1.14.21 Elizabeth Barker Fact or fiction? The 4 myths of dyslexia Dyslexia doesn’t usually look how we think it will. Consider third-grader Judy, a dedicated student who finds herself in the middle of one of her most dreaded activities: a class read aloud. As... Read more
11.23.20 Cara Holt 5 tips for engaging K–3 students in your responsive planning process Do you remember your kindergarten teacher? For many of us, the first few teachers we have stick with us. For one of my colleagues, it’s her third-grade teacher. The one who taught her that March... Read more
10.29.20 Erin Ryan Timothy Rasinski on fluency and equity in reading instruction NWEA is excited to welcome award-winning reading instruction professor Timothy Rasinski, as well as our esteemed literacy experts Lynne Kulich and Cindy Jiban, for a webinar examining the... Read more
9.29.20 Cindy Jiban “Grade-level” text for kindergarten and first grade: More on how reading is a team sport If you’re a reading teacher, I’m sure you’re hearing loud and clear that we need to teach all kids with complex, grade-level text. Access to that text is an equity issue. But wait: What about... Read more
9.8.20 Cindy Jiban Go, team: How parents and teachers can use Lexile measures to support young readers Leticia is in third grade, and she has a good learning team. Leticia is the star player. Then there is her dad, ready to lean in on supporting mostly remote learning this year. Meanwhile, Leticia’s... Read more
8.25.20 Stephen Marositz Reflecting on spring: 5 lessons learned to maximize K–3 fall instruction How fitting that our last day of in-person learning was Friday the 13th. I’m the vice principal at St. Barnabas Elementary School in the Bronx. That day in March I was refilling hand sanitizer when... Read more
8.20.20 Cindy Jiban The power of prosody: Why faster reading isn’t always better reading Last night, I was listening to an audiobook and thought to myself, “Now that’s some fluent reading—and so darned accurate, too!” OK, I just lied. I would never think that, because there’s... Read more
8.10.20 Elizabeth Barker 5 patterns in math skills of new kindergarteners—and 4 ways to address them As we enter an unpredictable back-to-school season, educators and administrators are hitting the ground running to prepare students for our new normal amid COVID-19. While many students received... Read more
8.4.20 Christine Pitts 3 ways to support kindergarteners this fall I forgot to register my preschooler for kindergarten this spring. I realized when I still hadn’t been contacted by his school about kindergarten registration. I panicked. My family and I sat down... Read more
7.30.20 Cindy Jiban Slides and ladders: The importance of fluency with older readers during COVID-19 This summer, my city’s public pools have been closed. I’ve missed sitting at the pool’s edge in sunglasses with a friend, and my boys have missed the high dive. We’ve all missed the big... Read more
7.20.20 Lynne Kulich 4 ways to focus on phonological awareness and tackle COVID reading loss I’m a former elementary teacher and parent of three children. My youngest son will be a senior in high school this fall. While working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt fortunate he... Read more
6.25.20 Cindy Jiban Let’s talk equity: Reading levels, scaffolds, and grade-level text Our students already had quite a spring. Now, they are having what looks to be quite a summer. COVID-19 introduced some serious challenges to equal educational access and opportunity. Now, we are... Read more
