You don’t need test scores to evaluate the effectiveness of your k-12 literacy programs. Simply look at your middle schools. Do they need to double block ELAR?

That’s all you need to know that your k-5 program is in need of help…regardless of how in love the director is with the model.

It doesn’t matter – Calkins, Fountas, Pinnell, Cafe – none of it matters if middles steal time from other disciplines to make up for broken foundations in grades k-5.

It’s interesting that the increasing popularity of various literacy models are also positively correlated with the rise in middle school double blocking and negatively correlated to NAEP reading scores.

That is the key literacy program macro red flag.

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For example, look at the rise in popularity of the workshop model. It’s positively correlated with the rise in middle school double blocking and negatively correlated to NAEP reading scores.