiated instruction to target specific student needs.” But administrators believe that more professional development for teachers is needed to keep fourth and fifth-grade students on course to reading mastery.

 

 

Theme 5: Special Tools and Resources to Support Curriculum

Special Tools and Resources to Support Curriculum

Amidst curricular reforms, as stated in theme number 2, the need for supplementary and complementary tools has emerged. Trained personnel and proper oversight are crucial in introducing and managing these new curricula, but the right learning tools and resources are equally vital when it comes to addressing areas such as instruction, assessment and intervention. Schools are witnessing positive results by embracing these tools to enrich the new curricula.

 

  • The Woodland Park School District in Colorado performed very well in the Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) District and School Performance Framework. The CDE assesses district performance based on both student achievement and student growth. Tina Cassens, Director of Student Success, says that there was an “incredible gain in all scores” for kindergarten through Grade 3. One of the reasons stated for this is the implementation of the newly adopted K-5 literacy program.

 

  • Brewbaker Primary School (BPS) in Montgomery Alabama raised their percentage of proficient readers at Grade 2 from 18% in 2019 to 62% in 2022. BPS has a 98% minority student population. Principal Jaclyn Brown believes that their school culture and adoption of a computer-based reading assistant were the two main drivers of this success. The latter is based on the Science of Reading. It listens to students read and applies customized interventions, saving teachers time spent on diagnostic work.

 

  • New Chief Education Officer of Chicago Public Schools, Bogdana Chkoumbova, was asked about the post-pandemic academic status of students and the efforts which have yielded best results thus far. Acknowledging that there is a lot of catching up to do, she emphasized strong classroom instruction and student support as being two major difference makers. She praised the schools that were “looking for quality curriculum resources”.

 

Achieve Early Literacy Success with These Themes

In conclusion, these 5 themes offer valuable insights for achieving early literacy success. Consider how these ideas can inform your strategies and actions in your schools. If you found these themes helpful, don’t miss part 1 of this article that was mentioned in the intro. Also, do explore 46 Stories of Improving Early Literacy Achievement in Schools, which was the original article to create themes out of stories such as these.

5 Emerging Themes in Improving Early Literacy

In December of last year, Sprig Learning published 46 Stories of Improving Early Literacy Achievement in Schools. If you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, it is highly recommended. It features 46 amazing stories that offer valuable insights and inspiration for improving literacy in schools and preschools.

Out of the 46 stories, 7 were showcased in the early learning centers/preschool section, while the remaining 39 were highlighted in the school/school districts/school boards section.

 

These 39 cases revealed several common themes that are worth noting, summarized as follows:

  • Effective Implementation of Full-Day Kindergarten
  • Appropriate Utilization of Learning Recovery Funds
  • Personalized Learning through One-on-One Tutoring
  • Ample Professional Learning Opportunities for Educators
  • Facilitating Teacher Collaboration
  • Focusing on Biliteracy
  • Creating New Schools and Gradually Adding Grade Levels
  • Providing Summer Learning Opportunities

 

In total, these themes add up to 8 key themes for promoting literacy excellence.

Sprig compiled these stories from its newsletter, Root to Fruit, and there’s more to explore! 

Subscribe to Root to Fruit. Stay completely updated on all relevant Pre-K to 3 news on early literacy.

Additional stories from past editions of the newsletter have been organized into 5 more themes, each offering valuable insights for early literacy achievement.

The 5 themes are as follows…

 

Theme 1: Increasing Access to Early Childhood Education Centers and Programs.

Increasing Access to Early Childhood Education Centers and Programs

In the quest to provide high-quality early childhood education, schools, non-profit organizations, and universities are all opening preschool programs and early learning centers. Additionally, some states have official initiatives, like transitional kindergarten, aiming to enhance ECE accessibility universally. The crucial link between preschool attendance and kindergarten readiness has prompted various institutions to proactively establish such programs, either independently or through collaborative partnerships.

 

  • Reading Area Community College (RAAC) in Reading, PA, is planning to build a $33 million state-of-the-art childcare center on its campus,which will provide early childhood education for more than 150 children. Many educational institutions operate similar early learning centers, which provide an education for the community, and serve as a training ground for educators. It’s a tried and tested model to advance early education.

 

  • The Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is a nonprofit organization that will be launching 6 early learning centers to provide free high-quality education to children from low-income families. The project will cost $350 million.

