Ready4Reading Evidence Portfolio
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Introduction
This evidence portfolio summarizes the foundational research literature that serves as the empirical basis for the Ready4Reading Program. Produced by Scholastic Education, Reading4Reading is a supplemental phonics curriculum aimed at enhancing literacy outcomes for students in grades K – 3. The program’s approach to phonics teaching aims to sequentially and systematically help children acquire the foundational reading skills they need to “learn to read and read to learn.” Developed in conjunction with a varie ty of notable experts in early literacy development, including Wiley Blevins, Dr. Anne Cunningham, Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall, and Linda Gutlohn, the program incorporates components, including phonics lessons and activities, reading activities centered on “short read ” decodables, and “Read to Know” decodable text sets. Using a modular approach, the program ultimately works to blend print and digital resources that allow for the curriculum to be flexibly implemented alongside core reading programs across whole groups as well as small groups and learning centers. 1 In the context of these overarching features, this evidence portfolio seeks to summarize the research that forms the foundation of the Ready4Reading theory of action and documents the research support for the primary components embedded within this program. This research was conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Research and Reform in Education in consultation with Scholastic Education senior leadership and involved reviewing the extant scholarship related to the program’s core components as well as reviewing the program’s core instructional materials. In specific, program components and foundational research were reviewed for purposes of documenting the program’s inclusion in the Tier IV evidence category under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This document is organized as follows. First, we provide an overview of Ready4Reading ’s central features and outline a logic model that depicts the relationships between Ready4Reading program components and its intended instructional outcomes. In the following sections, we then summarize the contemporary research literature related to the instructional components and pedagogical strategies employed by Ready4Reading. Here, we discuss the literature examining the impact of systematic, explicit phonics instruction; integrated early literacy instruction that blends phonics teaching with other foundational literacy skills; student engagement in reading; and research on key strategies for differentiation and formative assessment in early literacy. To accompany these sections, we provide detailed overviews of Ready4Reading program components, as well as an appendix offering examples of program artifacts and documentation of the program’s instructional design and research alignment. Conclusions and recommendations for future research directions are then provided at the close of this document.
1 Program information pulled from: https://www.scholastic.com/content/educators/en/learn/ready-for-reading.html
© Johns Hopkins University, 2023
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