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Click here to purchase Effective Universal Instruction and get started!

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Click here to purchase Effective Universal Instruction and get started!

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Effective Universal Instruction: An Action-Oriented Approach to Improv

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This accessible volume helps school leadership teams accomplish the crucial yet often overlooked task of improving universal instruction--Tier 1 within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS).

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Learn more about the Reading Science Academy

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Learn more about the Reading Science Academy

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Develop knowledge of the reading research and how it can help your students

Acquire the confidence to separate effective from ineffective practices

Collect practical resources to respond to a variety of reading difficulties

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Develop knowledge of the reading research and how it can help your students Acquire the confidence to separate effective from ineffective practices Collect practical resources to respond to a variety of reading difficulties

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Learn more about The Reading League Chapters

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Learn more about The Reading League Chapters

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The Reading League’s purpose is to increase knowledge of science-based approaches to teach reading. Join us and become a Chapter today!

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Intensifying Literacy Instruction - MiMTSS

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Intensifying Literacy Instruction - MiMTSS

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Downloadable Checklists from Effective Universal Instruction - Guilford Press

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Downloadable Checklists from Effective Universal Instruction - Guilford Press

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Small Group Planning and Problem-Solving Fact Sheets from Florida's MTSS

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Small Group Planning and Problem-Solving Fact Sheets from Florida's MTSS

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Fact Sheets are a collaboration between the Problem Solving and Response to Intervention Project and Florida's Positive Behavior Support Project with the Florida Department of Education and the University of South Florida. This page is regularly updated. More Fact Sheets will be listed as they become available, and current Fact Sheets will be updated as necessary.

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Fact Sheets are a collaboration between the Problem Solving and Response to Intervention Project and Florida's Positive Behavior Support Project with the Florida Department of Education and the University of South Florida. This page is regularly updated. More Fact Sheets will be listed as they become available, and current Fact Sheets will be updated as necessary.

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Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, is a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is professor in both the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

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Videos to support learning and implementing the science of reading. Additional materials can be found at https://www.readingscienceacademy.com/rsa-opt-in

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Explicit Instruction by Anita Archer and Charles Hughes

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Explicit Instruction by Anita Archer and Charles Hughes

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by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes

Explicit instruction is systematic, direct, engaging, and success oriented-and has been shown to promote achievement for all students. This highly practical and accessible resource gives special and general education teachers the tools to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors are leading experts who provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, strategies, skills, and routines to teach; designing and delivering effective lessons; and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. Sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets enhance the utility of the volume.

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Explicit instruction is systematic, direct, engaging, and success oriented-and has been shown to promote achievement for all students.

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PaTTAN 2022 Literacy Symposium Presentation from Lindsay Kemeny

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PaTTAN 2022 Literacy Symposium Presentation from Lindsay Kemeny

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Access all of the sessions at https://pattanliteracysymposium22.sched.com/ Come learn about a class-wide reading intervention for grades 2-8 that will raise the reading proficiency of your students. Lindsay implemented this class-wide intervention and her class median score of 50 words correct per minute improved to 64 words correct per minute in just 2 weeks. Come learn how you can apply this intervention in your classroom and listen as Lindsay shares her tips, mistakes, and questions as she applied research to her practice this past year. Leave with specific strategies and resources to implement this research-based intervention in your classroom.

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11. A Classwide Reading Intervention that Works | 2022 Literacy Symposium

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Access all of the sessions at https://pattanliteracysymposium22.sched.com/ Come learn about a class-wide reading intervention for grades 2-8 that will raise the reading proficiency of your students. Lindsay implemented this class-wide intervention and her class median score of 50 words correct per minute improved to 64 words correct per minute in just 2 weeks.

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Literacy Analysis and Planning Guide (LAP-G) Modules 

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Literacy Analysis and Planning Guide (LAP-G) Modules 

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The Literacy Analysis and Planning Guide (LAP-G) is a systems analysis tool developed for use in the PARTNERS Project. The LAP-G was used to facilitate analysis of evidence-based literacy practices across each tier of MTSS through special education decision making. The LAP-G provided a structure for engaging in a problem-solving process whereby each tier (i.e., core instruction, strategic intervention, and intensive intervention) was evaluated by the team, priority areas of opportunity were identified and action plans were set to improve upon current practices. The LAP-G was used annually to evaluate progress and set new goals. This site provides a current copy of the LAP-G to be used by a trained facilitator, the LAP-G planning guide for facilitators, and training modules for each part of the LAP-G.

