The Teaching Improvement Project

Course Content
Module 1 Reading an Introduction – The Big Picture.
‘Reading has the power to change lives. It plays an essential role in learning, securing a job and being an active and engaged member of society. Reading provides us with information, knowledge, and makes us aware of people and places beyond our immediate circles. Learning foundational reading skills supports wellbeing and can translate to a love of reading and literature. As so much of our world rapidly changes around us, learning to read remains one of the most essential outcomes of schooling’. (Education Queensland, 2023. Reading Position Statement.) What Will You Learn? In this module you will explore how reading has been taught in the past and what research and evidence has informed current recommended teaching models. You will explore the complexities of learning to read. Why learning to read is difficult and the impact that low levels of literacy have on society. What the Big 6 or 5 Pillars (National Reading Panel) How the brain learns to read (Stanilas DeHaene) Ehri’s Stages of Reading Development and understand the process of Orthographic Mapping and the Alphabetic Principle. Self Teaching (David Share) Key Reading Frameworks – The Simple View of Reading (Gough and Tumner), Scarborough’s Reading Rope (Hollis Scarborough), and The Four Part Processing Model (Seidenberg and McClelland) The key components of Structured Literacy and how this differs from previous approaches to teaching reading. At the conclusion of this unit of work we will dive deep into the teaching of reading through the lens of the Simple View of Reading’.
0/8
Reading
The State Of Reading Today
The Science of Reading (SoR)
The Big 6 or 5 Pillars of Reading
How the brain learns to read
Ehri’s Stages of Reading Development and understand the process of Orthographic Mapping and the Alphabetic Principle.
Key Reading Frameworks (Simple View of Reading & Scarborough’s Reading Rope)
The Key Components of Structured Literacy
Module 2 – The Foundational Skills: Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness & Phonics
In this module you will learn about the foundational word recognition skills of Scarborough’s Reading Rope and why their acquisition to a level of automaticity is essential to becoming a skilled reader. You will learn about the phonological and orthographical processing systems, how they develop and how they should be taught and assessed.
0/16
Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness
Research – Why phonemic awareness is a critical component of instruction.
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Skills
The importance of clear and precise phoneme articulation
Lesson Planning and Structure
How Does Phonics Fit In?
The English Orthography, Australian English, Standard Australian English (SAE0.
The Alphabetic Principle, The Alphabetic Code, & Alphabetic Code Charts
4 types of phonics instruction – synthetic, analogy, embedded, analytic
Structured Synthetic Phonics – Teaching the word level reading through a systematic, explicit code-based instruction
Sight Word Lexicons, High Frequency Words and How to teach them!
The relationship of reading, spelling and writing
The characteristics of high-quality instructional materials
Decodable Texts and when to move on from decodables
How to assess, screen and use student data to inform teaching
Glossary of Terms
Module 3 – Reading Fluency
In this module you will explore the often overlooked but vital role that fluency plays in the development of a skilled reader.
0/5
The Essential Components of Reading Fluency
Evidence based fluency instruction and strategies to support fluency acquisition
Assessing, Screening and Monitoring Fluency
Reading disfluency and struggling readers
Other Resources, Research and Further Professional Learning
Module 4 – Oral Language & Vocabulary
In this module you will learn how vocabulary develops, and how evidenced based vocabulary instruction can support language comprehension.
0/5
How oral language development is the foundation of vocabulary development
Vocabulary Instruction: Why is it so important
Evidence Based Vocabulary Instruction – direct, explicit, effective
How to screen, monitor and assess oral language and vocabulary
How do we bet support our struggling readers – Vocabulary Instruction
Module 5 – Comprehension: The Skilled Reader
In this module you will explore the complex nature of the comprehension strand of Scarborough’s Reading Rope and build your understanding of the essential components required for skilled reading development.
0/4
Meaning Creation, Mental models and Schemas
The Subskills of Language Comprehension
Comprehension Strategies
Reference List, Resources and Glossary
Module 6 – Putting It Altogether: When Reading Science Meets Practice
In this module you will learn how a structured literacy approach to the teaching of reading can fit into a literacy block and how it can be supported across all Key Learning Areas (KLA’s). You will learn how and when different forms of assessment and screeners can be used to inform, monitor and measure student success.
0/5
The Reading Writing Connection & High Yield Instructional Strategies
What causes poor comprehension?
Classroom Routines & Lower and Upper Literacy Block examples
Response to Intervention (RTI) & Multitiered Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
Monitoring Student Development and Measuring Success
How to Teach Reading
About Lesson

Universal Screening, Diagnostic Assessment & Monitoring

How do we know which skills need to be targeted for classroom reading instruction?

