Science of Reading Essentials: Assessment
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Stephanie Stollar
Stephanie Stollar, Ph.D., is an educational consultant and co-author of Reading Assessment Done Right. Stephanie created the Reading Science Academy and co-created the MTSS Collective, online communities for improving student outcomes through research-based MTSS practices. Stephanie supports educator preparation and serves on the boards of the Evidence Advocacy Center and International MTSS Association. She believes that by supporting all educators, high achievement is possible for every student.
Kymyona Burk
Kymyona Burk, Ed.D., is a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd, where she helps states strengthen K–3 reading policy and support effective literacy implementation. With more than 25 years of experience in teaching, coaching, and state leadership, she has built teacher capacity and improved student literacy outcomes. Previously, she served as the state literacy director at the Mississippi Department of Education, where she led implementation of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act and helped drive Mississippi’s rise from 49th out of the 50 states to 29th in fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Kymyona has earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, a Master of Arts in teaching English, a Master of Science in education administration and supervision, and a doctorate in early childhood education.
Kajal Patel Below
Kajal Patel Below is the vice president of Biliteracy at Amplify, where she collaborates with multiple teams to lead initiatives across Amplify’s Spanish offerings and in service of multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs). In this role, she works with national experts in the field and keeps her finger on the pulse of what schools and districts need to serve ML/ELs, especially in Spanish.
Kate Winn
Kate Winn is coauthor of Reading Assessment Done Right and an educator with 25 years of classroom experience, specializing in evidence-based literacy. As a writer, podcaster, consultant, and presenter, she also works to share her passion for literacy practices that help all students reach reading and writing success.
Melissa Farrall
Melissa Farrall, Ph.D., is the author of Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy and Cognition, and co-author of All About Tests & Assessments. She recently retired as director for evaluation at the Stern Center for Language and Learning in Vermont, and held an appointment as clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, where she trained medical professionals about learning disabilities and reading. In her role as Affiliated Distinguished Scholar, she continues to train evaluators and teach courses through the Stern Center and Vermont State University.
She has her doctorate from Brown University in Slavic linguistics, her master’s degree in learning disabilities from Rivier College, and certification as a specialist in the Assessment of Intellectual Functioning.
Gina Biancarosa
Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D., is the Ann Swindells Chair in Education and a University of Oregon College of Education professor. Her research focuses on measuring reading comprehension and tracking reading growth over time. She is best known for creating key tools like the widely used DIBELS® 8th Edition and the MOCCA (Multiple-Choice Online Causal Comprehension Assessment) diagnostic measure. She holds a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and completed a fellowship at Stanford University.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert, Ed.D., is chief academic officer of literacy at Amplify and host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. A former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, she’s dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“If you don’t have a question about your students, you don’t need to do more assessment. This should not be a compliance activity.”
“We never want to do one iota, one second, one minute of extra assessment that we don’t have to do unless it answers a key question that makes us better teachers.”
“About 90% of all reading challenges are due to difficulty recognizing the words.”
“We don’t want more testing. We want the right kind of testing.”
“Once you ask a question, you can change what it is that someone has understood from what they read.”
“When we love the kids, we want to do the best for them.”
“Ideally, kids would be assessed in their home language.”