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Lap-G Modules | The Center For Reading Science

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The Literacy Analysis and Planning Guide (LAP-G) is a systems analysis tool developed for use in the PARTNERS Project. The LAP-G was used to facilitate analysis of evidence-based literacy practices across each tier of MTSS through special education decision making.

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Academic Screening and Progress Monitoring Tools Charts - NCII

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Academic Screening and Progress Monitoring Tools Charts - NCII

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The NCII tools charts include a large amount of information and the "best" tool is not going to be the same for everyone. Users should review all the elements of the charts before making decisions. This user guide reviews a series of recommended steps that users should consider when making decisions including:

Gather a team.

Determine your needs.

Determine your priorities.

Familiarize yourself with the content and language of the chart.

Review the data.

Ask for more information.

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The NCII tools charts include a large amount of information and the "best" tool is not going to be the same for everyone. Users should review all the elements of the charts before making decisions. This user guide reviews a series of recommended steps that users should consider when making decisions.

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SWIFT Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation

SWIFT Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation

Leading the nation in equity-based Multi-tiered System of Support and inclusive education research and services.

We believe together we can transform education so that it benefits each and every student, their families, and ultimately the communities in which they live.

Equity

Children and youth are welcomed into schools that dynamically use all available resources to meet their needs.

Leaders

Leaders who move schools to an equity culture by building on what is successful and uniquely good in their community.

MTSS

Improving outcomes for all students through one system with a continuum of academic, behavioral, and social instruction and support.

We will meet you where you are-Anywhere! We offer products and services across the nation that build state education agency, service center, district, school and community capacity to implement or advance equity-based, multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for inclusive education and improved academic, behavior and social-emotional outcomes for all students.

Contact Us

Our Services and Products

1

Professional Learning

Keep your team up-to-date

2

Fidelity of Implementation

Understand your school's current realities, monitor progress & avoid drift

3

Intensive Technical Assistance

Partnership for whole-system transformation

4

Organizational Capacity Assessments

Identify your strengths and priorities

5

Equity, Disproportionality & Special Education

Advance your initiatives

SWIFT Framework

Administrative Leadership

Integrated Educational Framework

Multi-Tiered System of Support

Family & Community Engagement

Inclusive Policy Structure & Practice

View Framework

Resources

Stories

SWIFT Unscripted Listen to interviews with teachers, administrators, family and community members, and researchers who are leading the transformation to equitybased MTSS. SWIFT Covid-19 Resources Covid-19 changed the way school looks, but some things remain. Check out resources on topics that matter more than ever. SWIFT Shelf Stories Watch our mini-films, Whatever It Takes, Together, and brief films on MTSS Universal, Additional and Intensified Support. Read, download, and share our Issue and Research to Practice Briefs, White Papers, Research Support and Bibliography, and more.

Family & Community

Free SWIFT brochures and materials especially for family and community members may be downloaded for use in newsletters, on websites, or printed as handouts.

Get Free Materials

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SWIFT Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation SWIFT Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation Leading the nation in equity-based Multi-tiered System of Support and inclusive education research and services. We believe together we can transform education so that it benefits each and every student, their families, and ultimately the communities in which they live.

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Turning the Page to Secondary Literacy - Marshall Street

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Reading proficiency correlates strongly with educational attainment and broader life outcomes. Yet secondary students with disabilities are not developing the reading skills necessary to support college and career readiness. By equipping secondary educators with applied skills and knowledge drawn from the science of reading, we can close the research-to-practice gap and improve outcomes for nonproficient secondary readers.

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MiMTSS Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (Elem. and Secondary Schools)

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MiMTSS Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (Elem. and Secondary Schools)

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School Leadership Teams need to know how well their MTSS for reading is implemented in their school. The Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (R-TFI) Version 2.1 lists the core features of MTSS for Tier 1 and the Advanced Tiers. Each can be assessed separately.

The School Leadership Team and other invited respondents review and score the features.

