Assessment as your best friend, with Kate Winn and Stephanie Stollar, Ph.D.
Transcripts and additional resources:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Stephanie Stollar
Stephanie created the Reading Science Academy and co-created 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.
Kate Winn
Kate is 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.
Meet our host, Susan Lambert, Ed.D.
Susan Lambert 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
“Assessment is a tool for conversation. It's an investigation, it's uncovering what is known, and there are multiple purposes. All assessments are constructed to answer questions.”
“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.”
“Progress monitoring is like the GPS for educators.”
“We can actually do something with the information when you're using good assessments.”
“Believe it or not, reading assessment can be so exciting. It can be so empowering.”
“Having lots and lots of assessment data is not helpful. It can actually be counterproductive.”
“When I use my universal screener, it tells me which students are meeting benchmark, which ones aren't, and then I know exactly what to work on with those students.”