Making the Most of the Rest of the School Year
Even late in the school year, schools can accelerate reading growth with focused daily practice and targeted support informed by screening data.
As long as we have students in school, there is still time to make meaningful gains in reading. At this time of year, we’ve seen schools accelerate reading growth through actionable, practical strategies.
For Teachers: Protect Daily Reading Practice
As a teacher, add extra daily reading practice for every student, every day. Consistent daily reading builds fluency. With even just 10 minutes of practice a day using a high-quality routine like Partner Reading with Paragraph Shrinking (NASP 2020), students can see growth.1.
Think of it like daily practice in an instrument or a sport. Keep the practice protected even on shortened days and days with unusual schedules.
For School and District Leaders: Use Your Data to Target Support
If you’re a leader, review fall to winter growth by grade level and channel resources, including instructional coaching and professional learning, toward the specific grades that need the most support.
For example, if fall to winter screening growth data show that Kindergarten students didn’t make enough growth in phonics skills, consider directing coaching cycles and collaborative planning time toward the Kindergarten PLC to focus specifically on intensifying decoding instruction for the remainder of the year. Using data to make targeted decisions allows professional learning to have the greatest possible impact on student outcomes.
We also encourage you to join our April 8 webinar to learn how to make the most of spring screening data, reflect on this year, and launch next year from a position of strength.