There is an Elementary-level Edition and a Secondary-Level Edition of the Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (R-TFI) Version 2.1. The Universal Tier 1 items vary slightly across each edition to match the unique data, systems, and practices of schools supporting students at different grade levels. The Advanced Tiers items are the same across both editions.

The R-TFI v.2.1 is used in schools that are engaged in an intensive professional learning scope and sequence to implement an integrated reading and behavior MTSS model. If you are interested in using the R-TFI and are not participating with MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center, please contact Dr. Kimberly St. Martin ([email protected] ) for resources and potential participation in research.

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Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (R-TFI)

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School Leadership Teams need to know how well their MTSS for reading is implemented in their school. The Reading Tiered Fidelity Inventory (R-TFI) Version 2.1 lists the core features of MTSS for Tier 1 and the Advanced Tiers. Each can be assessed separately. The School Leadership Team and other invited respondents review and score the features.

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The Reading League Compass: Providing Direction

The science of reading marketplace is difficult to navigate and digest. It is often full of misinformation that makes educators, educational leaders, and decision-makers vulnerable to implementing practices that are somehow labeled as "science of reading," yet they are not aligned with the scientific evidence base. Thus, The Reading League Compass will provide reliable and understandable guidance for a variety of targeted stakeholders.

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The Reading League Compass provides reliable and understandable guidance about the science of reading for a variety of targeted stakeholders.

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Effective Universal Instruction: Author Q&A

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Effective Universal Instruction: Chapters 8 & 9 [The Reading League Chapter 2024 Summer Book Study]

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Progress Monitoring Implementation Guide - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Progress Monitoring Implementation Guide - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Effective Universal Instruction: Chapters 6 & 7 [The Reading League Chapter 2024 Summer Book Study]

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Defining the Tiers of Support for Elementary and Secondary Literacy

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Defining the Tiers of Support for Elementary and Secondary Literacy

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Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention

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The Tiers describe what the adults in a setting are doing, and the different layers of support provided to students that will enable them to learn to read.

We don't use Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 to describe students, classrooms, or teachers.

Additionally, Tiers 2 and 3 are supplemental to Tier 1. Tier 2 support does not supplant Tier 1 instruction. Tier 3 support does not supplant Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction.

Here are some resources that further explain:

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Defining the Tiers of Support - Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention

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The Tiers describe what the adults in a setting are doing, and the different layers of support provided to students that will enable them to learn to read. We don't use Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 to describe students, classrooms, or teachers. Additionally, Tiers 2 and 3 are supplemental to Tier 1.

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Grouping Pattern Worksheets - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Grouping Pattern Worksheets - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Summer Book Study Chapter Discussion Questions

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Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention Tools and Resources

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Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention Tools and Resources

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Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention

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We update our forms based on feedback from our users and the latest research. If you are looking for an older version of any of our forms, please contact us and we can let you know if we have it archived.

Sometimes the link is a folder with options for forms. We encourage you to use the one that works best for your setting!

We encourage you to adapt these forms for your setting. If you do,

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Overview - Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention

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We update our forms based on feedback from our users and the latest research. If you are looking for an older version of any of our forms, please contact us and we can let you know if we have it archived.

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In September of 2016, OSEP funded three projects focusing on tiered approaches to improving reading and language outcomes for English Learners (ELs). These projects are developing and implementing culturally and linguistically responsive models for multitiered system of supports for ELs, including those with or at risk of having a disability.

Features of these models include:

Appropriate research-based reading instruction and intervention for ELs

Culturally responsive teaching strategies and principles

Professional development and strategic coaching for teachers

Linguistically aligned progress monitoring and screening measures

Data-based educational decision making

Please click on each project to learn more about each model and to access additional resources.

Project ELITE2 is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The project operates within the Language for Learning Institute of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin.

The goal of the Project ELITE2 is to develop, implement, and evaluate a multitiered instructional model for English learners in the elementary grades that focuses on language and literacy development. We are one of three model demonstration sites collaborating to optimize educational outcomes for English learners, specifically those with or at risk for having a learning disability.

Through this newly funded cooperative agreement, Project ELITE2 is working with a school district in Central Texas to extend our previous work from ELs in the primary grades to ELs in grades three through five.

