Videos: Webinars

Teachers often turn to nonsense words for phonics practice, believing they build decoding skills. But is this practice worth our instructional time? We look into the role that nonsense words play in assessment and instruction.

Assessment data has meaning only when it drives instruction. A collection of practical decision-making flowcharts assists teachers in making strategic instructional decisions to target students' needs.

Decoding and spelling errors reveal where students are stuck and allow us to analyze the best teaching opportunity. Kara Campbell shows how immediate feedback using a diagnostic, prescriptive approach maximizes student learning.

Dyslexia and developmental language disorder often overlap, shaping how students learn to read and understand language. Dr. Tiffany Hogan explains the connection, recent legislation, and the need for early screening in both word recognition and language.

A data binder can transform how teachers plan and respond to student needs. This piece outlines how to organize student data to help teachers make instruction more diagnostic, prescriptive, and flexible throughout the year.

Using assessment data to inform instruction remains a challenge for many educators. Nicole Kingsland and Dr. Megan Gierka share how thoughtful data analysis can drive targeted literacy support across classrooms and schools.

Effective screening is the foundation of early literacy success. In this panel, district leaders from St. Mary’s County Public Schools share how they scaled up universal screening, built staff capacity, and sustained equitable, reliable assessment practices.

Effective screening begins with informed selection. Dr. Yaacov Petscher explains how to evaluate literacy screeners and apply research-based criteria using the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) Screening Tools Chart to guide data-driven decision making.