News and reflections from experts and practitioners on the latest literacy research, events and daily practice
Welcome to Learning Ally's blog. You've come to the right place if you are an innovative teacher who wants to transform more struggling readers into grade-level achievers.
April 9, 2024 by Learning Ally
Students who struggle to read make up a substantial portion of the 1.2 million students who leave high school each year without a diploma. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 60 percent of twelfth graders scored below proficient in reading achievement, and 27 percent scored below basic level. This means the lowest-performing high school seniors have only partial mastery of adequate grade-level knowledge and skills.
Low reading achievement does not equally affect all students. A third of Hispanic and African American twelfth graders read below the basic level. The consequences for these struggling readers and the costs to our nation in terms of lost wages and earnings over a lifetime are staggering: estimates for dropouts who typically have low literacy skills are about $335 billion per year. For those who manage to find a job, private industry spends an estimated $3.1 billion annually to bolster the literacy skills of entry-level workers.*
In Learning Ally’s monthly Literacy Leadership webinar series, Dr. Terrie Noland discusses this topic with Dr. Asya Johnson, Master Principal, Longwood Preparatory Academy, New York City Public Schools, and Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Co-Founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute, San Diego, California.
Effectively gauging students’ reading proficiency at the secondary level is crucial to pinpoint areas of specific skill weaknesses, especially in reading comprehension. However, many secondary schools do not perform reading assessments at this learning stage. Dr. Johnson says, “We need to perform assessments at the secondary level to ensure all students are on track. If they are not, the right assessment will enable us to focus on the types of intervention that each student needs to get them to proficiency level.”
At Longwood Preparatory Academy, all students receive an initial assessment in 9th grade, and then sequential assessments in Fall, Winter, and Spring to determine growth. The teaching staff works with students and families to understand why these exams are vital to a student’s overall academic achievement goals.
“Oftentimes, it is challenging to uncover specific skill needs of students with learning disabilities like dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia,” says Dr. Johnson. “We must ‘dig in’ to identify what is causing a student’s specific issues. Are they having problems at the sentence level, paragraph level, or in sentence structure itself? Assessments let us see where the gaps are and provide explicit and direct instruction.”
The panel agrees that ‘socialization’ is a major part of a student’s learning development, especially in secondary education. If some students need extra help, removing them from other academic instruction may be counter-productive. “There is a stigma surrounding students who are pulled out of regular classes,” says Dr. Johnson. “We don’t want to disrupt their flow, or our goals to intervene will not be successful.”
The panel recommends working directly with students to get early buy-in for intervention support. “Collective decision-making will help students understand why they need extra reading support, and how it benefits them. They also need to understand how their teachers will address this support to fit seamlessly into daily routines,” says Dr. Noland.
At the beginning of the year, Dr. Johnson’s team created reintervention classes by modifying the learning day. Using Assessment data, students are placed in intervention tiers with a modified schedule of 3-2 day split to ensure students have required reading support, but also opportunities to earn their required credits to graduate and stay connected with friends and peers through fun activities and extracurricular courses.
One of Longwood’s universal literacy resources is Learning Ally’s Audiobook Library where students have 24/7 access to required grade-level curriculum and popular titles to enhance reading pleasure and independent reading. Teachers and administrators have access to reading data that enable them to grasp a better understanding of a specific student’s reading preferences, behaviors, and measurement of reading progress.
“Longwood works very hard on scheduling and communication so students do not feel separated from their peers,” adds Dr. Johnson. “In addition to the 3/2 day split of explicit and direct instruction intervention, we give students ample opportunities to improve their skills through extra reading support in and out of school and a fun weekly Wednesday school-wide activity that encourages all students to read books on their level, and become a culture of skilled readers.”
Dr. Sandman-Hurley says, “The right accommodation is absolutely critical to middle and secondary students who are struggling to read; however, this effort may be challenging in middle school, because of the social aspect of ‘looking different’. We must help students understand why using a certain resource will directly support their reading ability, and we must effectively train them and their teachers on how to use the accommodations. This is also the time to help students become self-advocates for their learning accommodations. We must educate them to ask for accommodations in their classes, for exams, and in higher education.”