 

  • In Indiana, the On My Way Pre-K program serves 14,000 preschoolers. Over 300,000 preschool-eligible children, however, remain unserved. Non-profit organizations like Early Learning Indiana have to step in to provide programs to cover the demand. Maureen Weber, CEO of Early Learning Indiana, says: “We know that access to high-quality early learning services is really foundational to children’s success.” 

 

  • Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is expanding its transitional kindergarten (TK) facilities, expecting a large increase in enrollment in the following two years. OUSD will be adding 5 new TK classes and adopting a TK curriculum for the first time. California will make TK universal by the 2025-2026 school year. Thus, many school districts are taking appropriate steps to welcome new students. 

 

  • To replace Evergreen Elementary School, Marion County Public Schools in Ocala, Florida, will reopen the building as Fordham Early Learning Academy. The goal for the academy is to boost early literacy. It will admit pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, and add Grade 1 and 2 in successive years. 

 

  • In its 2020 strategic plan, the Yakima School District (YSD) in Washington, wanted to increase kindergarten readiness for its preschool students from 20% to 95% by 2026. Recently, the school district was successfully able to consolidate many of the early learning services in the district. YSD Early Learning Principal, Jamie Johnson, says that “consolidating preschool services makes it easier for teachers to collaborate as they focus on their students’ burgeoning social and academic skills”. 

 

  • Harrisburg School District in South Dakota passed a $30 million bond to build a new elementary school. When the new yet-to-be named school will be completed, it will house the elementary grades, and the current elementary school will be converted into an early learning center, housing Pre-K, Head Start, Kindergarten and possibly Grade 1 programs. The project is set to finish in the fall of 2024. 

 

  • After undergoing a $27.7 million renovation, the Marygrove Elementary School opened in Detroit, welcoming K-2 students on campus. The opening of the school is a part of the P-20 partnership in the community, which opened an early learning institution last year, called the Marygrove Early Education Center. It plans to add grades 3, 4  and 5 in the next three years to become a full K-5 institution. 

 

 

Theme 2: Supporting Teachers With Specialist Positions.

Supporting Teachers With Specialist Positions

In a bid to help teachers provide the best possible educational experience for their students, many specialist positions in both literacy and numeracy are being hired in schools. Given that teachers have such busy schedules, it helps to have a larger literacy team that can work together for the benefit of every young student. 

 

  • Anderson Community Schools in Indiana is employing six literacy instructional coaches to collaborate with teachers to implement areas of emphasis from the Science of Reading. This hiring is being funded by the Indian Department of Education’s two-year grant to provide coaching to teachers in research-based instruction in reading, or science, technology, engineering and math subjects. 

 

  • Olentangy Schools in Ohio, has added a math specialist position at each of the district’s 16 elementary schools for the new school year. Dr. Jack Fette, the district’s chief academic officer, says that the new specialists will “support teachers in their instruction of math in the classroom and improve consistency in math curriculum and instruction throughout the district”.

 

  • Rainbow District School Board in Northern Ontario has approved its budget for 2022-2023. The $225.8 million budget is an increase from last year, and it allows the board to achieve the priorities in its Strategic Directions 2022-2027 plan. Student Success and Achievement, and Literacy and Numeracy are two priorities listed in the plan. Two new literacy coaches are being hired and additional funding has been allocated for assistive technology in special education.

 

 

Theme 3: Focusing On Evidence-based Literacy Improvement Initiatives for the Foundational Years

Focusing On Evidence-based Literacy Improvement Initiatives for the Foundational Years

The growing recognition of the critical early schooling years is driving schools to adopt evidence-based instruction focused on foundational reading skills, particularly phonics and phonological awareness, which previously did not receive adequate explicit instruction. Schools are now dedicating more time to teach and assess these skills, but  in a fun and engaging manner, ensuring that students remain enthusiastic about their reading journey.

 

  • Holly Prine is a Grade 1 teacher at Clear Fork Elementary School in Lockhart, Texas. She says how a year of virtual kindergarten is creating behavioral and social difficulties for students attending school for the first time in Grade 1. Students are not able to fully master foundational reading and writing skills, and Holly is spending extra time with students teaching these skills. 

 

  • Dr. Monifa McKnight, Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools, identified impacts on students’ academic performance that needed to be addressed post-pandemic. In particular, one of the realizations was that Grade 2 and Grade 3 students, whose learning was interrupted in their foundational school years of kindergarten and Grade 1, require literacy support. Among other things, she calls for a return to “equitable teaching and learning”.

