Strengthening Reading Instruction at all Levels
Using EBRI
Presenters:
Jane Schwerdtfeger, ACLS Curriculum Specialist
Merilee Freeman, SABES ELA PD Center Director/STAR STATE
Coordinator
Directors’ Meeting 2017
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Getting to know you
 How many of you are currently doing STAR?
 How many of you know what EBRI is?
 How many of you have reading instruction backgrounds?
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What is Evidenced-Based Reading Instruction?
 Research studies
 Consensus among experts
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Promising Practices in Evidence-based Reading Instruction
 diagnostic reading assessment
 use of assessment results to shape instruction
 direct and explicit instruction
 learner engagement
 relevance of instruction
 continuous monitoring
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The Essential Components of Reading
What are the four Essential Components of Reading?
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The Essential Components of Reading
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ALPHABETICS
Is the process readers use to identify words.
Includes phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding
Readers must rely on alphabetic knowledge and
decoding skills to read unfamiliar words
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Basic and Higher-Level Alphabetics Skills
Basic Skills include:
 phonemic awareness
 sight word recognition
 phonics/word analysis
Higher-Level Skills include:
 using syllables to pronounce multisyllabic words
 affixes (prefixes and suffixes)
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FLUENCY
 Is the ability to read with efficiency and ease (speed and
accuracy).
 Prosody is the ability to read with expression which is part
of fluency.
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VOCABULARY
 The words whose meanings a person knows
and understands.
 The depth and breadth of one’s understanding
of these words.
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READING COMPREHENSION
Is the process and product of understanding text, and requires
a high level of metacognitive engagement with the text:
 Connecting words to understand an author’s ideas
 Seeing how those ideas fit with what the reader already
knows
 Recognizing when you haven’t understood something you
read
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How do the Components Interrelate?
In small groups, discuss how you think that the Essential
Components interrelate and why is this important to know.
We will debrief after your discussion.
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Interrelation of Components
Word level
Text level
Print-based
(recognition)
Alphabetics
Fluency
Meaning-based
(understanding)
Vocabulary
Comprehension
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ABE/ASE Readers’ Primary Learning Needs
Beginning Level
(GLE 0 - 3)
Intermediate Level
(GLE 4 - 8)
Advanced Level
(GLE 9-12)
Print Skills
Print or Meaning or Both
Meaning Skills
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Elements of Evidence-based Reading Instruction
Conduct Diagnostic Assessment
(Identify readers’ strengths and needs)
Plan for Instruction
(Design effective and efficient lessons)
Teach
(Use explicit instruction)
Monitor Progress
(Decide whether to re-teach or move ahead)
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Diagnostic Assessments
We base our students’ reading levels on how they scored on the MAPT
or the TABE.
A student has a MAPT scale score of 390 in reading which is in the GLE
4-5.9 range.
 What kind of reading instruction does she/he need?
 Alphabetics, Fluency, Vocabulary, or Comprehension?
 What do you think and why?
 How will you know what to teach and what level of reading is
appropriate for each student?
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Diagnostic Assessment Continued
To determine the appropriate reading level for EBRI Instruction a
diagnostic assessment needs to be administered to each student in:
 Alphabetics
 Fluency
 Vocabulary
 Comprehension
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What to Assess at Each Instructional Level ?
Alphabetics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Beginner
(GLE 0-3)
Intermediate
(GLE 4-8)
Instruction in two-three of the four components should be based on
individual diagnostic assessment of students.
Advanced
(GLE 9-12)
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Elements of Evidence-based Reading Instruction
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Conduct Diagnostic Assessment
(Identify readers’ strengths and needs)
Plan for Instruction
(Design effective and efficient lessons)
Teach
(Use explicit instruction)
Monitor Progress
(Decide whether to re-teach or move ahead)
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Explicit Instruction
 Explanation
 Modeling
 Guided Practice
 Application
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Elements of Evidence-based Reading Instruction
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Conduct Diagnostic Assessment
(Identify readers’ strengths and needs)
Plan for Instruction
(Design effective and efficient lessons)
Teach
(Use explicit instruction)
Monitor Progress
(Decide whether to re-teach or move ahead)
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Implementing Evidence-based Reading Instruction
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The Elements of
Making Complex Change





Vision
Knowledge and Skills
Resources
Incentives
Action Plans
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Sustaining Complex Change: Consider…
 Amount of teacher prep and PD time
 Amount of time/process for assessing new
students entering the program
 Managed enrollment is key to EBRI success
 More class intensity is better
 A collection of EBRI-recommended
instructional materials and resources
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FY2018 STAR Training Dates at ESE
Institute I: Oct.2-3, 2017
(Alternate dates Oct. 12-13)
Institute II: Jan.30-31, 2018
(Alternate dates Feb. 5-6)
Institute III: April 2-3, 2018
(Alternate dates April 25-26)
QCC Training Dates will be announced soon.
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Questions?
 What questions do you still have about EBRI?
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Contact Information
Jane Schwerdtfeger, ACLS Curriculum Specialist
[email protected] (781) 338-3855
Merilee Freeman, Director, SABES PD Center for ELA
[email protected] (508) 854-4296
Thank you for coming today.
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Content References
Manhattan Strategies. Student Achievement in Reading (STAR). Retrieved from
the STAR Toolkit www.startoolkit.org
Curtis, M.E. & Kruidenier, J. R. (2005). Teaching Adult to Read, a Summary of
Scientifically-Based Research Principles. Washington, DC: National Institute
for Literacy. Available at https://lincs.ed.gov/.
Kruidenier, J.R. (2002). Research-Based Principles of Adult Basic Education Reading
Instruction. Washington, DC. Available at https://lincs.ed.gov/.
Kruidenier, J.R., C.A., & Wrigley, H.S. (2010) Adult Education Reading Instruction.
Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Available at
https://lincs.ed.gov/.
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Content References
McShane, S. (2005). Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults, First
Steps for Teachers. National Institute for Literacy. Available at:
https://lincs.ed.gov/.
National Research Council. (2012). Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options
for Practice and Research. Committee on Learning Sciences: Foundations
and Application for Adolescent and Adult Literacy, A.M. Lesgold and M.
Welch-Ross, Eds. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Available at www.nap.edu.
Strucker, J. & Davidson, R. (2003). Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS).
Boston, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Literacy and Reading.
Available at http://lincs.ed.gov/readingprofiles/index.htm.
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