1. 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

2. 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?

3. What is Evidence-Based Reading Instruction?
Research studies
Consensus among experts 3

4. 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 4

5. The Essential Components of Reading
What are the four Essential Components of Reading? 5

6. The Essential Components of Reading6

7. 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 7

8. 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)

9. 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.

10. VOCABULARY The words whose meanings a person knows and understands.
The depth and breadth of one’s understanding of these words.

11. 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

13. 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.

14. Interrelation of Components
Word level
Text level
Print-based (recognition)
Alphabetics
Fluency
Meaning-based (understanding)
Vocabulary
Comprehension

15. ABE/ASE Readers’ Primary Learning Needs
Beginning Level (GLE )
Intermediate Level (GLE 4 - 8)
Advanced Level (GLE 9-12)
Print Skills
Print or Meaning or Both
Meaning Skills

16. 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)

17. 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 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?

18. 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

19. 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)

20. 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) 20

21. Explicit Instruction
Explanation
Modeling
Guided Practice
Application

22. 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) 22

23. Implementing Evidence-based Reading Instruction23

24. The Elements of Making Complex Change
Vision
Knowledge and Skills
Resources
Incentives
Action Plans 24

25. 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 25

27. FY2018 STAR Training Dates at ESE
Institute I: Oct.2-3, 2017
(Alternate dates Oct )
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.

28. Questions?
What questions do you still have about EBRI?

29. Thank you for coming today.
Contact Information
Jane Schwerdtfeger, ACLS Curriculum Specialist (781)
Merilee Freeman, Director, SABES PD Center for ELA (508)
Thank you for coming today.

30. Content References
Manhattan Strategies. Student Achievement in Reading (STAR). Retrieved from the STAR Toolkit
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
Kruidenier, J.R. (2002). Research-Based Principles of Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction. Washington, DC. Available at
Kruidenier, J.R., C.A., & Wrigley, H.S. (2010) Adult Education Reading Instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Available at

31. Content References
McShane, S. (2005). Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults, First Steps for Teachers. National Institute for Literacy. Available at:
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
Strucker, J. & Davidson, R. (2003). Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS). Boston, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Literacy and Reading. Available at