Schools use a range of formal and informal tests to measure progress and inform instruction and intervention.

Formal tests have specific steps on how they are to be administered and scored. They are standardised with norm groups or have a benchmark so that comparisons can be made. The information/ data that is collected from these tests provide a precise view of reading performance and gaps in skill development.

Informal tests/ Formative Assessments are a more flexible formative means to view a student reading progress during the learning process. These formative assessments help a teacher monitor student understanding e.g. observation checklists, reading inventories, teacher made tests, exit tickets, quizzes, anecdotal records etc.

4 types of reading assessments

  • Universal Screeners
  • Diagnostic Assessments
  • Progress Monitoring
  • Summative Assessments

There are many available assessments that are designed to measure phonemic awareness, phonic knowledge, word reading, fluency, spelling skills and comprehension. I have compiled several resources for your reference.

Universal Screening

Universal screeners are tests that are given 1-3 times a year to a class, grade, or across a whole school to check for potential reading difficulties. Universal Screeners are generally part of a school assessment schedule, and their implementation is often strategically resourced to support teachers in their busy classrooms. Students who fail to meet the benchmark or standardised norm may be at risk for reading problems or eligible for additional reading support/ tiered 2 or 3 levelled intervention. Universal screeners also help flag students that may require further diagnostic screening if progress is not evidenced through the intervention process.

Dibels 8th Ediiton  Official DIBELS Home Page | DIBELS®

DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills.. Dibels 8th Edition resources are free to access and come supported with videos of how to implement   testing and unpack the data to inform next steps. 

Here is a brief explanation of the Dibels suite of assessments.

Dibels and Acadience also have online resources and face to face training if your school wishes to engage them in this way.

Acadience Reading Assessments

Reading Assessments, Tools, and Resources | Acadience Learning

Listen to Dr Stephnaie Stollar explains the importance of Universal Screeners and how Acadience Reading Assessments helps to inform teachers about the interventions required to achieve proficient reading i.e. working above benchmark

https://youtu.be/PTlSXnLhVIs?si=Hu7BKAUdGFQaBhla

Other Screening Resources

 

CORE Phonics Surveys Assessment for Reading Skills

Assessment tools for literacy – MultiLit

Motif

Year 1 Phonics Check

Sutherland Phonological Awareness Test – Revised 

School Entry Alphabetical and Phonological Awareness Readiness test (SEAPART):

Test of Word Reading Efficiency 2: TOWRE

UK Phonics Screening Check:

RAN/RAS test

Abecedarian Reading Assessment

 

Diagnostic Assessment

Listen to Dr Stephanie Stollar explain the different purposes of Universal Screeners and Diagnostic Assessments and when they should be used.

Screening vs. Diagnostic Assessments — When and How to Use Each One

 https://youtu.be/-Omkqcvi_V0?si=__127Buk_a8azuZi

Diagnostic assessments are a comprehensive evaluation that is used to determine the specific nature and severity of reading difficulties or deficits. They can be used to confirm a diagnosis of a specified reading difficulty, identify a student’s specific strengths and weaknesses in reading and provide a detailed profile of the student’s needs to guide further intervention. These assessments are usually conducted by specialists such as speech language pathologists, educational psychologists, and others trained in their implementation.

Diagnostic Assessments are usually accessed after a student is flagged through screening, and/or is unresponsive to intervention. It is part of the MTSS process, where a collective of experts are called upon to help support student intervention and ongoing success.

Examples Towre,

 York Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing 2 (CTOPP-2) 

Reading & Spelling Tests 3rd Edition (Update1) SITE. Waddington Educational Resources

 

Progress Monitoring

Progress monitoring tools are used to measure a student’s progress throughout instruction and intervention. For example, whilst Dibels 8th Edition is a Universal Screener it can also be used as a progress monitoring tool.  These brief assessments may be given weekly, fortnightly, or monthly depending on the intensity of intervention and needs of the student.

