Climbing the Staircase of Automaticity: Why Volume and Design Matter in Adolescent Reading
It is hard to become automatic at something you do rarely. We know this in every domain of life. You don’t become fluent on the piano by practicing once a week. You don’t develop a reliable tennis serve by picking up a racket once a month. Reading is no different. Yet many adolescents read very read more
Not Zero: Why Adolescent Reading Interventions Should Start Where Students Are
Too many reading interventions send adolescents back to the beginning—as if a thirteen- or seventeen-year-old were encountering print for the first time. But adolescent readers who score below Proficient are not at zero. When we begin where students actually are, we align practice with theory—and give adolescents the forward momentum they deserve. read more
When Aspirational Benchmarks Become Public Verdicts: Revisiting NAEP Proficiency
What does NAEP Proficiency actually represent? Is it intended to describe what is developmentally appropriate for most eighth graders, or does it represent a more ambitious target? Ambitious goals are essential—they push systems forward. But when aspirational benchmarks are misread as diagnostic norms, high expectations become public condemnation. read more
