What is the Science of Reading?
“Science of reading” refers to a comprehensive body of research that has supported strategies and methods found to enhance reading. The recommendations that derive from the Science of Reading (SoR) are those that have been consistently supported, over many years, by multiple credible researchers, across multiple settings with a diverse array of students and schools.
Early Literacy Skills
One of the most consistently important themes from SoR studies focuses on the question of which early literacy skills must be taught. This question was addressed by the National Reading Panel and more recently by the publication "Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade" In both of these landmark publications, experts recommended the teaching of the "Big Five" skills which include:
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension
Students who master these skills are likely to remain good readers.
iSTEEP Support for the Science of Reading
iSTEEP supports the Science of Reading (SoR) and has strong assessments for all the Big Five Skills. In a national review of screening assessments from 20 publishers by NCII, iSTEEP was the only publisher with assessments targeted for all the Big Five Skills. In addition, iSTEEP had solid evaluations for technically sound assessments from the panel of screening experts.
NCII Ratings: The chart shows each of the 5 SoR areas at the grade level where the skill is commonly the central instructional focus. The iSTEEP assessments at each corresponding grade level were evaluated by the NCII Technical Review Committee for evidence of reliability and validity using the following rubrics: convincing evidence (full bubble), partially convincing evidence (half bubble), unconvincing evidence (empty bubble).
How We Help with SoR
We agree with Louisa Moats that “Teaching Reading is Rocket Science”, and we make it easy to get started because our assessments are:
- High quality assessments that test all the Big 5 areas.
- Timed for just 1 minute, for most assessments.
- Technically solid. If your assessments are not accurate, then your decisions about students won’t be accurate. Bad data can’t
be cleaned up with technology such as Artificial Intelligence, or computers that listen to kids read, or screens filled with cool
reports. Poor quality scores lead to bad decisions (Garbage in/Garbage out). Good data-based decision making requires
accurate and reliable assessments.
The teaching of reading is the sine qua non of schooling because reading is the gateway to all academic achievement, and it is related to social well-being