The panel agrees that when students with a learning difference truly understand their specific needs, can ask for and advocate for resources that enable them to work to their true potential and feel safe doing so, this is the best of all learning scenarios. “We have to always think about the different ages and stages of a learning difference and help students feel this is a part of who they are,” says Dr. Noland. “Creating a school-wide learning environment where students are comfortable asking for support, who believe in their learning potential and are not afraid of being wrong about an answer, is where the social-emotional-learning connection becomes extremely powerful.”
Dr. Sandman-Hurley encourages students to write their own elevator pitch about what their learning difference is and feel comfortable talking about it, and answering questions about it. “We encourage students to be prepared to explain how a specific accommodation helps them learn and excel; then they can use this pitch with their teachers, bosses, and in higher education settings.
We live in a world of constant connections through our devices, and today’s students do not have the stamina to sit through the longevity of a book. How do we get more students to want to read, and not just the excerpts or the synopsis of a text? According to a survey conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), teens who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis have dropped from nearly a decade ago and are at the lowest levels since at least the mid-1980s.
To motivate more students to read, Longwood Academy connects students with real-time happenings and their intrinsic interests. They also instill high expectations by requiring all students to take advanced AP English or Literature classes and college prep courses. And, they participate in Learning Ally’s Great Reading Games challenges.
Every parent wants their child to succeed, but understanding a learning difference and what to do about it can be complicated. Many families feel isolated. Dr. Sandman-Hurley says, “We want a parent to fully understand what it means to have a learning difference; how the brain works, and what we can do to support it. Their reaction and participation are important.”
At Longwood, educators have ongoing discussions with families using language they can understand. They discuss what the data says; how a student is responding to the intervention; what they are doing to help them succeed, including providing accessible books, and motivational gamification challenges. Families are also invited to attend evening literacy workshops to learn how to use Learning Ally’s audiobook library and to learn more about promoting literacy activities at home.
Watch this Literacy Leadership panel discussion on demand and learn more from these expert panelists on Meeting the Needs of Secondary School Students with Dyslexia, register here.
Learning Ally’s monthly learning events are designed to help educators gain actionable insights and strategies from esteemed speakers in the field of literacy.
You can now register for the April webinar, Multilingual Learners and the Science of Reading: What's the Connection? with Dr. Claude Goldenberg, Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, emeritus, in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Dr. Goldenberg’s areas of research and professional interest have centered on promoting academic achievement among language-minority children and youth. Prior to his arrival at Stanford, Goldenberg was Professor of Teacher Education, Associate Dean of the College of Education, and Executive Director of the Center for Language Minority Education and Research (CLMER) at California State University, Long Beach.
*Mariana Hayes, Alliance for Excellent Education, “Birth-Through-Grade-Twelve Comprehensive Literacy Program,” published on All4ed.org website, April 2015.
Categories: Curriculum & Access
April 3, 2024 by Learning Ally
Becoming a successful reader and learner is life changing. Yet far too many educators and families are grappling with the widening literacy gap, and how to help students overcome reading and learning challenges. Research shows a strong correlation between student success in school and parent-educator partnership and home support for student literacy from PreK-12th grade. It sounds simple, but making these connections can be challenging for both educators and parents. To help bridge that divide, Dollar General Literacy Foundation and Learning Ally are working together with school districts and families across the country. “The gift of literacy means granting opportunities, confidence, and hope,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Learning Ally to support educators and families in ensuring that individuals of all ages have access to a quality education. We look forward to witnessing more opened doorways and pursued dreams for students using these resources.”
Home support is beneficial to reading success. That is why we’re introducing our new Family Literacy Toolkit.
Families will find strategies to advocate for their child’s educational needs, especially if they are struggling learners or challenged with learning differences or disabilities.
And with both refreshed and evergreen content, families will gain knowledge, research-based tools and enjoyable and engaging activities to model literacy and bring literacy alive in the home.
School district educators and administrators will be provided with promotional assets to make this tool-kit available to the families in their districts. The toolkit will be available through Learning Ally.org and outreach direct to educators and families will be ongoing through newsletters and social media, so keep an eye out for the latest and the greatest on family literacy!
