TextProject president and CEO Elfrieda H. (Freddy) Hiebert blogs about important issues in reading research and practice.
Frankly Freddy entries (published from 2005 to 2014) have been sorted into five topics of literacy learning and instruction. Click here to download the ebook!
What Should Goals Be For Increasing Students’ Oral Reading Rates?
May 26, 2018
The question of how much growth to set as goals for oral reading fluency depends on the grade level and where students are in relation to grade-level patterns. But before I give my recommendations, I would like to review several critical points about oRead More »What Should Goals Be For Increasing Students’ Oral Reading Rates?
The Stories of Words: TextProject’s Newest Texts and Vocabulary Product
January 9, 2017
The texts in the Stories of Words series provide a great opportunity for students to expand their vocabularies, increase their background knowledge, and develop facility with the core vocabulary of written English.
Interpreting Intervention Outcomes: Lexile-Based Assessments and Norm-Referenced Assessments
April 8, 2016
Are the results from Lexile-based assessments and Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) comparable? For educators, how do the results from Lexile-based and norm-referenced assessments relate to the results of summative, end-of-the-year, state-mandated assessments?heere
Join the “Read-an-Article-a-Day” Initiative
January 21, 2016
What is the “Read-an-Article-a-Day” Initiative and why is it important?
The Reach of Literacy Research
November 5, 2015
The age old debate: Quality versus quantity in the field of reading research
Claims about Text Complexity within the Common Core State Standards: Examining the Evidence
March 3, 2014
Standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) evaluates students’ ability to read increasingly more complex texts across the grades to ensure proficiency with texts of college and careers by high school graduation. The content of Standard 10 isRead More »Claims about Text Complexity within the Common Core State Standards: Examining the Evidence
Summary of Kenji Hakuta on English Language Learners and the Common Core State Standards
October 31, 2013
Highlights of Hakuta’s presentation in Virtual Institute on Assessment and the CCSS on TextProject’s YouTube channel.
Reading Rules for Becoming Proficient with Complex Texts
August 30, 2013
Freddy’s reading rules: Read more. Mostly silent. Focus on knowledge.
Why Becoming a Nation of Readers Is Still Relevant
August 23, 2013
Freddy introduces the first eBook in TextProject’s Reading Essentials Reprint Series.
Summary of Karen Wixson on “Assessment and Instruction in the Era of the CCSS in English Language Arts”
August 2, 2013
Karen Wixson’s session in TextProject’s Virtual Institute on Assessments and the Common Core should be on the top of the list in any teacher education or professional development course for providing pre- and in-service teachers with an overview of the new generation of assessments. Dr. Wixson provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of the key aims, tasks, and implications of the assessments being developed by the two consortium—Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Summary of David Francis on “CCSS Assessments and Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners”
July 25, 2013
Summary of Dr. Francis’s take on what the new-generation of assessments means for students with disabilities and ELLs.
Summary of Peter Afflerbach on “Formative Assessments and the Common Core: Text Complexity to Task Complexity”
July 16, 2013
Summary of Peter Afflerbach’s take on formative versus summative assessments and the role both play in students’ learning.
Summary of P. David Pearson on Will Our Tests Support or Subvert Our Vision of Deeper Learning of English/Language Arts?
July 9, 2013
Summary of P. David Pearson’s review on the history of assessments and unique features of the next generation of assessments.
Summary of David Coleman on Assessments That Support the Goals of the Common Core State Standards
July 2, 2013
Summary of David Coleman’s vision for the new Common Core Assessments and a few points of tension.
An Inside View of the New Assessments
May 8, 2013
Freddy discusses the computer adaptive assessment portion of the new upcoming assessments.
FYI for Kids: Building Students’ Capacity for Complex Text
April 12, 2013
How does the magazine format help students read more complex texts?
Read-Aloud Favorites: A Source for Enriching Students’ Knowledge of the World and of Language
March 22, 2013
TextProject has relaunched Read-Aloud Favorites. Educators and parents can now search our outstanding collection of trade book recommendations for read-alouds by grade level, genre, topics, and format. Read-Aloud Favorites are an essential componeRead More »Read-Aloud Favorites: A Source for Enriching Students’ Knowledge of the World and of Language
7 Actions That Literacy Leaders Can Take Right Now: Text Complexity
February 27, 2013
Seven actions in which literacy leaders can support teachers in ensuring students’ increased capacity with complex text.
It’s Not Just Informational Text That Supports Knowledge Acquisition: The Critical Role of Narrative Text in the Common Core State Standards
September 12, 2012
Literature allows for examination of the influences of culture and history on individuals, not simply on our personal responses to texts. Guiding students in understanding how culture and history influences individual development and agency is part of the bigger picture.
Scaffolding Complex Text: Volume of Text Matters
July 30, 2012
This eye-opening analysis reveals how shorter texts actually widen the achievement gap by limiting vocabulary exposure. Discover why volume of text—not difficulty level—is the real key to building proficient readers who can tackle complex texts.