Building Foundational Literacy Aligned with the Science of Reading

Phonics is the ability to connect sounds (i.e., phonemes), to letters (i.e., graphemes), to read words. It is the most efficient way to learn to read words, and research shows the main reason students struggle with reading is due to poor phonological deficits, including phonics.

Mastering phonics is necessary for students to be able to read words effortlessly. Students who master phonics can use their mental energy for other important reading skills like learning new vocabulary and comprehending what they read. On the other hand, students who struggle with reading individual words often run out of mental energy to do much else beyond the word level.

No. The Science of Reading is not new; it encompasses decades of research across a large interdisciplinary body, that informs how proficient reading and writing develop. It addresses why some students struggle and the most efficient ways to assess and teach all students in order to ensure all students are successful readers.

Phonics skill screeners answer specific questions about which phonics categories or patterns students know and do not know. This information is used to inform phonics instruction at the district, building, grade, class, and student level. While universal screeners tell you “Who is at risk?”, a phonics skill screener tells you “What to teach.”

This information is critical to have for all students in the elementary grades, where phonics is a large focus of instruction. It is also helpful for older students who continue to need support learning phonics.

A phonics diagnostic assessment digs deeper into a phonics category or specific pattern to determine exactly where the student is struggling. For example, if the student is struggling with words like “hope” and “mate” that have a long vowel and a silent e at the end. It will save teachers time to know exactly which long vowel sounds, so that they do not waste time and teach them all but instead focus on exactly what the student needs.

A phonics diagnostic should only be used with those few students who are getting additional targeted instruction in phonics. It helps answer the question: “Which specific phonics skills does this student need to be taught”.

The phonics skill screener should be administered three times a year (beginning, middle, end of year) at the same time universal screening data is collected. The diagnostic phonics assessment should only be given when the teacher needs information on which specific phonics skills to teach to a particular student. The diagnostic can be given any time this information is needed to inform instruction.

Renaissance foundational literacy tools—aligned with the Science of Reading—connect phonics screening and diagnostic assessments with individualized practice and instruction solutions.

Foundational literacy skills need to be explicitly and systematically taught. This means students will not automatically pick up on reading skills from being exposed to book and text. They must be taught how to connect speech to print through explicit instruction, delivered in a systematic sequence, and accompanied by repeated and varied practice. During this practice, they need content at a rigorous, yet approachable level and immediate feedback to reinforce the skills being learned.