Stephanie Stollar Consulting

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

06/03/2026

Good progress monitoring gives educators a trend.

That trend helps you see whether a student is actually making progress over time, so you can make instructional decisions based on a pattern instead of one isolated data point.

But not all progress monitoring tools give you that kind of clarity.

A strong progress-monitoring assessment should use measures of equal difficulty each time.

That way, when a student’s score goes up, you can be confident it’s because they’re learning, and not because this week’s measure was easier.

📽️ Want a free, quick video to go deeper on this?

Get “5 Progress Monitoring Tips to Help Improve Your Instruction” in my PreK-12 Resource Library.

https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_06_03_Assessment

Are you supposed to stop using leveled text? 🤔Educators hear, “Don’t use leveled text,” and understandably wonder: Then ...
05/28/2026

Are you supposed to stop using leveled text? 🤔

Educators hear, “Don’t use leveled text,” and understandably wonder:

Then how should I choose text for small groups? For fluency? For instruction?

The confusion exists because people often use similar words for very different ideas.

💡 Leveled text isn’t the same thing as instructional level.

Leveled systems and Lexiles are mostly based on vocabulary and syntax. They don’t tell you whether a student can actually decode the text.

So instead of asking, “What level is this student?” we need to ask a better question:

❓ What is the instructional purpose of this text?

📘 If the instructional purpose is word recognition, students need text matched to the phonics skills they have actually been taught. That means text is controlled for decodability, even if it is below grade level.

📗 If students need heavy support to read the text, it is probably not a good fit for that lesson. Practice text should let them apply their skills successfully, not have them guess their way through or rely on you to carry it.

📣 Bottom Line: “Don’t use leveled text” doesn’t mean, “Don’t make text decisions based on student need.”

It means we need to make those decisions using the right variables.

Unlock my free PreK-12 Resource Library to get more plug-and-play educator support: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_05_28_Research_Real_Talk

Is your Tier 1 time built around sameness or student need? 🤔You might be leaving growth opportunities on the table.✅ Yes...
05/21/2026

Is your Tier 1 time built around sameness or student need? 🤔

You might be leaving growth opportunities on the table.

✅ Yes, every student gets Tier 1 minutes.

❌ But not every student gets the exact same instruction during those minutes.

Every student shares grade-level outcomes and time, but identical teaching won’t get them there.

💠 Some students are behind.

💠 Some students are on track.

💠 Some students are ahead.

It’s an educator’s responsibility to look at the screening data and integrate it into Tier 1 lessons that target student skill levels.

Students who are behind need more targeted minutes every day. 🎯

They need to work on exactly what they need next.

They don’t need more minutes sitting through content they can’t access because they haven’t nailed the prerequisites yet.

✨ This is how you can use MTSS to accelerate progress.

Want help strengthening Tier 1 reading instruction in ways that actually match student data?

👉 Get the 10 Ways to Enhance Tier 1 Reading Instruction resource from my free K-12 Resource Library: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_05_21_Classroom_Instruction

05/15/2026

I’m sure your MTSS implementation isn’t stalled out, but….

05/14/2026

Want to see a real shift in your MTSS implementation?

Start by aligning instruction across the tiers.

Tiers 2 and 3 should not feel like separate islands with their own programs and logic.

They should build on Tier 1.

For many students, stronger support means a double or triple dose of the content you teach in Tier 1.

That means that if your students don’t have the prerequisite knowledge to access grade-level content, don’t spend Tier 1 instruction time teaching whole group lessons that they aren’t ready for.

Instead, use skill-based groups so Tier 1 instruction is aligned with student needs.

Then, you can use Tiers 2 and 3 to help them catch up with:

⌚ More time

🎯 More precision

🔁 More intensity

When tiers are aligned, students get coherent support instead of disconnected experiences.

Unlock my free PreK-12 Resource Library for more support: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_05_14_MTSS

05/14/2026

Want to see a real shift in your MTSS implementation?