 

  • Longview Schools in Washington is trying several research-based teaching strategies to help address the lower state testing scores. According to Brian Mitchell, principal of Mint Valley Elementary School, students are learning phonics and multiplication using more engaging techniques where they take the lead during classes. They are expected to actively participate in the lessons and ask questions.

 

  • The Grass Valley School District (GVSD) district and school site teams have discovered that their youngest students require more educational and behavioral help to succeed in school. The Preschool through Third Grade Coherence Collaboration has been introduced, which aims to better align the preschool services to the early grades. As a part of the program, the district has created new phonics reading assessments and daily phonics-focused instructional lessons.

 

  • In Massachusetts, Grade 1 teacher Lisa Hannifan found great success by focusing on phonemic awareness. She works on early literacy by picking those reading materials that use phonics patterns and represent her community of students. Additionally, she has her students sound out high-frequency words phonetically.

 

 

Theme 4: Comprehensive Summer Learning For All Student Situations

Comprehensive Summer Learning For All Student Situations

Summer learning programs have always been offered by schools, but now they are becoming essential to address the learning disruptions caused by the pandemic. These programs are utilized to provide instruction for students at risk of retention, offer one-on-one tutoring and group classes for targeted interventions, and even offer enrichment programs for students looking to prepare for the next grade.

 

  • Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is combining traditional classes with enrichment programs in its new summer program. IPS says that it has made huge academic gains in 2021-2022 and wants to continue that by not just repeating classes, but also offering more intense one-on-one instruction. It is also offering an online resource for after-school programming, where parents can stay updated on all extracurricular options and get access to enrichment programming at no cost. 

 

  • The District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) has approximately 5,000 K-4 students participating in its DSBN Summer HEAT program, to work on their literacy and numeracy skills. Leanne Smith, DSBN Superintendent of Secondary School Curriculum and Student Achievement, says that summer school has something for every student, whether it is learning recovery or preparing for the next grade. 

 

  • Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) says that 56% of Grade 2 students are at risk of being retained because of a new policy aimed at increasing literacy skills. Most of these students are attending classes this summer. The policy requires them to attend 90% of summer school in order to progress to Grade 3. Jaron Carson, Chief Academic Office of MSCS says that after-school tutoring was offered during the school year and now additional interventions are offered via summer learning.

 

  • The Waterloo Region District School Board will nearly double the number of students in its summer learning program this year, from 620 to almost 1,200. The focus will be on early literacy intervention for Grades K-2 and early numeracy intervention for Grades 3-5. The program includes opportunities for group learning and even individualized learning where necessary, as well as speech and language support.

 

 

Theme 5: Long-Term Strategic Initiatives for Lasting Impact

Long-Term Strategic Initiatives for Lasting Impact

At a time when reading proficiency rates are not up to par across North America, school districts are taking a proactive approach to improve early literacy by considering new learning approaches, expanding schools, and acquiring valuable literacy resources. They are formulating long-term strategic plans that consider fresh perspectives capable of significantly raising the bar for reading proficiency.

 

  • Hillsborough County school district in Florida is working on improving reading and math scores for grades 3, 4, and 5. The 2021-2022 school improvement plan aimed to address teacher vacancies, lack of learning intentions, lack of understanding learning outcomes, and the lack of grade-appropriate rigorous educational materials in the 14 lowest performing schools.

 

  • Boston Public Schools (BPS) has reached an agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education, whereby BPS will receive $10 million in the next 3 years to address long-standing deficiencies in language instruction, among other things. It’s a systemic improvement plan that seeks to eliminate systemic barriers to educational opportunities.

 

  • Polly Smith, Kindergarten Teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School (PLS) in Chicago, is in favor of a holistic approach to teaching in early childhood education. She says that at PLS, the teachers look out for basic literacy and numerical skills but recognize that all children progress differently. A whole-child approach meets each child where they are in terms of academic social-emotional development and focuses on the cognitive growth of each child by teaching important concepts.

 

  • Allentown School District in Columbus Ohio, has submitted their district comprehensive plan to the Department of Education. It states the goal to increase the percentage of Kindergarten and Grade 3 students reading at grade level by 21.2% and 30% respectively, by 2025. Furthermore, in the next three years, the district wants to increase its number of schools meeting the statewide average in English language growth and attainment from 50% to 80%.

