Teaching IS rocket science--and you are the pilot! Teach Reading, Not Testingreinforces what teachers already know--test preparation worksheets and drill-and-kill activities do not make children into lifelong readers. The authors′ conscientious approach to reading instruction combines an insider perspective on the development of high-stakes tests with classroom experience in achieving successful reading outcomes at the elementary and secondary levels. Their research-based methodology, building on teachers′ expertise about best practice, is based on five key components: Aligning instruction to the state or national core standards Using formative assessment Connecting units to real-world contexts Motivating students effectively Holding on to best practice in literacy instruction Included are end-of-chapter quizzes and real-life scenarios, plus a full chapter on teaching literacy with special populations. Readers will find helpful solutions for teaching children to love reading in the midst of the accountability movement, and an approach to test preparation that doesn′t require teachers to sacrifice everything they already know about teaching kids to read.

Reading instruction is too often grounded in a narrowly defined "science of reading" that focuses exclusively on cognitive skills and strategies. Yet cognition is just one aspect of reading development. This book guides K–8 educators to understand and address other scientifically supported factors that influence each student's literacy learning, including metacognition, motivation and engagement, social–emotional learning, self-efficacy, and more. Peter Afflerbach uses classroom vignettes to illustrate the broad-based nature of student readers’ growth, and provides concrete suggestions for instruction and assessment. The book's utility is enhanced by end-of-chapter review questions and activities and a reproducible tool, the Healthy Readers Profile, which can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

This book provides a research-based framework for making differentiated instruction work in the primary grades. It includes scientifically validated techniques for teaching each component of the beginning reading program. The authors describe how to use assessment to form differentiated small groups and monitor student progress; plan which skills to target and when; and implement carefully selected instructional strategies. Vivid classroom examples illustrate what differentiated instruction looks like in action in each of the primary grades. For additional helpful resources, including classroom-ready lesson plans, teachers can purchase the complementary volume, How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction: Resources for Grades K-3.

A step-by-step program that shows parents, simply and clearly, how to teach their child to read in just 20 minutes a day.

Reading methods instructors, preservice and practicing teachers must meet the challenges of cultivating a solid understanding of effective literacy practices to get ready to teach in classrooms across the country. If necessary-depending on the state you live in-you must pass the required foundational reading tests and student teacher performance assessments. Policies and mandates come and go, but meeting the challenge of understanding and implementing effective literacy practices never fades. This book is organized into five sections with 14 chapters. Features include more than 70 chapter questions (similar to those found on literacy exams for teacher certification), teacher performance assessment support, a delightful cast of animated characters, graphic organizers at the end of each chapter, and QR code links to a custom website. Section I: Preparing to Teach nurtures the heart and mind of preservice teachers and educators alike. The content commits to a comprehensive view of mindful, responsive, and effective teaching and learning. It provides instructors, preservice and practicing teachers a welcoming place to return, tracking their connections as they explore the other chapters. It celebrates community, conversation, and a commitment to the students we teach. Like starting a garden from scratch or improving the soil of an existing one, we begin with a deeper, more fertile view of literacy, so in turn, all learners thrive. Section II: Literacy-Rich Environment examines how literacy behaviors intertwine and grow through each developmental stage. From the beginning, young children need quality literacy instruction and authentic reading and writing tasks. Whether a student is producing or receiving language, proficiency in the written, oral and visual skills of the language arts is critical. Like the master gardener, the most fertile literacy conditions nourish our students' minds and hearts. Section III: Essential Components is devoted to teaching practices that support knowing how words work and their meanings, fluency, comprehension, and assessment. These essential components are highlighted in their respective chapters; however, they are also dispersed throughout all our chapters. Suggestions are also offered for working with English language learners as well as reluctant and struggling learners. Section IV: Cultivating Knowledge waters the seeds of learning from each chapter to pass reading tests and educational teacher performance assessments. It is vital to share with readers the vision of effective and responsive literacy practices while still recognizing the gravity of initial teacher assessments. The authors share variegated voices, strategies, and tips to successfully answer multiple-choice questions, open response essays, and written commentaries. Section V: Literacy Supplies farms our favorite teaching methods and strategies that instructors use in their methods courses. Know and Grow words in each chapter are presented through a manipulative, engaging vocabulary strategy. This activity is an effective way to learn words in the context before and after reading. The Flashcard Glossary chapter puts a unique twist on learning words, as words are organized into flashcard format. The editors and contributors are a diverse village of concerned literacy experts, educators, preservice teachers, and friends. With determination, they mindfully plow these assessments within responsive literacy practices in preparation to teach and if necessary pass specific assessments that many states have mandated for initial teaching and reading licensure. In doing so, our practices match our beliefs about teaching and learning.

The content of tests can be puzzling to students and teachers alike. While a state test purports to measure the curriculum, often the curriculum standards seem mysterious as well--written in code or so general in meaning that it seems impossible for teachers to know if their instruction will adequately prepare their students. --Charles Fuhrken When he was a student struggling to concentrate on dreadfully boring passages of standardized reading tests, Charles Fuhrken remembers thinking to himself, "Who writes this stuff?" He had no idea that one day it would be him. Fuhrken has spent years working as a writer for several major testing companies, and he believes that what he's learned about testing could be very useful--even liberating--for teachers interested in teaching effective reading strategies as well as preparing students for reading tests. In What Every Elementary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading Tests, Charles takes the mystery out of reading tests. He explains how reading tests are created, how standards are interpreted and assessed, and how students can apply their knowledge of reading to standardized tests. What Every Elementary Teacher Needs to Know About Reading Tests sets the record straight about the myths and realities of tests and offers extensive, practical strategies that help students perform well on test day. This ready to use, easy to understand resource provides a wealth of information about reading tests, including high-quality preparation materials; samples of the most frequently assessed reading standards; and more than thirty engaging, core-reading activities. Tests require a special kind of savvy, a kind of critical thinking and knowledge-application that is not always a part of classroom reading experiences. That's why teachers need to provide students with sound, specific information about reading tests. Only then can students feel prepared and confident on test day.

Practical, effective, evidence-based reading interventions that change students' lives Essentials of Understanding and Assessing Reading Difficulties is a practical, accessible, in-depth guide to reading assessment and intervention. It provides a detailed discussion of the nature and causes of reading difficulties, which will help develop the knowledge and confidence needed to accurately assess why a student is struggling. Readers will learn a framework for organizing testing results from current assessment batteries such as the WJ-IV, KTEA-3, and CTOPP-2. Case studies illustrate each of the concepts covered. A thorough discussion is provided on the assessment of phonics skills, phonological awareness, word recognition, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Formatted for easy reading as well as quick reference, the text includes bullet points, icons, callout boxes, and other design elements to call attention to important information. Although a substantial amount of research has shown that most reading difficulties can be prevented or corrected, standard reading remediation efforts have proven largely ineffective. School psychologists are routinely called upon to evaluate students with reading difficulties and to make recommendations to address such difficulties. This book provides an overview of the best assessment and intervention techniques, backed by the most current research findings. Bridge the gap between research and practice Accurately assess the reason(s) why a student struggles in reading Improve reading skills using the most highly effective evidence-based techniques Reading may well be the most important thing students are taught during their school careers. It is a skill they will use every day of their lives; one that will dictate, in part, later life success. Struggling students need help now, and Essentials of Understanding and Assessing Reading Difficulties shows how to get these students on track.