Start by aligning instruction across the tiers.

Tiers 2 and 3 should not feel like separate islands with their own programs and logic.

They should build on Tier 1.

For many students, stronger support means a double or triple dose of the content you teach in Tier 1.

That means that if your students don’t have the prerequisite knowledge to access grade-level content, don’t spend Tier 1 instruction time teaching whole group lessons that they aren’t ready for.

Instead, use skill-based groups so Tier 1 instruction is aligned with student needs.

Then, you can use Tiers 2 and 3 to help them catch up with:

⌚ More time

🎯 More precision

🔁 More intensity

When tiers are aligned, students get coherent support instead of disconnected experiences.

Comment ALIGN and I’ll send you more support from my free PreK-12 Resource Library.

Fidelity ≠ SamenessA lot of Tier 1 confusion lives in this distinction.Protected instructional time matters, but what ha...
05/13/2026

Fidelity ≠ Sameness

A lot of Tier 1 confusion lives in this distinction.

Protected instructional time matters, but what happens inside that time should be driven by responding to student data.

Because fidelity to a program is not appropriate if the program itself is not aligned with the research or with what students actually need.

📢 Educators hear: “Every Student Gets Tier 1.”

✅ This means that every student gets the same protected Tier 1 minutes designed to meet their needs.

❌ It does NOT mean that every student gets the exact same lesson during Tier 1.

Tier 1 should be responsive.

If your data shows that students are significantly below grade-level expectations on word recognition skills, your instruction should adjust.

Strong Tier 1 does not force every student to sit through the same whole-group, grade-level lesson.

👉 Strong Tier 1 protects instructional time, uses that time well, and delivers high-quality core instruction in a way that actually matches student needs.

You are not wrong if:

You are not seeing your students respond to the strict program commitments your leaders are pushing in the name of “fidelity.”

Try this framing with your team:

📝 Strong Tier 1 instruction is not sameness. It protects time, uses data, and responds to what students actually need.

Access my free PreK-12 Resource Library, which includes a Tier 1 Checklist and other tools to help you explain this to your team: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_05_13_Classroom_Instruction

📢 Enrolling Now: Dive Into Reading Assessment Done Right This Mom Loves by Kate Winn and I are so excited to do this boo...
05/12/2026

📢 Enrolling Now: Dive Into Reading Assessment Done Right

This Mom Loves by Kate Winn and I are so excited to do this book study with you.

This is your chance to:

🔎 Go deeper
🙋 Ask questions directly
🤝 Work through the ideas together
📚 Get materials you can use to run a book study with your colleagues

Instead of reading the book on your own and hoping you can apply the lessons, we’ll help you put together a deeply informed assessment action plan for your next school year.

If you sign up now, you’ve got 6 weeks to read Chapters 1-3 before we meet for the first session.

Plenty of time to settle in without rushing.

If our book has been sitting on your desk, or if you’ve been meaning to sharpen your assessment skills, this book study is for you.

Spots are open now, and we would love to see you there!

Sign up here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/readingassessmentsummerbookstudy?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_05_12_Book_Promo

I loved the energy and commitment of the educators in the room with us today! Can’t wait to dive into day 2 tomorrow!
05/12/2026

I loved the energy and commitment of the educators in the room with us today! Can’t wait to dive into day 2 tomorrow!

05/08/2026

The biggest EOY mistake you can make as an educator?

Checking out of the EOY scramble and hoping you’ll “figure it out later.”

“Later” actually means carrying school around all summer and walking back in without the plan you need.

The Reading Reset Project is here to help you through the last stretch.

✅ Wrap up this year well

✅ Reflect on your reading results while they’re still fresh

✅ Make a stronger plan for next year’s literacy instruction

And then get to your much-deserved break and a calmer summer.

For better reading results next year, join Reading Science Academy before May 14 to get in on the Reading Reset Project.

Join us here: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_05_07_RSA_Promo

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