Our alliance with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation will provide Family Literacy Workshops in partnership with school districts using Learning Ally solutions in Dollar General hometown communities across America.
These workshops offer a unique school-to-home connection. Facilitated by Learning Ally literacy experts, these events bring school educators, parents, caregivers and students together for exciting interactive sessions supporting educator and family relationships educating family members on how they can support their children in literacy and achieving success in their school classes.
Districts will be provided with downloadable assets for their participating families to keep the learnings fresh and provide additional “how=to” instruction so that they can put their learnings into practice in their homes.
Highlighting Dollar General’s mission of Serving Others, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was founded more than 30 years ago in 1993 by Dollar General’s former CEO, Cal Turner, Jr. in honor of his grandfather and Dollar General co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate and never completed a formal education.
The Foundation continually supports schools, libraries and non-profit organizations in their efforts to enhance quality classroom instruction, increase access to literacy programming, advance innovation and inspire the joy of reading through adult, family, youth and summer grants. Since its inception, the DGLF has donated more than $238 million, supporting more than 23,000 organizations, schools and libraries and nearly 20 million individuals.
To further outline a deeper understanding of America’s literacy opportunities and challenges, the Foundation commissioned the 2022 State of American Literacy Research Report which polled students, parents, teachers, adult learners and experts working to advance literacy and education across the country. Read more.
Categories: Funding & Awards, General, Press Releases
April 1, 2024 by Learning Ally
Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. K12 schools to strengthen reading outcomes, has announced the dates of its ninth Spotlight on Dyslexia virtual conference as June 5th and 6th, 2024.
Spotlight on Dyslexia has become one of the most significant professional learning events in the field of education. The conference features many world-class experts in the fields of literacy, dyslexia, and neuroscience, and is designed for school leaders and educators to learn about the latest research findings, tools, and methods to significantly enhance student reading performance in their districts, schools, and classrooms.
"By the fourth grade, an estimated 65% of children read below proficiency, and one in five faces a learning difference like dyslexia," said Dr. Terrie Noland, Learning Ally's VP of Educator Initiatives. "Administrators and educators who participate in this conference and engage in ongoing professional learning programs will acquire the essential knowledge they need to become literacy leaders. Armed with instructional expertise and new skills, these educators will champion effective reading instruction and lead the charge to bridge the achievement gap and create equitable learning opportunities for all students."
Attendees will learn from over 50 literacy experts in dozens of sessions that include short EdTalks, full conference sessions, and extended Administrator Roundtables. Sessions will cover basics like the meaning, definition, and signs of dyslexia for the General Educator track, to the finer points of structured literacy and the science of reading, morphology, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia for Specialists, plus policy, assessment, and screening topics for Administrators.
This year's keynote speakers are:
Conference highlights:
Registration is now open with group discounts available. Call 800-221-4792. www.learningally.org/educators
Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 2.5 million students and 615,000 educators across the United States.
Categories: dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Educator Community, Educators, Press Releases
March 8, 2024 by Learning Ally
March 8, 2024 – Princeton, NJ - Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. K-12 schools to strengthen reading outcomes, has concluded its seventh annual Great Reading Games competition.
The Great Reading Games competition is an enjoyable reading engagement program encouraging students to learn through listening using Learning Ally’s Audiobook SolutionTM. This year’s games brought a record number of participants with more than 189,300 students who read over 37 million pages in just seven weeks. The program supports teachers’ efforts to empower students with learning deficits, like dyslexia, to read more books, and become independent readers and learners.
The 2024 winning schools are:
In the Great Reading Games educator members of Learning Ally receive pre-made teacher resources and use the Learning Ally app to track students' reading activity on a sliding point schedule incentivizing students to read in and out of school. Students accumulate points in one of 12 brackets based on grade level and school size. Winners include schools, teachers, and students who can win prizes and national recognition. Educators report positive reading outcomes correlated with increased reading scores, deeper connections with students, and the ability for more students to read grade-level text and complex material.