Project ELLIPSES is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the project is to assess the implementation of multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) focused on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT) to meet the needs of English learners and English learners with disabilities in the area of literacy and language development. Project ELLIPSES will provide training and technical assistance to build staff capacity to support MTSSCLRT implementation and high-quality literacy instruction for English learners and English learners with disabilities in grades third through fifth.

Project Lectura para Excelencia y Éxito (Project LEE) is a model demonstration project at Portland State University, sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of Project LEE is to improve literacy and language outcomes for ELs in grades 3-5 with or at-risk for being identified with a disability. Within this context, we intend to support schools to use a framework, PLUSS (Sanford, Brown & Turner, 2012), to adapt existing evidence-based interventions for the unique linguistic and cultural needs of ELs. The PLUSS Model provides a replicable model of literacy instruction and intervention through embedding culturally and linguistically appropriate instruction into existing multi-tiered system of supports.

PLUSS stands for:

P: Preteaching language and vocabulary and priming background knowledge
L: Language use and modeling
U: Using visuals and graphic organizers
S: Systematic and explicit instruction
S: Strategic use of native language and culture

As one of three model demonstration sites, Project LEE is collaborating with other projects and the outcomes of this project will be disseminated nationally. Specifically, the goals of our project are to: (1) improve the literacy outcomes for ELs with or at-risk for being identified with a disability, and (2) create a replicable and sustainable model of culturally and linguistically responsive instruction that can be overlaid across all tiers of instructional support within a multi-tiered system of supports.

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Multitiered System of Supports for English Learners

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Research-based practices, guides, and tools for Response to Intervention (RTI) with English Learners, the U.S. Department of Education funds model development of MTSS with ELs.

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Tier 1 Checklist - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Tier 1 Checklist - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Written by Una Malcolm, M.A., OCT
Introduction: Why Assess

Assessment for learning plays a critical role in informing and driving literacy instruction. Nearly all students are capable of learning to read; while specific numbers vary, estimates indicate that approximately 95% of students are capable of learning to read (Fletcher & Vaughn, 2009). Rigorous, systematic, and explicit instruction that addresses the essential components of literacy including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000), is key to allowing all children to reach their full potential. This instruction often referred to as structured literacy, must go hand-in-hand with a comprehensive assessment system to allow educators to adjust instruction to meet the specific needs of students (Spear-Swerling, 2018). Assessment is critical for students with learning disabilities (LDs) in terms of both the prevention of reading difficulties and intervention to remediate skill gaps.

Formative Assessment: Answering Questions

Assessment for learning plays a key role in meeting the needs of all students through the creation of equitable learning environments. Assessment for learning, "is used in making decisions that affect teaching and learning in the short-term future" (Growing Success, 2010, p. 30). Multiple research reviews and meta-analyses have identified that systematic formative assessment has consistent strong, positive effects on student learning (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986; Black & Wiliam, 2005; Hattie, 2009) across a variety of factors including student age, measurement frequency, and disability status. In essence, assessment for learning allows educators to identify where students are and inform plans to get students where they need to be.

Even within assessment for learning, multiple types of assessments exist. Growing Success (2010) distinguishes between formative and diagnostic assessments but emphasizes that "what matters is how the information is used" (p. 31). Assessment answers questions; different types of assessment tools answer different types of questions. In a Response to Intervention model, assessment purposes include universal screening, diagnostic assessments, and progress monitoring; all three of these purposes for assessment answer key questions about shaping instructional environments to meet students' needs.

1. Screening - Assessment for Learning

The development of skilled reading is a complex process that hinges on the development and the integration of cognitive and language skills. Many of these skills can be observed and measured well before children receive any formal reading instruction (Catts, 2015). With data indicating that reading trajectories are established early and are very stable (Juel, 1988), it is critical to identify reading difficulties early on in a student's academic career to inform support. Since reading remediation at an earlier age is more effective than later intervention (Lovett et al., 2017), screening plays an important role in preventing early reading difficulties from being exacerbated over time.