 

  • The Warrensville Heights City School District and Cleveland Metro School Districts have been devoting additional resources, such as extra staff, and providing instructional time to students, to improve early literacy. Early literacy is one of the five performance measures in state school district report cards released by the Ohio Department of Education. The other four are achievement, progress, gap closing, and graduation.

 

Need More Ideas to Improve Early Literacy Education?

If these stories have been helpful in inspiring action for your school or confirming existing ideas, there’s more in store for you! 

Stay tuned for our next article, which will feature 5 more themes!

At Sprig Learning, we are committed to supporting teachers and school leaders in the realm of early education, with a special emphasis on early literacy. Through our articles, we aim to shed light on the current landscape of early literacy in Pre-K to Grade 3.

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Mastering Time: Essential Elements of an Early Childhood Teacher Schedule

Education administrators face multiple considerations when strategizing and planning for the school year. 

They must balance operational needs, such as personnel and infrastructure maintenance, with innovations aimed at enhancing student outcomes and engaging the broader learning community. 

These improvements not only save costs but also elevate the quality of education. Amidst all these priorities, one group stands out as the driving force behind our education system.

Teachers. 

Despite the many challenges and obstacles facing teachers, they remain eager for ongoing improvements that can address the growing challenges facing students, families, and schools. Equipping them with the right tools is crucial in this regard. 

When combined with necessary professional development (PD), teachers gain the capacity to effectively manage their classrooms. It is essential to leverage the experience and knowledge of educators to ensure that new solutions align with established classroom routines. 

Sprig Reading exemplifies such a solution, developed in partnership with educators to provide flexibility and seamlessly integrate into any daily schedule.

In this article, we delve into the essentials of an early childhood teacher’s schedule, enabling educators to deliver the highest quality education within their available time at school.

 

Daily Teacher Schedule

Daily Teacher Schedule

Primary Sources surveyed over 10,000 teachers and determined they worked an average of 10 hours and 40 minutes a day. 

How teachers spend this time differs from person to person. The amount of variation between teachers that exists in how they set their schedules is truly mind-boggling, and an indication of the incredible innovation and creativity of teachers!

However, setting a schedule (whatever it may be) is extremely important for teachers, administrators, and most importantly the students. 

There are common themes that we see in all schedules. These are covered in the following sections. 

But first a foreword of what a teacher schedule is not.

 

A Teacher Planner is Not a Schedule

A teacher planner is a resource that contains many things that help teachers plan their day. 

A teacher planner contains things like student birthdays, notes of interactions with each student, parent contact information, etc. In addition to all these things, the planner may also contain a schedule. However, it is not a schedule. 

The teacher planner is an amazing resource! It has been heavily commoditized (and for good reason) as it’s so popular amongst early grade teachers to keep track of all lessons, grades, and meetings.

A schedule is not something that can be commoditized. They are often perfected over time through the knowledge, experience and loving effort from educators. 

The following themes are common in teacher-made schedules. These are the essentials.

 

Common Themes in Teacher Schedules

Pacing is very important when teachers instruct their class of diverse early learners. Energy is needed to keep everyone active and engaged, but too much of it can exhaust students as well. 

The following themes thus correspond to the state of energy that both educators and students have throughout the school day.

 

Preparation/Morning Circle (Rise)

Teacher Preparation Time

The first period of any schedule is so important as it provides that predictability and transition for young children. 

Preparation is the first thing on many of the kindergarten and elementary teachers’s schedules. 

Some type of morning group activity such as circle time is usually bundled in during this phase. 

 

This phase of the schedule serves four purposes. 

1. It allows the educator and students to discuss all the formalities (if any) the school requires. It could be reciting a mission statement, singing the anthem, etc. 

2. It allows the educator to greet every child, and allows students to settle in and unpack their school bags. 

3. Some type of group activity is often done here to start off the day, such as singing songs in a circle, reading with a partner, exchanging smiles with each other, picking lunch options, etc.  

4. Lastly, it allows the educator to outline the day ahead together with the students. 

 

As mentioned before, it’s important to get new students accustomed to the different lessons throughout the day. 

With Sprig Reading, an educator is able to take a quick glance at their student dashboard to identify what skills and activities they should focus on for the day and week. 

This is individualized learning, in the truest sense of the word, that is learning customized for one student. 