Innovative teachers leverage the Great Reading Games to enhance their teaching capacity, and expand their class and school libraries with accessible books. Many school literacy leaders have also implemented school-wide reading initiatives to create a culture of strong, inclusive readers, and taken steps to broaden their professional knowledge of the science of reading.
Dr. Terrie Noland, Learning Ally's Vice President of Educator Initiatives said, "It's always thrilling to wrap up another successful year of the Great Reading Games. When educators tell us, ‘I can't believe how many students are now reading on grade level,’ or a particular student ‘shined’ in this reading challenge,’ or that schools have implemented a ‘read for 20 minutes a day initiative,’ these are the best results we could hope for!"
Learn more about the Great Reading Games.
Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 2.3 million students and 615,000 educators across the United States.
www.learningally.org/educators. 800-221-1098.
Categories: The Great Reading Games
February 14, 2024 by Eleanor Cotton
At a time of the year often dimmed by cold, gray weather, there exists a ray of warmth that unites hope and camaraderie. This beacon, embodied by the Learning Ally Educator Community, Volunteer Nation, and the Sunshine Committee’s Share the Love program, is a testament to the timeless truth spoken by James Mathew Barrie: “Those who bring sunshine to others, cannot keep it from themselves.”
Our Share the Love program is simple. Educators sign up to receive a valentine, while staff, volunteers, and partners send valentines to educators. Tokens of appreciation vary from heartfelt notes and inspirational messages to chocolates and gift cards, and even something as unique as a fantasy game or enriching books for class libraries. The intention is clear: to spark joy, to inspire, and to elevate educators.
Beneath this simplicity lies a profound impact. Share the Love is more than an annual event; it's a movement of love and kindness to educators radiating from Learning Ally, unified by the purpose of brightening a teacher’s day and sharing warmth with persons we’ve never met. This year, over 65 Valentine matches have been made, adding to the over 200 matches since the inception of this program three years ago. But the true measure extends beyond numbers; it's about the enduring effects of acts of kindness and companionate love. Dr. Terrie Noland, Vice President of Thought Leadership and Community, remarks on the profound importance of community and goodwill – “It is through kindness that we see the human spirit uplifted. As we radiate goodness to others, we ignite a revolution of individuals driven to spread love, creating a community bound by compassion and goodwill.”
Central to Learning Ally’s ethos is the cultivation of an emotional culture where companionate love thrives, actively nurturing employee well-being. The Sunshine Committee, an 18-person, voluntary, cross-functional team, exemplifies this commitment. This team not only champions the work of the Educator Community through annual programming, but embodies the spirit of Share the Love throughout the year.
Elizabeth Zwerg, Learning Ally Educator Community Manager, reflects on the significance of the emotional culture, “Building a positive culture is crucial to our work, but the Sunshine Committee also deeply values how our members feel. Beyond our cognitive culture are the emotions and feelings that underpin our interactions. When these cultural elements converge, companionate love blooms.”
Maya Angelou once said ‘people will never forget how you made them feel,’ and that's what I think this program is all about,” says Eleanor Cotton, Director of Thought Leadership and Community at Learning Ally.
Acts of kindness, though small in isolation, collectively foster an emotional culture built on trust, empathy, and compassion. The overwhelming support for Learning Ally’s Share the Love initiative, evident in the more than 50% growth in participation, is a testament to its impact. Paul Garcia, a community member and educator, shares his heartfelt thanks, “I received your wonderful Valentine's gift today… Thank you for your kind words. Learning Ally is a special organization...lifting us up in ways you can’t imagine. Talk about magic - you've indeed created it!”
As we embrace the traditions of Valentine's Day, let us remember to sprinkle our days with the essence of companionate love. It's a simple gift that not only enriches the lives of our coworkers but reverberates through our broader communities, weaving a tapestry of connection and warmth that can light up the darkest of days. Join the Educator Community and be a part of the movement towards literacy for all.
https://bit.ly/jointheedcommunity
Written by:Elizabeth Zwerg
Categories: Activities, Educator Community, Educators, General, In the news, Volunteerism, Whole Child Literacy
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