All students should be screened with universal screening measures three times per year (Good et al., 2011). These assessments are very brief, standardized measures that quickly and efficiently identify which children are at risk. Standardized assessments are tests that have specific procedures for administration and scoring, perhaps with scripted directions and specific scoring guidelines (Farrall, 2012). Students are assessed on several indicators of early literacy skills appropriate for their age and grade. For example, Kindergarten and grade one students may be screened on phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding, while older students may be screened on oral reading fluency (ORF) and retell for comprehension.

Universal screening measures are widely available and very accessible. Many of the universal screeners currently available are either low-cost or free. Often there can be a fee for training or optional computer data analysis systems, but many of the testing materials are very accessible.

These assessments are technically reliable and valid, and scores are interpreted in relation to a benchmark criterion. Benchmark cutscores are not determined arbitrarily but instead are derived from research; researchers use longitudinal studies to determine what threshold a child must reach to have a strong chance of meeting future reading goals. This means a child's score allows educators to predict future reading performance with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Students who fall at or below the cutscore are at risk and will likely need additional support to allow them to meet future goals. For example, a benchmark cutscore on Acadience Reading assessments is the score needed for a child to have an 80 - 90% probability of meeting successive reading goals (Good et al., 2011). In interpreting a child's score in comparison to a benchmark score, educators can quickly and efficiently assess the level of risk of future reading achievement or difficulty before difficulties emerge or worsen.

Screening allows educators to quickly and easily catch students who are at risk. Screening does not, however, give teachers a full understanding of what the underlying cause of a problem is. Screening is akin to a blood pressure or temperature check at a doctor's office; these are simple, efficient and cost-effective ways to find problems, but abnormalities on these screeners require additional diagnostic testing to decipher what exactly is wrong.

2. Diagnostic Assessment - Assessment for Learning

Diagnostic assessments allow educators to probe deeper into the learning profiles of students in question. For many students, universal screening three times per year provides all the assessment data necessary to ensure students are making sufficient progress. For students who are at risk, though, careful analysis of reading subskills must occur to differentiate instruction and plan intervention. These assessments allow educators to ascertain which specific skills or knowledge a student has mastered, and which skills or knowledge need to be taught.

If universal screeners are similar to a blood pressure or temperature check to identify problems in a brief and cost-effective manner, diagnostic assessments are similar to more comprehensive blood tests or diagnostic imaging to dig deeper into a problem. The information from these more investigative approaches directly informs treatment, similar to how diagnostic reading assessments allow teachers to differentiate classroom instruction or plan targeted interventions.

Diagnostic assessments are longer and more in-depth than screening assessments and are typically not standardized. While screeners are quick assessments of indicators of basic skills, diagnostic assessments can be thought of as inventories of skills that directly inform instruction. Can a child segment two, three, or four phoneme words? Can a child decode words with short vowels or consonant digraphs? Diagnostic assessments allow teachers to differentiate classroom instruction and plan intervention if necessary.

Diagnostic assessments should be selected strategically. The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) indicates that reading comprehension, the end goal of reading, is a product of two sets of subskills, word recognition and language comprehension. When selecting diagnostic assessments, teachers can probe both areas of this model to clarify a student's specific patterns of strengths and needs. When weaknesses exist in reading comprehension, is this due to difficulties with word recognition, with language comprehension, or with both?

3. Progress Monitoring - Assessment for Learning

With screening and diagnostic data in hand, teachers can differentiate core instruction and/or provide targeted intervention through intervention supports. Progress monitoring assessments allow educators to quickly measure a student's response to instruction. Instead of waiting until the next benchmark assessment several months in the future, progress monitoring allows for more rapid adjustment of instruction. While universal screening measures students' skill level with grade-level material, progress monitoring is at an individual child's instructional level to directly measure response to instruction. A grade four child reading at a grade one level would be screened at the beginning, middle, and end of the year with grade four assessments. Progress monitoring assessment, though, would be at a grade one level in order to measure the child's response to intervention.

Many universal screeners also supply progress monitoring materials. These materials are often very similar to universal screening measures in that they are brief and standardized. When selecting an assessment for progress monitoring, it is important to consider practice effects. Progress monitoring assessments typically have multiple forms so students are not tested with the same material. Progress monitoring data are usually graphed so student growth can be compared visually to an aimline, or the line between a child's current score and the benchmark goal.

