"The target audience for this guide is a broad spectrum of school practitioners such as administrators, curriculum specialists, coaches, staff development specialists and teachers who face the challenge of providing effective literacy instruction for English language learners in the elementary grades. The guide also aims to reach district-level administrators who develop practice and policy options for their schools" (IES, 2007).

"Children entering kindergarten vary greatly in their language and literacy skills. Therefore, up-to-date information about evidence-based practices is essential for early childhood educators and policymakers as they support preschool children’s language and literacy development...More than 74,000 studies were analyzed to identify interventions that improved students’ performance in six language and literacy domains (language, phonological awareness, print knowledge, decoding, early writing, and general literacy). The findings revealed that instruction that teaches a specific domain is likely to increase performance in that domain. Interventions that teach language exclusively might be more beneficial when conducted in small groups or one-on-one than in larger group sizes. In addition, teaching both phonological awareness and print knowledge might benefit performance in print knowledge. Finally, some evidence indicates that instruction that teaches both phonological awareness and print knowledge might also lead to improvements in decoding and early writing performance" (IES, 2021).

Teacher understanding of effective evidence-based practices is vital for supporting student achievement and closing achievement gaps. While many alternative pathway teachers know what content they must teach, many have never had classes on how to teach the content using evidence-based practices. This infographic is a quick reference guide containing evidence-based practices that can impact learning that teachers can use daily to support effective instruction.

The literacy brief from the International Literacy Association summarizes key points from research that will help teachers explain phonics to noneducators. The brief includes information about phonics for emerging
readers, phonological awareness, the layers of writing, word study instruction, approaches to teaching phonics, and teaching English learners. The references include research that supports the ideas presented and phonics resources that you can use and share with others.

The science of reading has established that explicit instruction is associated with beneficial outcomes for students and may be the secret sauce of instructional success. In this article, Vaughn and Fletcher examine and explain the five key components of effective explicit instruction. They include: segmenting complex skills into manageable tasks; modeling or thinking aloud to address the important features of the content; promoting successful engagement using faded supports and prompts; providing feedback, and creating purposeful practice opportunities.

A research lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, investigates what good readers do with their eyes

The purpose of this document is to increase the capacity of practitioners and educational leaders to support a broad range of learners who need more literacy supports to become skilled readers and writers by identifying a set of essential practices that are research-supported and should be the focus of professional development throughout the state. These practices for intensifying literacy instruction apply to those learners with significant and persistent reading and writing challenges who have not responded when provided with instruction aligned with state academic standards, regardless of disability status.

The International Dyslexia Association Georgia and The Reading League Georgia partnered to host Dr. Anita Archer as a presenter in their Structured Literacy Webinar Series. Dr. Archer details the necessity of teaching practices aligned in the Science of Instruction. When implementation of the Science of Instruction is consistent and effectively implemented, particularly for instruction aligned with the Science of Reading, improved student outcomes result.

This journal article details the four phases that children move through on their way to becoming confident readers.

The National Center on Improving Literacy created this infographic, "The Science of Reading: the Basics" to help distinguish between what the Science of Reading is and is not.

Amplify presents Dr. Karen Venditti and Megan Molbert in conversation about bringing the Science of Reading into K-8 Tier 1 literacy instruction. They discuss implementation, deimplementation, and roadblocks. They explain what a knowledge rich curriculum is and proceed to define the pillars of the National Reading Panel's 2000 Report. Key instructional practices are shared within the webinar.

This factsheet from International Dyslexia Association defines the content, principles, and methods of structured literacy instruction. Evidence is strong that the majority of students learn to read better with structured teaching of basic language skills, and that the components and methods of Structured Literacy are critical for students with reading difficulties.

Teacher preparation programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels should emphasize the skills that support literacy and how student needs change across development. High-quality programs include instruction on all the essential elements of literacy outlined below (NCTQ, 20231), as well as dedicate time to the overarching topics throughout each essential element.