Differentiated instruction is the process of tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs, strengths and interests of students.  

 

How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction

In many schools, there are specific blocks set for interventions, or a set time to deliver effective additional support to students struggling in certain areas of learning.

Certain time periods can be set aside to administer such interventions, or they may be also incorporated within flexible teacher routines, that have in-built capacity to add such blocks as per need. Such intervention blocks can also be tiered, based on the level of additional support that is needed.

Regardless of how and when differentiated reading instruction is scheduled, it is crucial to have an assessment, monitoring and instruction strategy in place which facilitates such intervention sessions. 

With Sprig Reading, students’ level of understanding  and progress on all important literacy concepts can be quickly documented at any given time by use of circle charts

Such ongoing and frequent assessments provide teachers with a record of what skills students have mastered and the skills that students need more practice or explicit support.

These assessments and benchmarks should be aligned with grade-level expectations and address individual areas of improvement. 

Sprig Reading is very intuitive to the teaching experience because it provides a framework for all of the foundational reading skills which need to be monitored and tracked in order to achieve reading mastery.  

There is support on how to instruct and assess each of the foundational skill sets, which helps teachers to plan instruction for each student.

 

Block Schedule (Sustain Energy)

Block Schedule

Block scheduling is a very popular teaching strategy adopted by early learning educators. 

The actual lessons are administered in blocks of time, designated to teach a certain topic. 

It’s a time to focus on particular subjects, such as reading, writing, math and science. 

These blocks contain direct instruction, games, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, workshops, etc!

The number of ideas for activities are endless, but it’s important that these learning activities teach the skills and outcomes identified in the curriculum or standards. 

This is the challenging part where additional support can be useful for educators.

Sprig Learning’s early literacy and numeracy programs contain hundreds of learning activities that map to specific curricular outcomes. These include individual, group and whole class activities. 

Literacy blocks are the most common and usually take the largest chunk of time out of all the learning blocks. It is recommended that the 5 fundamental early literacy components are covered.

When educators set up learning centers and rotate groups of students, there are certain activities that are more suitable for this purpose. The learning materials from the Sprig Store help provide classroom resources to compliment and drive instruction for these learning centers. 

 

How to Plan for Playful Reading Instruction

In some teacher schedules, there is the concept of free play and exploration, which uses unstructured playtime where students can engage in imaginative play and develop social skills through peer interactions. 

But as play is so important in early learning, it can also be incorporated in a learning center, where foundational reading skills are taught in the most fun and joyful way, where all of the senses are engaged by setting up the right environment with the right learning materials. 

When teachers actively participate in these playful interactions, they are able to teach essential learning concepts to their class more efficiently.

Of course, adjustments need to be made, to reflect changing learning needs, to meet new learning objectives for groups of students or individuals, and also to keep things fresh that inspire continued motivation to achieve all the required learning outcomes. 

 

Going Home/Dismissal (Unwind)

Going Home Dismissal

​​Learning truly never stops in the early years. 

It happens both inside and outside the classroom, at the home, and in the larger community. 

Armed with the holistic insights, educators are in a better position to understand what the learning environment for f the student looks like outside the classroom. 

With Sprig Learning programs, parents and other caregivers contribute to this understanding by completing surveys about the opportunities for learning at home.

If teachers want to reflect what was learned during the day, there are activities in Sprig Reading that allow them to do so with their students. 

Teachers provide parents with simple, everyday learning activities that are designed specifically for their child. Parents are able to better support their child at home, working on areas that complement the curriculum taught in school. 

 

Keeping it Simple. Doing the Essentials Right.

Teacher Schedule Essentials

Creating and refining an early childhood teacher schedule is a significant task, requiring careful thought and adjustments along the way. 

Instead of discarding a well-crafted schedule, it is better to provide teachers with the necessary tools and resources to support their vision and make their job easier.

Think of it as painting a wall.

From deciding to paint, to finishing painting a wall, it is a process. 

If you have done this sort of thing before, you know you will have to select the right type of paint, ensure you have the right tools such as a brush, and make sure the coating dries after the job is done. 

There is no need to reinvent the process. Experience is sufficient in ensuring that it gets done. 

But at each step, it’s okay to use aids that make the job easier. 

That is, using a colour visualizer to make the choice of paint, a roller brush to apply more consistent strokes, or a dehumidifier to dry the paint faster. 

