With vaccination efforts in full swing, September is likely to see a strong return to in-classroom instruction. How can educators prepare for summer school or a new school year after students have seen extended periods outside the classroom? In this important podcast, assessment expert Dr. Kelly Powell Smith—vice president and associate director of research and development at Acadience—shares the key indicators that educators should look for when reviewing spring literacy assessment scores, along with how to pinpoint where students are struggling so you can plan for summer or fall intervention and instruction.

Research shows a gap between what teachers know about reading and whether or not they are prepared to teach it. Why are teachers graduating from college without the skills they need to teach reading? Join former educator Donna Hejtmanek as she discusses this topic and shares the story behind creating her incredibly popular Facebook group “Science of Reading—What I Should Have Learned in College.”

We now know sound walls should replace word walls in the classroom, but what are the best ways to integrate them into your daily lesson to educate and engage your students, including English language learners? In this informative podcast with literacy experts Dr. Mary Dahlgren and Dr. Antonio Fierro, our educators will share tips about how to use your sound wall to transform reading instruction.

Explicit reading instruction is an approach to teaching reading that is based on research about the brain and how we learn, combined with structured and sequenced literacy instruction. Join explicit instruction expert Dr. Anita Archer for this informative podcast as she discusses the importance of explicit instruction and how it promotes achievement for students of all reading levels.

During this podcast, we will discuss:

• What explicit instruction is and how it works hand in hand with systematic reading instruction
• How explicit instruction benefits students with reading challenges
• Why explicit reading instruction is especially important in a remote learning environment
• How to use explicit reading instruction to deliver more effective lessons

As 2020 began, the assessment you knew as DIBELS Next® acquired a new name, Acadience® Reading K–6. Do you know why the name changed and that Acadience Reading (and its product family) are the only assessments developed by authors Dr. Roland Good III and Dr. Ruth Kaminski, based on 30 years of research? Join us as we discuss how Acadience Learning assessments can be used to support data-driven instructional decisions and improve student outcomes.

If you used DIBELS Next in the past, and/or are thinking about how to use assessment to drive student instruction in your school or district, this is a can’t-miss podcast.

The past year has uncovered more equity issues in education than in years before. The struggle to provide equitable access to technology, learning tools, emotional support, and even meals is now at the forefront of educators’ minds as they struggle to keep learning going forward for their students. Join us for a timely discussion about equity in education, specifically around assessment, with assessment expert Dr. Thomas Guskey.

This school year, the importance of closing reading gaps and maintaining strong skills is more important than ever due to COVID learning loss and a shift to remote learning. Join us for a timely and insightful podcast with respected literacy expert and author Dr. Tim Rasinski, as he discusses the long-term impact of COVID learning loss on reading fluency and skills. Dr. Rasinski will share strategies educators can use to help students maintain strong reading skills, whether they are learning remotely or in the classroom.

Lois Letchford was told by a teacher that her son, Nicholas, was “the worst child (she’s) ever seen in (her) 25 years of teaching.” Instead of giving up and giving in, Letchford became a passionate advocate for literacy and children who have been left behind by the educational system. Join us for an inspiring conversation as she shares how she helped her son beat the odds and overcome dyslexia, and how she discovered her own dyslexia.

Unlike Spring of 2020, this fall we have the opportunity to prepare for distance learning as students return to the classroom. But many questions still remain--will students return to the classroom or remote learning, or both? Will educators be ready? What can school leaders do to help educators prepare for blended or remote learning? Join our timely discussion with remote learning expert Dr. Rick Ferdig, an educator with over 20 years’ experience in blended-learning instruction, as he discusses how to help educators plan for a school year unlike any others we have experienced.

The American elementary education system continues to value so-called reading comprehension skills over knowledge, when in fact those skills are largely dependent on knowledge. Low-income students continue to struggle while children of educated parents with higher-income levels acquire more academic knowledge and vocabulary outside school, giving them an additional advantage over their more disadvantaged peers. In the past twenty years, a regime of high-stakes reading and math tests, intended to address educational inequity, has only exacerbated the problem. But there is much that schools can do to provide all students with access to the kind of knowledge that can boost outcomes on tests and in life.

Join us for this special conversation with Natalie Wexler, education expert and author of the recently-released book The Knowledge Gap. We will explore the question of learning equity and ways we can "right the wrongs” that continue to impact equality in learning.