Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Understanding Primary Level Learner Progression In Scotland: Insights From Scottish Online Formative Assessments (Sofa) Data From The Highland Local Authority, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic

Assessment and Reporting

This report presents findings from more than 30,000 Scottish Online Formative Assessment (SOFA) assessments completed across one Scottish local authority during the 2024-2025 academic year. It demonstrates how SOFA can be used to monitor learning progression across numeracy, reading and writing, identify attainment gaps between learner groups, and provide detailed diagnostic evidence to support classroom practice, school improvement and local authority panning. Although based on a single local authority, the study illustrates how curriculum-aligned formative assessment can complement national assessment evidence by providing richer insight into learner development.

Professional Development And Coaching To Support Teachers In Implementing Reading Interventions To Students With Dyslexia In Catholic Schools, Payton Elise Bosma

Masters Projects

Students with dyslexia need explicitly designed and implemented instruction in order to combat deficits in phonological, language, and executive functioning processes, yet teachers in Catholic Schools may not have the necessary training for successful reading intervention due to a lack of dyslexia policy in private schools. This project aims to fill this need by providing one Catholic School in an urban setting with a year-long professional development series which includes 5 professional development sessions to be implemented alongside individual coaching sessions. The purpose of the professional development sessions is twofold. They were created to increase teacher awareness of the etiology …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Kentucky Read To Achieve (Rta) Initiative On School Reading Performance, Nicholas Gage, Erin Hogan, Todd Whitney, Terrance M. Scott, Amy S. Lingo

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Kentucky reading achievement has remained below statewide goals, which prompted a revision to the Read to Achieve (RTA) initiative, a state-level grant-funded program aimed at improving student literacy outcomes. The revision prioritized the professional learning of administrators and K-3 reading instructional staff in the science of reading and the adoption of high-quality structured literacy-based resources and aligned intervention resources. This study uses nine years of panel data (2014–2015 through 2023–2024) from all public schools in Kentucky to evaluate whether the revised RTA initiative had a differential effect on school-level reading outcomes. We employ propensity score matching and a heterogeneous difference-in-differences …

Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills, And Perceptions Related To Data-Based Decision Making In Elementary Reading Instruction, Erin K. Washburn, Samantha A. Gesel, Miranda S. Fitzgerald, Corinne R. Kingsbery

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Teachers’ knowledge of and ability to use reading assessments and assessment data to inform instruction has long been recognized as a core teaching competency. Data-based decision making (DBDM) is a process by which educators examine assessment data to identify student strengths and needs and apply those findings to their practice. DBDM has been linked to student achievement/engagement and positive teacher self-efficacy. However, DBDM, specifically in reading, is a complex process for teachers. Preservice teacher preparation has been deemed a space for the introduction of DBDM in reading. However, few studies have explored how targeted instruction in reading-related DBDM may impact …

“These Kids Can’T Access The Information”: A Case Study Of Teacher Understanding Of Foundational Reading Skills At The Secondary Level, Stevy Schliewe, Emily Zoeller

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

National literacy reforms aim to improve students’ basic reading skills, yet adolescent readers and teachers have not been adequately included in the conversation. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of foundational reading skills at the secondary level among high school literacy practitioners. The study used a case study method to learn participant understanding of foundational skills and contextual factors surrounding their ability to teach them. Findings revealed how participants recognized the need for foundational reading skill development in their high school students. However, participants reported not feeling prepared to design this instruction and barriers presented in standards, …

Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion After Covid-19, Danielle Kalberer Od, Mba, Grace Tan Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: A healthy, 39-year-old male patient presented with sudden onset, painless vision loss of the right eye’s superior visual field two months after a mild case of COVID-19.

Case Report: The patient was diagnosed with an acute branch retinal artery occlusion and referred to the emergency department for prompt evaluation. When the emergency workup was unremarkable the patient was referred to cardiology and hematology and follow up with a retinal specialist. The exhaustive systemic work-up was unremarkable other than recent COVID-19. Retinal perfusion to the affected area resumed in the weeks after the incident but irreversible vision loss occurred.