Sprig Learning is here to help educators every step of the way, whether it is creating a schedule, implementing a schedule, or perfecting a schedule. Get in touch with us to learn more.

Early Literacy Instruction: The Various Roles & Their Collaboration

Literacy instruction is a multifaceted endeavour that involves a diverse range of roles, each contributing to the success of early learning and primary education. 

From Pre-K to Grade 3, educators, specialists, and support staff collaborate to build strong foundations in early reading and writing.

Sprig has previously written on the need to create the right team of literacy professionals in schools, whose contributions are invaluable to the ultimate reading success of every child in the classroom. 

This article in particular, focuses on the literacy aspect of early learning, and how all the different roles work together to increase the likelihood of children reading proficiently by Grade 3, regardless of their circumstances.

Some previously mentioned roles are recapped below, with a few new roles that are particularly relevant to early reading. Concise explanations of their job descriptions are provided, emphasizing their direct relevance to early literacy instruction. 

By understanding the collective responsibilities of these roles, it’s possible to foster a comprehensive and coordinated approach to early literacy development.

 

The Various Positions That are Responsible for Teaching Literacy

The Various Positions That are Responsible for Teaching Literacy

 

Classroom Teachers

Classroom teachers play a central role in early literacy instruction. They design and implement comprehensive literacy lessons, incorporating skill sets such as phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, etc. 

Teachers provide explicit instruction and tailor classroom lessons to meet the diverse needs of their students. They are expected to teach and guide early learners from emergent or even pre-emergent literacy to reading mastery, where they learn how to read and develop a passion for reading. 

Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers, and their teaching assistants have critical responsibilities, which when accomplished, leads to desirable student outcomes.

 

Literacy Coaches

Literacy coaches provide ongoing support and professional development to teachers, assisting them in implementing effective early literacy practices. 

They work with educators to analyze student data, identify instructional needs, and implement evidence-based strategies. Through modeling, mentoring and collaborative planning, literacy coaches enhance teacher’s instructional approaches.

In schools, literacy coaches can be program organizers, school leaders and also support providers.

 

Reading Specialists

Reading specialists are experts in diagnosing and addressing reading difficulties. They provide targeted interventions and individualized instruction to children who struggle with early literacy skills. 

These specialists assess students’ reading abilities, develop intervention plans, and work closely with teachers and families to support student progress. 

Reading specialists follow key principles by which they are able to deliver on the student’s reading potential.

 

Speech Language Pathologists

Speech-language Pathologists (SLPs) assess and address oral language difficulties, phonological awareness, and speech sound disorders that can impact early reading. 

 

School Librarians

School librarians curate a diverse collection of books, providing access to a range of genres, topics and reading levels. 

Librarians collaborate with teachers to integrate early literacy skills into various subjects. By creating a welcoming and engaging library environment, they inspire early learners to read. 

 

Educational Technologists

Educational technologists contribute to literacy instruction by leveraging digital tools and resources. It can include positions such as Director of Technology and Chief Technology Officer.

They assist in integrating technology into literacy lessons, supporting interactive and engaging learning experiences. 

Education technologists collaborate with teachers to identify and implement appropriate educational apps, digital reading programs, and online resources that enhance students’ reading and writing skills.

They also build robust cybersecurity systems for schools that protect the privacy and security of student information.

 

Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators, including preschool teachers and childcare providers, lay the foundation for early literacy development in Pre-K settings. They create language-rich environments, implement play-based literacy activities, and foster early language and communication skills. 

Early childhood educators focus on oral language development, phonological awareness, and pre-literacy skills, ensuring a strong start to the reading journey.

 

Instructional Coordinators

Instructional coordinators develop and implement curricula and maintain educational teaching standards. They collaborate with teachers to develop and align curriculum, identify effective instructional strategies, and implement evidence-based practices. 

Instructional coordinators provide professional development opportunities for reading instruction, offer feedback and support to teachers, and ensure the coherence and effectiveness of early literacy programs.

 

Examples of Collaboration in Literacy Instruction

Examples of Collaboration in Literacy Instruction

To create successful Pre-K to 3 readers, effective collaboration among the various roles in literacy instruction is crucial. 

The first section of this article introduced each role and highlighted a few collaborative aspects in the descriptions. In this section, we ask…

What Are Some Examples of These Importation Roles Working Together? 

