This was a fun one… because we got to talk to you, our listeners! In this episode: We see how Mr. Potato head can motivate students, one additional limb at a time. We open a big box of costumes in the middle of class. We learn about a teacher who calls students’ parents to share good news, and how one student wanted to return the favor. And finally, we get to hear some incredibly touching stories of students and families letting their teachers know how awesome they are. (Jacob and Kailey get a little misty-eyed.)

Like the students they serve, every educator enters the classroom in varying states of readiness. Education leaders must ensure each teacher has the tools, professional learning, and guidance they need to be successful. This detailed guide examines how the components of an NWEA Solution can provide the support teachers demand and deserve.

One hurdle for young students who are beginning to read is learning letter names, shapes, and sounds. To help students master these arbitrary pairings between letter shape and letter sound, using letter-embedded mnemonics has been found to be more effective than using letters on their own or letters accompanied by a picture. Try out this sample set of embedded mnemonics with your early learners!

Learn about the best MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency reports to pull and how to look at them together, whether you’re a school leader or classroom teacher, in this best of Teach. Learn. Grow. eBook.

This three-year sample professional learning plan will set you and your team up for long term success with MAP Reading Fluency.

NWEA early literacy experts teamed up with a district-level data whiz for a lively discussion on inventorying literacy data to help your team make informed changes to instruction. Presenters also shared how to triangulate points between MAP® Growth™ and MAP® Reading Fluency™, spot anomalies, track trends and more.

This article summarizes the foundational research and scholarship on early word recognition, discusses strategies and tactics for putting the science of reading into practice, and includes numerous useful tips and best practices from an experienced reading interventionist.