Conclusion: …

Infographic: Pathways To Reading For Pleasure, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

A survey of over 115,000 students in the UK found that over 71,000 only enjoy reading ‘a bit’ or ‘not at all’ in their free time. To understand more about what could make them want to read, these respondents were asked to choose as many options as they liked from a list of 13 suggestions. The results presented in this infographic offer insights into possible strategies for your own students.

Infographic: Popular Book Genres For Students, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

To encourage students to read, it’s important they have access to books that appeal to their interests. This infographic shares the most popular fiction and non-fiction genres of ebooks borrowed by students in primary, secondary and upper secondary.

One Story, Jo Hawkes

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This paper, originating from the ‘Power of Us!’ conference held in June 2025, reflects on the session titled One Story, which considered how stories can help us to learn about others. The paper offers an insight into the session, sharing reflections from the discussions and calling for a renewed attention to how we teach with literature and how we help children find a love of reading.

Continuous Improvement: Resources To Support Teachers’ Professional Growth, Victoria Oglan, Lauren Gehr

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Being an effective teacher requires attention to a wide variety of factors. In addition to knowing the content, teachers need to address the following: planning and implementing curriculum, building a welcoming classroom where every student feels safe, developing healthy relationships with students, mastering the many forms of assessment strategies, understanding how to actively engage and motivate students in their learning, growing a repertoire of best practice instructional methods, and being a reflective practitioner to address next steps in their methodology. The books reviewed here will assist in professional development for teachers.

The Shifting The Balance Duology: A Book Critique From A Teacher Education Perspective, David Wolff

Essays in Education

Reading instruction has become a critical focus in many states in the country. Both in-service and pre-service teachers are adopting innovative approaches in reading instruction embedded in the Science of Reading. However, the transition to these new methods require a shift in practice that should be differentiated for both groups. In-service teachers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon, while pre-service teachers because of the lack of prior knowledge of past practices in literacy that include the Balanced Literacy approach. This book critique examines the Shifted the Balance duology, offering insights to its implications to Teacher Education.

Empathy And Readers – The Questions And Connections That Help Us Relate With Our Maturing Readers, Justin M. Stygles

Wellspring: A Practitioner-Oriented Journal of Literacy and Language Education

What motivates a reader? It may not be "interest" as commonly known, but affect. Affect can be considered a reader's thoughts about themselves including self-perception. When we know our students through through empathy, that is, because we've been in their shoes, we can create the foundation for stronger relationships and purposes for conferring.

Shifting The Balance: 6 Ways To Bring The Science Of Reading Into The Upper Elementary Classroom- A Review, Mary-Jo Morse

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

In recent weeks, the New York State Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled her “Back to Basics” plan to improve reading achievement in New York State. As part of her plan, Governor Hochul has proposed that millions of dollars be allocated in the state’s budget to train “20 thousand teachers in Science of Reading Instructional best practices and announced an expansion of SUNY and CUNY’s microcredentialing programs for teachers focused on the Science of Reading.” (Hochul, 2024). With the Science of Reading becoming a major component in reading instruction, this new text, Shifting the Balance: 6 ways to Bring the Science of …

Listen Up: Perceptions Of Audiobooks By Teachers, Librarians, And Parents, Megan Bright

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Reading is a critical component of education. From learning to read, to eventually reading to learn, students and teachers rely upon texts to help make sense of the world around them. Methods and tools vary, but teachers, librarians, and parents can all agree that reading is a fundamental skill their students need. However, students are sometimes told to limit their use of audiobooks in favor of reading with their eyes. These limitations may prevent students from finding the books they love and also limit students’ opportunities to use books to learn about the world around them. This study sought to …

A Study Of Preservice Teachers' Preparedness To Teach Reading, Kelli Williams-Page