Progress monitoring assessments are purposefully brief. Depending on student age and needs, this assessment may take between one and three minutes. Struggling students need to catch up quickly; Torgesen (2004) describes the "devastating downward spiral" that occurs when students do not receive timely, evidence-based intervention. Struggling readers do not have time for a "wait and see" approach. Weekly or biweekly progress monitoring allows for enough data to quickly and clearly establish patterns. Educators can quickly judge if a child's rate of progress is strong enough to meet the goal. If not, there are several options that can be considered to intensify instruction:

Increasing frequency or length of support

Decreasing group size

Making groups more homogeneous

Increasing level of explicitness

Increasing opportunities for practice

To see an example of how the Thunder Bay Catholic DSB uses tier 1, 2 and 3 reading interventions, click here to view the LD@school video The Tiered Approach

In addition to informing instruction, progress monitoring data allow for insight into students learning profiles. Research indicates that data from a child's response to intervention can give important insight into whether a child may have a learning disability. Patterns of inadequate response to evidence-based instruction, established through progress monitoring data, are key factors to consider when evaluating for a learning disability (Miciak & Fletcher, 2020; Catts & Petscher, 2021).

4. Outcome Evaluation - Assessment of Learning

Outcome assessments measure student achievement. While progress monitoring assessments show if instruction is working, outcome assessments are assessments of learning and identify if instruction worked.

These assessments are typically comprehensive assessments that measure student mastery of provincial curriculum expectations or the specific learning goals outlined. Outcome assessments often occur at the end of a period of learning, including a unit of study, a term, or a school year, for example.
Evidence-Based Assessment in the Science of Reading: Cheat sheet - Comparing and Contrasting Assessment Purposes Click here to view and download the Evidence-Based Assessment in the Science of Reading: Cheat sheet
Assessment Data and Differentiating Tier 1 Instruction

Patterns in universal screening data can support teachers in differentiating classroom instruction. Instead of using student reading levels from a running record to group students for small group instruction, universal screening data allows educators to use reading skills to more specifically build homogeneous groups of students for instruction. A grade 2 teacher, for example, could split students into several groups based on their universal screening data:

Fluent and accurate readers needing continued content and vocabulary instruction to build comprehension

Students who read accurately but need fluency instruction

Students in need of word-level decoding and phonics instruction.

Data from screeners as well as diagnostic testing for deeper probing allows for more sophisticated and specific differentiation for intervention, instruction, or enrichment since it focuses on specific skills instead of generic reading levels.

Student vs. System Analysis to Strengthen Universal Instruction

One of the strengths of universal screening is it allows educators to analyze not only individual students' growth but also the strength of classroom core instruction. If more than 20% of students are below the benchmark on universal screening, it is a clear indication that efforts to strengthen core instruction should be made. Prioritizing intervention when a large proportion of the class is at risk misses out on a valuable opportunity to strengthen the universal tier of classroom instruction. With class-wide screening data, teachers are able to better differentiate instruction and potentially implement class-wide interventions, such as Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (McMaster & Fuchs, 2016). For example, a grade 3 teacher could implement a paired repeated reading instructional routine (Stevens et al., 2017) in response to weak fluency screening data. Instead of just problem-solving at individual student levels, teachers have the data necessary to develop action plans to strengthen core instruction for all students.

To learn more about Peer Assisted Learning, click here to access LD@school's article and video Peer-Mediated Learning Approaches.

Oral Reading Fluency and Running Records: Frequently Confused

Oral Reading Fluency assessments are commonly used in both screening and progress monitoring for developing readers. While individual assessments vary, generally Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) measures involve timed passage oral reading for one minute. Accuracy rates and words correct per minute scores are calculated and interpreted in relation to a benchmark score. ORF assessments are highly correlated with reading comprehension (Fuchs et al., 2001) and serve as a proxy for this critical outcome skill.