 

Classroom Teacher/ Literacy Coach/Reading Specialist

Classroom teachers can share student data and instructional needs with literacy coaches and reading specialists, who can then use the information to provide targeted interventions and support for individual students 

Through regular data meetings, they can exchange such information to identify specific areas of improvement. 

 

Classroom Teacher/ School Librarian

School Librarians can provide classroom teachers with book recommendations and other resources that align with the standards and curriculum, promoting a cross-disciplinary approach to literacy. 

They can also co-organize engaging literacy events such as author visits and book fairs.

 

Classroom Teacher/ Educational Technologist

Classroom teachers and educational technologists can collaborate to integrate digital tools into literacy lessons. For example, they can jointly explore interactive reading resources that help assess, monitor, and track early reading skills. 

 

Classroom Teacher/ Early Childhood Educators/Speech-Language Pathologists

Classroom teachers, early childhood educators, and speech-language pathologists can collaborate to support oral language and early literacy development. 

They can engage in joint planning to align classroom activities with oral language goals and phonological awareness instruction. 

 

Instructional Coordinators/ All roles

Instructional coordinators can facilitate professional development opportunities that bring everyone together. The professional development sessions can share best practices, but also align instructional strategies with the collective goal to ensure a cohesive early literacy program. 

 

Working Together for The Betterment of Early Literacy

Working Together for The Betterment of Early Literacy

Sprig hopes this article will inspire and motivate school-wide planning to better organize early literacy programs from pre-kindergarten and through the primary grades. 

Every school year is so crucial in the early years, and thus commensurate actions are also required in this stage of early learning, of which collaborative planning is hugely important!

The collaborative efforts mentioned in this article promote a comprehensive approach to early literacy instruction, leveraging the strengths and expertise of each role to support the development of strong readers in the early years.

Everyone has to play their part, but the classroom teacher is often at the center of any kind of collaboration, since they are the ones who spend the most time with the students and provide the direct instruction , assessment and monitoring of early literacy throughout the year.

As such, it definitely helps to have the ability to share information across the early literacy team, whereby everyone can access relevant notes about student progress and regularly monitor and intervene as needed.  

Such visibility of information allows for better collaboration, where both class-level and individual-level decisions can be taken that optimizes student success.. With such resources in place, the entire early literacy team can work together efficiently, ensuring all students are  on the path to reading mastery. 

Add different members of your literacy team in Sprig Reading

From Emergent Literacy To Reading Mastery

The journey from emergent literacy to reading mastery is a crucial phase in a child’s development. Emergent literacy is the beginning. Reading mastery is the desired result.

Educators play a vital role in guiding students through this transformative process. 

By understanding the milestones and implementing effective strategies, more students can become confident and proficient readers. 

In this blog, we will delve into the path of emergent literacy to reading mastery, exploring key stages and evidence-based approaches that will take an early learner beginning to show signs of literacy to a proficient reader.

 

Stages of Literacy Development

Stages of Literacy Development

There are many versions of literacy development stages, varying in complexity and the number of stages.

Every child is unique. Some learn certain skills quicker than others. Some require more rigorous practice at  certain skills than others. 

 To account for a diverse classroom,  it is helpful to have a roadmap of learning progressions across 

To keep it very simple, we can envision the reading progress of every child to evolve from an emergent reader, to an early reader, to a proficient reader

There can be many more progressions described in between these three stages, but in general, the expectation should be for every child to progress through these stages where they are able to demonstrate certain reading skills.

The mentioned stages and their corresponding age levels are as follows:

 

Emergent Reading

The emergent reader is completely new to reading. They are learning their alphabet and understanding the relationships between letters and sounds. They are also being exposed to concepts of print.

 

Early Reading

The early reader is able to read simple sentences and has a good understanding of phonological awareness. They would have mastered the alphabet by now. They are familiarizing themselves with a growing bank of high frequency words. 

 

Proficient Reading

The proficient reader is able to read fluently using all reading skills learned prior with minimal effort. They are also able to comprehend everything they are reading with their growing vocabulary, knowledge of print concepts and oral language skills.

 

Emergent Literacy: The Foundation of Reading

Reading Mastery. Capitalizing on The Foundation

Emergent literacy lays the groundwork for future reading success. It encompasses developing alphabet knowledge, phonics, phonological skills, print awareness and vocabulary.

Let’s take a closer look at each to see what can be done in the classroom to provide the type of strong foundation every child needs for reading success.