Progress monitoring collects evidence of a student’s progression in reading and inform next steps in instruction and intervention.

What is Progress Monitoring – 5 Progress Monitoring Tips to Help Improve Your Instruction- Reading Science Academy Explainer

What is progress monitoring and how does it differ from monitoring progress?

Dr Stollar suggest that when choosing an effective progress monitoring tool you should make sure the assessment is:

  • Standardized
  • Brief
  • An indicator of early literacy skills

Progress monitoring helps teachers make informed decisions about the next steps of instruction and over time, provides a clear record of student’s progress.

Listen to Dr Stephanie Stollar explain the purpose of progress monitoring.

AERO Monitor progress: Teaching for how students learn

This video demonstrates how teachers monitor progress in alignment with AERO’s model of teaching and learning. Monitoring students’ progress by checking for understanding helps you determine what they know and can do, identify gaps in their learning and adjust your teaching to meet their needs. It helps you create a learning environment where students feel safe and supported to be active participants in the learning process and better equips you to provide valuable feedback.

Watch AERO’s video about Progress Monitoring

https://youtu.be/U1hseh_2QAM?si=o62XxllY7LGC2hN0

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are used to evaluate student performance at the end of an instructional period or periods within the school year. For example, students complete a summative assessment at the end of a unit of work. A summative assessment may measure a student’s overall reading performance, or a student’s ability to effectively communicate their thoughts vis a specific writing task. Summative assessments are included in the Whole School Assessment Schedule.  

Resources: Assessment and monitoring of Language and Reading Comprehension

** Previous Modules also have included links to Assessments and Screeners for your reference.

How To Use Screening Data to Create Effective Late Elementary Literacy Groups – Helpful inks for your reference. 

https://youtu.be/7hQQ-DbuS7I?si=gyptldKs5VoH_T27

https://youtu.be/fvon-FxcJLo?si=MXs31iGDKAT2hSWZ   MAZE

Support Struggling Readers with Assessment

https://youtu.be/J68n9sDESyA?si=ne3WWir9T5OxulIB

Moving From Screening Data to Diagnostic Assessment for Middle Grades

https://youtu.be/v–7q4vvnZ0?si=9IReoZHUAZ5lB3N5

Demystifying Dyslexia: Structured Literacy Approaches to Empower All Students

https://youtu.be/8ZzQeNLUf3Q?si=AVBfHZLLCv5V2Y73

Supporting secondary student reading: Screening, monitoring and intervention | Australian Education Research Organisation 

 

Data & Evidence Informed Planning and Instruction

A Whole School Move to Evidence Informed Instruction – Bentleigh West PS

If you would like to understand more about how a whole school makes the journey to move to evidence informed instruction, view the follow Think Forward Educators video of Bentleigh West Primary School’s journey.  

TFE Principals’ Forum – Nov 2021 — Think Forward Educators

From Bentleigh West PS   

 

Baseline Planning Considerations

Team Planning and Data Discussions

Team planning and data discussions provide year level cohorts with a deep level of collective clarity about the demands of the unit of work that is to be taught and the specific needs of the students that they will be working with.

When Unpacking the Critical Elements for Instruction – Consider the following

Australian Curriculum

  • Strands/ Sub Strands
  • Achievement Standard
  • Content Descriptors
  • Assessable Elements
  • Literacy Progression/ Scope & Sequence 

Assessment Task

  • Guide to Making Judgement / Success Criteria
  • Annotated (A level) Exemplar
  • Purpose / Audience
  • Background Knowledge – vocabulary
  • Critical Elements e.g.
    • Text Structures
    • Language Features
    • Syntax – grammar / punctuation
    • Spelling Patterns/ Morphology / Etymology

Pedagogical Practice/ Routines

  • Consider Rosenshine’s Principles
  • Explicit Instruction to Inquiry Learning (Where do your students sit on the continuum? What explicit teaching is required? Do your students have the prerequisite skills/ knowledge required for Inquiry Learning, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving?).
  • Gradual Release of Instruction
  • Feedback Routines

Professional Learning, Teacher Support & Resourcing

  • What Professional Learning or support is required for the teaching team?
  • What resources are required?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous
Next