ORF assessments are often confused with running record assessments that are commonly used in literacy programs. While both assessments do involve the reading of connected passages, running records differ in that a text "level" is often indicated as a student's instructional or independent level based on the accuracy percentage. Fluency is typically assessed through teacher observation or rubrics. Running records do not meet desired characteristics for the selection of a screener. They do not act as brief, reliable and valid indicators of key early literacy skills, and they do not allow for interpretation of scores in relation to a benchmark criterion derived from predictive probabilities. In fact, Parker et al. (2015) found that a commonly used running record assessment had a .54 correlation with a district-provided criterion reading test. These data indicate that running records were only 54% accurate in predicting student reading performance, in comparison to the established technical validity and reliability of ORF measures.

Assessment for Learning: A Case Study
The following case study provides an example of how reading assessment can be used in the classroom to identify at-risk students, pinpoint the skills these students struggle with, and determine the appropriate intervention to get students back on track.
Maya is in grade two. As a part of the beginning-of-year screening process, her teacher administers a brief screening assessment that yields this data about Maya's reading:
Nonsense Word Fluency: Oral Reading Fluency:

Accuracy (passage reading accuracy): Below Benchmark

Words Correct (passage reading fluency): Well Below Benchmark

Maya's teacher, Ms. Kaur, recognizes that Maya is struggling and is not on track to meet future reading goals. Ms. Kaur realizes that Maya is having difficulty reading the ORF passage accurately and smoothly since she is not an accurate and fluent word reader. Based on these screening data, she decides to dig deeper with some diagnostic assessments to help her differentiate instruction. She decides to give Maya a decoding assessment to understand which specific phonics patterns she has mastered, and which patterns she needs to be taught. She learns that Maya hasn't yet mastered short vowel sounds. She also uses a phonemic awareness assessment to check her blending and segmenting, which shows skill gaps as well. Ms. Kaur realizes that Maya is having difficulty with word recognition skills. To check on her oral language skills, Ms. Kaur reads a story to Maya and asks her oral comprehension questions. Maya is easily able to answer questions about what she hears, indicating to Ms. Kaur that Maya's reading difficulties appear to be stemming from decoding and word recognition difficulties and not language comprehension difficulties.

Armed with this information, Ms. Kaur builds her small reading groups. Instead of using reading levels to group students, Ms. Kaur uses reading skills. She groups Maya with other students needing phonemic awareness and short vowel instruction.

As Ms. Kaur uses this screening and diagnostic data to plan her groups and instruction, she also continues to monitor Maya's progress using weekly Nonsense Word Fluency assessments. Since these progress monitoring assessments are one minute each, Ms. Kaur knows that this is a quick and efficient way to make sure Maya is responding to her instruction without having to wait until the mid-year screening time. If Maya is not making sufficient progress toward the benchmark score, she may need instruction to be intensified to allow her to reach the benchmark goal. Ms. Kaur graphs Maya's progress monitoring data, as well as the aimline which shows the path between Maya's current score and the benchmark. Ms. Kaur and her grade-level team can quickly and easily judge if Maya is progressing at a fast enough rate to close the gap.

About the author:

Una Malcolm is a doctoral student in Reading Science and also has a Master's degree in Child Study and Education. She is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. Una has trained extensively in several evidence-based teaching methods, such as Direct Instruction, Phono-Graphix and Lindamood-Bell. She is an Acadience Reading K-6 (formerly DIBELS Next) Mentor.

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Evidence-Based Assessment in the Science of Reading

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Written by Una Malcolm, M.A., OCT Introduction: Why Assess Assessment for learning plays a critical role in informing and driving literacy instruction. Nearly all students are capable of learning to read; while specific numbers vary, estimates indicate that approximately 95% of students are capable of learning to read (Fletcher & Vaughn, 2009).

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Recording of Dr. Stollar's Book Study Kickoff

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Recording of Dr. Stollar's Book Study Kickoff

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2024 TRL Chapter Network Summer Book Study Kickoff

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Fundamentals of Reading Assessment - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Fundamentals of Reading Assessment - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Stollar Fundamentals of Reading Assessment.pdf

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Effective Universal Instruction: Chapters 3 & 4 [The Reading League Chapter 2024 Summer Book Study]

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Effective Universal Instruction: Chapter 5 [The Reading League Chapter 2024 Summer Book Study]

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Data-Based Differentiation - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Data-Based Differentiation - Dr. Stephanie Stollar

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Effective Universal Instruction: Chapters 1 & 2 [The Reading League Chapter 2024 Summer Book Study]