Stephanie Stollar Consulting

Stephanie Stollar Consulting I support educators to improve reading outcomes through learning and using the science of reading.

A composite score is useful, but it doesn’t tell you the whole instructional story.When you’re looking at screening resu...
09/02/2026

A composite score is useful, but it doesn’t tell you the whole instructional story.

When you’re looking at screening results, pay attention to the patterns underneath the score.

➡️ Does the student need more explicit phonics instruction?

➡️ Do they read accurately but need repeated practice to build automaticity?

➡️ Can they produce the right response only after a prompt like “Sound it out”?

➡️ Can they demonstrate the skill in isolation but struggle to apply it in connected text?

Those details help you understand where to go.

Assessment becomes much more useful when you watch how a student responds, not only whether the answer is correct.

Each observation can point you toward a different instructional next step.

For more practical tools to support assessment and instruction across grade levels, visit my FREE PreK–12 Resource Library here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_09_02_Assessment

09/01/2026

What is Direct Instruction (DI), and how is it different from direct instruction (di)?

In this video, I explain the distinction between “Big DI” and “little di” and why being precise about these terms is so important for reading instruction.

📚 Want practical Direct Instruction routines you can use in your classroom?

Pick up a copy of Routines for Reading Results, co-authored by me and some wonderful colleagues: https://amzn.to/4zffllg.

I'm honored to be a guest on the latest Amplify Education Science of Reading Essentials episode! I focused on why assess...
08/31/2026

I'm honored to be a guest on the latest Amplify Education Science of Reading Essentials episode! I focused on why assessments can be one of the most empowering tools you have and why its important to de-implement assessments that don't drive instruction.
Listen here: https://at.amplify.com/science-of-reading-the-podcast

08/28/2026

Join me on September 15 for a free webinar with Voyager Sopris Learning on Tier 1 instruction and how classroom instruction and intervention can work together. Registered participants will receive a link to the recording, even if you can't attend live.
https://home.edweb.net/webinar/teach2read20260915/

Beginning-of-year screening should lead somewhere.Used well, the data you get can help you reach beyond permanent “high,...
08/26/2026

Beginning-of-year screening should lead somewhere.

Used well, the data you get can help you reach beyond permanent “high, middle, low” groups and make instructional decisions that meet the skill each student needs next.

📖 Start with the reading sequence:

Phonemic Awareness ➡️ Phonics and Decoding ➡️ Accurate Word Reading ➡️ Fluency ➡️ Comprehension

Group students at the earliest skill that isn’t secure yet.

In K–2, screening patterns may give you enough information to form your first groups.

In grades 3–6, students who aren’t accurate in grade-level text may need a diagnostic next step first.

Keep those groups flexible. 💫

As students master the targeted skill, regroup them based on current data.

My free PreK–12 Resource Library includes beginning-of-year grouping resources to help you turn screening data into more precise Tier 1 instruction.

Explore the free PreK–12 Resource Library here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_08_26_Classroom_Instruction

08/25/2026

Don’t wait for the next testing window to improve Tier 1.

Look at your:

✅ Current data
✅ Student work
✅ Classroom patterns

Are they showing you that something isn’t working?

That’s information you can act on now.

Tell me in the comments 👇

What’s your biggest question about beginning-of-the-year universal screening?

08/24/2026

Van Morrison · Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Live) · Song · 2009

A composite score is a starting point, not the end of the conversation.If one high subtest is “boosting” the overall sco...
08/20/2026

A composite score is a starting point, not the end of the conversation.

If one high subtest is “boosting” the overall score, look at the individual skills underneath it.

Remember that a benchmark score represents the lowest level of “okay.”

A student can meet benchmark and still have a meaningful weakness that needs attention.

Compare the subtests with historical data, classroom performance, and diagnostic information. Then look for the lowest skill that isn’t solid yet.

That’s often the best place to begin planning targeted Tier 1, small-group, or intervention support.

My free PreK-12 Resource Library includes assessment guides, decision-making tools, and resources to help you move from scores to instruction.

Explore the free PreK–12 Resource Library here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_08_20_Assessment

08/19/2026

These are the kinds of results from Reading Science Academy members that make me VERY excited:

📢 “We literally flipped the data in the target classroom by redesigning Tier 1 instruction.”

📢 “We analyzed student needs and followed what they needed.”

📢 “Her data had improvements after only 7 weeks of modifying Tier 1 instruction!”

One kindergarten classroom differentiated Tier 1 + small-group Tier 2, and students at or above benchmark went from 26% at BOY to 83% at EOY. 🥳

This is the work I love helping educators do.

Our members are turning screening data into decisions about what students actually need to learn next.

Want better Tier 1 resources? Explore my free PreK–12 Resource Library here:
https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_08_19_Research_Real_Talk

Older students who struggle to read still need reading instruction.Reading everything aloud may help them access today’s...
08/18/2026

Older students who struggle to read still need reading instruction.

Reading everything aloud may help them access today’s lesson, but it doesn’t tell us why reading is difficult.

The framework you attribute to primary grades still applies in upper grades:

Reading Comprehension 🟰 Word Recognition ➕ Language Comprehension

As educators, it’s our job to figure out which side of the equation is breaking down.

Assessments like ORF can help you sort out whether your secondary students need fluency-building, language comprehension support, or a deeper look at earlier reading skills.

This work doesn’t end in second or third grade.

My free PreK-12 Resource Library includes assessment and instructional resources that extend beyond the primary years, so you can be the educator who helps an older student unlock literacy.

Explore the free library here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_08_18_Research_Real_Talk

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