Guiding Adolescent Readers to Proficiency

Middle school age teen reading a book in a grassy field.

This month at TextProject.org has been focused on adolescent readers. In a 3-post series, Dr. Elfrieda (Freddy) Hiebert explores what happens when the aspirational benchmark of the NAEP becomes a public verdict on the failure of teen readers, explains why reading interventions should meet teens where they are, and unveils the Staircase of Text Complexity to show how volume and design matter when guiding adolescent readers to automaticity.

teen in backwards baseball cap reading scientific american

When Aspirational Benchmarks Become Public Verdicts

Not Zero: Why Adolescent Reading Interventions Should Start Where Students Are

Climbing the Staircase of Automaticity: Why Volume & Design Matter

Download PDF of all 3 posts in the series

Guest Post: Motivation Isn’t About Lowering the Bar

by TextProject Board member Kristin Conradi Smith, William & Mary

In our efforts to motivate students to engage in reading instruction–– particularly in middle and high school–– we’ve often responded by trying to make reading feel easier... These instincts are rooted in good intentions—we want our students to read the book and do the work. But over time, I’ve begun to wonder whether our efforts might also be unintentionally undermining our students’ opportunities for success.
Read more

March Book Giveaway

Win a copy of The Diamond Explorer OR How to Talk to Your Succulent in our March book giveaway. To enter, follow us on your favorite social media channel and follow the instructions there:

Middle Schoolers Deserve Stories

To find out more about these books, and why middle schoolers deserve stories not worksheets, check out Freddy's latest post on the Frankly Freddy blog.

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