 

Alphabet Knowledge, Phonics & Phonological Skills

Alphabet knowledge, phonics and phonological skills are essential to emergent readers, as they are the key building blocks for reading success.

It is important to incorporate phonological awareness instruction by introducing letter-sound correspondence and teaching basic phonetic patterns. 

Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. It is a crucial component of emergent literacy and must be taught well in order for the student to develop strong decoding skills.

Teachers can utilize interactive activities such as sound segmentation exercises, and word blending exercises to strengthen phonemic awareness skills. 

Effective phonics and phonological skills instruction enhances students’ decoding abilities and paves the way for reading fluency.

 

Print Awareness

Print awareness, that is, understanding how print works, is crucial for emergent readers. 

It involves recognizing letters, words, and sentences, and can be fostered through activities like shared reading and exposure to print in the classroom environment.

Indeed, building a literacy rich environment is featured as one of the four golden rules of early literacy development. 

Read-alouds, where the teacher reads to the class, is a fun classroom activity that can be both engaging and enriching to the early learning experience for the child. 

Students familiarizing themselves with text through group, shared or individual reading sessions, are great opportunities to practice some of the taught reading skills.

 

Vocabulary Development

Building a strong vocabulary is vital for reading comprehension. Students with an extensive vocabulary have greater comprehension abilities. It’s important for teachers to incorporate vocabulary-building exercises and word games into lessons. 

Teachers can enhance vocabulary development by providing exposure to diverse texts and explicitly teaching new words. It’s important to offer a comprehensive approach in vocabulary that includes high frequency word instruction and advanced word study.

 

Building Fluency and Comprehension

Fluency, the ability to read with accuracy, speed, and proper expression, is a crucial aspect of reading mastery. But it is also needed for the emergent reader.

Teachers can support fluency development by incorporating repeated reading, modeled reading, and opportunities for oral reading practice 

Additionally, developing comprehension skills through explicit instruction in strategies like predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing enhances students’ ability to understand and analyze texts.

 

Early Reading: Building on The Foundation

Early Reading. Building on The Foundation

Once a solid reading foundation has been acquired, it’s important to continue building on that foundation so children can read at-grade level with every promotion. 

Vocabulary Development and comprehension especially, has a big impact at this stage. So while these skills are n covered in the emergent reading stage, vocabulary development and comprehension will further grow in the early reading stage, where the early learner is able to combine their decoding skills and reading fluency with a larger vocabulary and language skills to result in greater reading comprehension. 

It’s interesting to note how every single foundational reading skill is used by themselves and with each other to result in becoming a stronger reader. 

Thus, it’s very important to assess all skills individually to identify  the best way to support each child in their reading. In fact, pinpointing problem areas in the early literacy journey is featured as one of the five hidden gems for teaching reading in schools.

 

Individualized Instruction and Assessment.

Each student progresses at their own pace. Thus, educators have to individualize instruction and tailor activities to meet their unique needs. 

Student progress should be assessed regularly using formative and summative assessments to identify areas of growth and areas that require additional support. 

This personalized approach ensures that students receive the guidance and attention necessary for their development as confident readers.

 

Reading Mastery: Capitalizing on The Foundation

Reading Mastery. Capitalizing on The Foundation

An early reader, when taught well in line with evidence-based instruction, will graduate to a proficient reader, barring any medical or unforeseen circumstances.  

They now understand basic decoding concepts, have developed a substantial base vocabulary, and familiarized themselves with print and language concepts to come to a point where they can read and understand text at their grade level!

The journey from emergent literacy to reading mastery is a transformative process that requires intentional and evidence-based instruction. 

By focusing on emergent literacy and building a strong foundation which you can build on, teachers can nurture their students’ reading abilities and guide them towards reading mastery. 

Remember, the journey from emergent literacy to reading mastery requires patience, dedication, and a commitment to not only explicit reading instruction, but fostering a love for reading in every student. 

If you are curious about the connection between phonics and phonological awareness, or fluency and comprehension, there is an amazing event at the end of August that will precisely answer such questions. 

Learn how these foundational skills intertwine, enabling you to create a cohesive and engaging learning journey for each student. Uncover strategies for designing joyful learning experiences that seamlessly guide students through these skills. 

The event will also showcase sessions on creating dynamic practice centers, facilitating skill mastery, and invisibly integrating these approaches into the classroom. Register now to secure your spot.