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Only 35% of fourth graders in the United States can read at the proficient level, and only 34% of eighth graders can read proficiently (National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP], 2022). The purpose of this study was to determine how preservice teachers (PSTs) describe their experience of the methodology of teaching reading in their literacy courses. In addition, what specific strategies for teaching reading do PSTs describe as the focus for their teaching reading preparation, and how do PSTs describe the potential of the strategies learned in their coursework to help them teach reading in their future positions? This study …

Challenging Vocabulary Words In Graphic Novels: A Multimodal Content Analysis, Karyn Z. Mendez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recreational reading is in a decline for upper elementary aged readers, and along with this decline comes consequent declines in students’ ability to make meaning from what they read and their acquisition of different language forms, including the acquisition of new vocabulary words. However, one reading format is increasing in popularity: graphic novels. As graphic novels, along with other texts with both textual and visual elements, become an increasingly prevalent way of reading in the 21st century, it is important to look at the possibilities multimodal texts have for foundational literacy skills, such as vocabulary acquisition. To date, however, the …

An Alternating Treatment Design Comparing Small Group Reading Interventions Across Early Elementary Readers, Madison Billingsley-Ring, Kayla Bates-Brantley, Hailey Ripple, Mallie Donald, Daniel L. Gadke, Sarah Harry

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Learning how to read accurately and fluently is a critical component for a student’s future academic success. Reading fluency is a skill that many students struggle to master. In addition, many students missed out on key skill development due to the loss of instruction from COVID-19. As schools begin to recover from these educational losses, small group reading interventions offer an efficient solution to service multiple students at once. Small group reading interventions such as Repeated Readings (RR), Listening Passage Preview (LPP) and LPP with RR (LPP+RR) have all been demonstrated to be effective methods for increasing reading fluency. Yet …

Toward A Theory Of An Integrated Theoretical Approach Of Literacy For Black Boys, Aaron M. Johnson

Michigan Reading Journal

In the education landscape the literacy of Black boys is viewed from deficit framing. Often, educators, politicians, and laypeople point to scores on standardized assessments such as the MSTEP, NAEP, ACT, SAT, and NWEA, these tests only tell a part of the story. The part of the story that those assessments do tell is the abject failure of schools’ ability to engage Black boys in school-based literacy and catapult them into proficient and advanced proficient reading levels. The part of the story that those assessments do not tell is the literate lives that Black boys lead. Furthermore, schools do a …

Research Conference 2023: Becoming Lifelong Learners. Proceedings And Program, Kylie Burns (Ed.)

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

We know learning in the early years sets the foundations for people’s ongoing academic, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Education across those formative first 12 years is currently segmented, with children often starting fresh in new systems. How can each of us make learning in the early childhood and primary years more effective? Research Conference 2023 will examine research around how we can improve the continuity of learning from birth to 12 years. It will bring together leading international and Australian researchers to provide insights into the best ways to identify, conceptualise, develop and assess these new linkages for learning.

Infographic: Reading Instruction Strategies Used In Year 4 Lessons In Australia, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Recently released survey data from PIRLS 2021 (Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study) includes information on reading instruction strategies used in year 4 lessons. This infographic shows the percentage of Australian PIRLS 2021 students whose teachers reported using these strategies in every or almost every lesson.

Infographic: Australia’S Reading Results Within The International Context, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Teacher infographics

The new report, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study: Australia’s results from PIRLS 2021, reveals how the average reading performance of year 4 students in Australia compares to other countries. Find out more in today’s infographic.

Infographic: Basic Literacy Skills And The Gap Between Male And Female Students, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

NAPLAN’s National Minimum Standard is the ‘agreed minimum acceptable standard of knowledge and skills without which a student will have difficulty making sufficient progress at school’. Ahead of the 2023 tests, we compare the percentage of male and female students in year 9 achieving at or above the standard in Literacy, over time.

