In July 2023, Illinois lawmakers recognized poor reading proficiency across the state and amended the Illinois School Code to create the state’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan and address the reading crisis.

Step Up to Writing has been a trusted resource for California literacy teachers to help students reach this goal for many years.

In too many classrooms, students fall behind in reading long before they’re ever identified for help. Without systematic, evidence-based instruction and timely intervention, they lose confidence, miss critical milestones, and face long-term academic consequences.

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) struggle to understand and use language effectively in everyday communication. Educators should be aware of this and learn the proper strategies to support these students. Strategies include simplifying instructions and using visual supports—continue reading for the full breakdown.

Tier 2 vocabulary words are crucial for enhancing students’ language skills and academic success. High-frequency words whose meaning is not always what it seems, Tier 2 words typically need to be explicitly taught for comprehension. These words bridge the gap between everyday language and specialized terminology, serving as the foundation for reading comprehension across multiple subjects.

Educators can benefit from a process called orthographic mapping to help students learn new words. Read on to see how to implement this in the classroom.

Letter recognition is one of the necessary pre-reading skills essential for successful reading. This skill involves a child being able to eventually recognize all letters of the alphabet with autonomy and ease. Within letter recognition, students should be able to identify the letters’ names, sounds, characteristics, and formation (both uppercase and lowercase).

A focus on early literacy can help build strong foundations for lifelong learning. Here’s how.

Confused about the difference between phonics and phonemic awareness? This article breaks down the key distinctions and their importance in reading instruction.