Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction

Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions, Second Edition

Authors

Susan M. Smartt, Ph.D., Deborah R. Glaser, Ed.D.

K-12

Fully updated with the latest reading research and models, this teacher-friendly planning guide matches the items of today’s most popular reading assessments with Tiers 1, 2, and 3 interventions, strategies, and activities that help struggling readers succeed.

Contains Companion Materials

WHAT’S NEW

• New focus on today’s most widely used assessments: DIBELS 8th Edition, Acadience Reading K-6, easyCBM, and aimswebPlus
• Convenient charts with clear summaries of the assessments
• 90+ new and updated activities specially designed for use with struggling readers during whole-class or small-group instruction
• Practical guidance on implementing instruction and intervention within MTSS
• Explicit connections to the science of reading, Structured Literacy, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and Ehri’s phases of word reading development
• New online materials: a quick-reference Assessment Guide, a handy online resources list, and 20+ pages of downloadable worksheets, planning guides, and templates for classroom use

Reviews

1. Sharon Vaughn, Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk - "Exactly what we need to put the science of reading into practice in our classrooms."
2. Martha Hougen - "Remarkable in its comprehensive discussion of the essential components of reading, how to measure student progress, and how to determine what to teach next."
3. Amanda Nickerson, K-12 Literacy Technical Assistance Consultant - "For years, I've been wholeheartedly endorsing Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction to those committed to weaving scientific reading principles into their teaching."
4. Matthew Burns, Fein Professor of Special Education - "Simply put, if you can read the book, then you can implement the powerful practices described within it."
5. Sarah Bondy - "Truly an instructional resource for all teachers of reading that provides guidance for ‘What do I do next?’"
6. Stephanie A. Stollar, Founder of the Reading Science Academy - "Valuable revisions include additional instructional activities to teach and practice the essential early literacy skills."
7. Louise Spear-Swerling, Professor Emerita - "This book is loaded with practical detail about how to use assessment to plan instruction."
8. Dee Dee Cain, Teacher Trainer - "One stop shopping for the busy teacher. It has the right amount of pedagogy for understanding the science of reading."

Product Details

After a universal screening assessment, how can K–6 educators translate the results into evidence-based instruction, targeted interventions, and improved reading outcomes? The timely new edition of this bestselling book has clear and practical answers.

Aligned with the science of reading and extensively field tested, this guidebook is built around the National Reading Panel’s big five ideas: phoneme awareness, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Teachers will get a concise introduction to each component, assessment options for each, specific strategies for connecting assessment findings to lesson planning, and dozens of practice activities to incorporate into small-group and whole-group instruction. Packed with strategies, scenarios, and planning worksheets, this book helps classroom teachers and reading specialists take action after assessments, make data-driven decisions, and plan differentiated instruction that makes a real difference for struggling readers.