Staying “Above The Fray” With Julia B. Lindsey’S Insights On Effective Reading Instruction, Troy Hicks, Emma Chappel, Kirstin Fish, Anne Hosking, Jill Johnston, Jodi Juergens, Georgianna Murray, Lindsay Picarski, Heidi Turchan, Meghan K. Block, Chad Waldron

Michigan Reading Journal

In this crowdsourced, collaborative book review, participants in an online book club share their insights on Julia B. Lindsey's 2022 Scholastic Professional text, Reading Above the Fray.

From Read 2 Rap: Moving From Words On A Page To Standing On Stage, Nate Whitsett

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap into your students’ hidden talents. Learn how to use Rap, Rhyme & Poetry to teach Key vocabulary in Reading, Writing and Performance Arts Education. Teachers at all levels can benefit from seeing how enjoyable teaching is when students are actively engaged in the learning process.

Infographic: Basic Skills And The Gap Between Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Students, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

In the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests, the national minimum standard (NMS) is the ‘agreed minimum acceptable standard of knowledge and skills without which a student will have difficulty making sufficient progress at school’. This infographic looks at the performance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in Year 9, over time.

Student Teachers As Readers: The Reading Experiences And Reading Pedagogy Of Finnish And British Student Teachers, Juli-Anna Aerila, Merja Kauppinen, Teresa Cremin, Mari Siipola, Sarah Jane Mukherjee, Johanna Lähteelä

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As the pedagogy of teachers depends partly on their earlier life experiences, investigating the prior reading practices of student teachers is crucial. This study investigated Finnish and English student teachers’ (N = 353) own reading, the importance of their own reading to their reading pedagogy, and the relationship of these to teachers’ content knowledge of reading pedagogy. The data were collected via an online questionnaire and analysed via quantitative methods. According to the findings, nearly all the student teachers enjoy reading, have a positive attitude towards reading, and consider the teachers’ own reading important for the pedagogy they implement. However, …

A Spark Of Light In The Darkness: A Framework Of Habits And Routines That Grow Literacy Identities, Andy Schoenborn

Michigan Reading Journal

Using familiar and flexible classroom routines, authentic literacy habits, and encouragement, his students moved from "I hate reading and writing" to self-identifying as readers and writers in a matter of eighteen weeks.

Perceptions Of Out-Of-School Reading Motivation For Female Middle School Students, Danielle Porch

Dissertations

Literacy engagement and motivation to read is lacking in middle school reading classrooms. Educators struggle with the challenge of motivating students to read and actively engage with text both inside and outside of school. Research indicates that female and male middle school students have unique characteristics and habits as readers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perspectives of female middle school students regarding their out-of-school recreational reading time, their attitudes towards reading, and their reading habits. The themes derived from this study indicated the students’ desires to have their reading instruction personalized and have their reading …

Teaching With The Genius In Mind: Enacting Literacy As A Civil Right, Katie Glupker, Pam Gower, Angela Knight

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Because literacy is a civil right, educators are responsible for designing and implementing literacy education that is designed with the excellence of all students in mind. In order to learn about ways to ensure that literary practices are equitable for all students, the authors joined an educators’ book club to read Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammad. Muhammad describes the Black literary societies of the past and challenges educators of today to enhance classrooms by upholding equity and excellence through a five-layered framework: Identity, Skills, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy.

We studied Muhammad’s …

Engaging Disinterested Adolescent Readers In The Middle School Classroom, Elizabeth M. Lezman

Masters Projects

Reading is a necessary skill and habit that adolescents need to carry into adulthood to set them on a more advantageous life trajectory. As students reach adolescence and their interest and engagement in reading tends to decrease, it is vital for educators to implement strategies and structures to promote engagement, passion and interesting in reading. Three key factors of increasing engagement are to build a community of readers, implement choice reading, and provide texts representing a variety of identities, cultures, traditions and voices. Research has proven that students are more engaged in reading when they feel part of a community, …