Ohio elementary schools are moving to the Science of Reading, an approach that emphasizes phonics along with vocabulary- and knowledge-rich content. Keen on learning what this transition looks like inside classrooms, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute asked Ellen Belcher, a former journalist with the Dayton Daily News, to visit Margaretta Local…

A growing, research-based consensus supports addressing our nation's literacy crisis through instruction aligned with the Science of Reading (SoR). We recognize, however, that the complexity of SoR content, alongside the multiplicity of instructional decisions and practices, and the unique features of each classroom and school, make simple…

There is an interconnected issue of lack of student achievement in reading and professional training around reading for teachers. This study sought to understand if self-reflective professional development in the area of the science of reading improves teacher confidence in teaching reading. The participants of the Cycle 1 process consisted of K-2…

Stagnant standardized test scores keep literacy achievement at the forefront of national education discussions. Increased conversations about the science of reading have propelled investigations into different types of phonics instruction. However, questions still linger such as "Which strategies are most effective for which students?",…

To meet the growth in learner diversity in today's classroom, a new paradigm for improving the precision and accuracy of "personalization" is critical to address the needs of students who are held back by traditional pathways designed for the mythical "average" learner. In response to this challenge, Digital Promise Global has…

Well-established theoretical models and a body of empirical research elucidate the critical role of content knowledge in comprehending texts. However, the potential of supporting knowledge in service of enhancing linguistic and reading comprehension has been a relatively neglected topic in the science of reading. In this article, we explicate why…

In this conceptual essay, we offer rationales and evidence for critical components of a working model of text complexity for the early grades. In the first three sections of the article, we examine word-level, syntax-level, and discourse-level features of text, posing questions for future research. In the fourth section, we address elements of…

This study highlights the complex reading processes of two primary grade struggling readers. It provides a more complete picture of the readers' use of all parts of a text, verbal and visual, to construct meaning during reading. The oral reading data show that students used various linguistic strategies to read words, and the eye-tracking data…

Literacy in Early Childhood and Primary Education provides a comprehensive introduction to literacy teaching and learning. The book explores the continuum of literacy learning and children's transitions from early childhood settings to junior primary classrooms and then to senior primary and beyond. Reader-friendly and accessible, this book equips…

Reports that the Fry readability graph can be adapted to measure Spanish readability at the primary level. (DD)

Investigates existence or otherwise of group level effects on progress in reading. Combines administrative data to give two primary age cohorts, each of the order of 2500 pupils, in one Local Education Authority (LEA) in southeast England. Finds mean score and pupil turnover were the most important aggregated group level effects. (BT)

Investigates the role of phonetics for children learning to read Chinese. Reveals that children name phonetically regular Chinese characters more accurately than irregular ones; phonetic-related errors were the most dominant type. Suggests Chinese youngsters rely on phonetics for sound cues in naming Chinese characters; phonological awareness…

Documents growth in reading fluency and answers persistent questions on fluency. Illustrates fluent reading and the changes in fluency that occur during the school year through a classroom research project and the collection of more than 2,800 1-minute oral-reading samples.(MG)

Shows that a combined reading and phonological awareness training group made greater progress in learning to read than the Reading alone and Phonological Awareness alone groups in addition to that of the unseen control group. Affirms, contrary to earlier criticism, the stability of the treatment effect, the Sound Linkage hypothesis and the…