91HUB

As classrooms evolve and research on student needs grows, we adapt our curriculum and learning tools in response. In this ongoing series, we'll take you behind the scenes with the experts who create our programs to review updates to existing programs, new technology integrations, or brand-new programs.

Today, we spoke with Karen Kurtz, Manager of Academic Design, about Open Court Reading, our explicit, systematic literacy program that has been fostering successful readers for decades.

Open Court Reading has been in classrooms for over 60 years. Why do you think it continues to grow in popularity, even after all these years?

Karen: It’s effective! Open Court Reading has always been tightly aligned to what we know about how children learn to read. With the rise of the Science of Reading, educators are placing increased value on the research behind the reading programs they use – and they can see that Open Court Reading follows the research by providing explicit, systematic, and cumulative foundational skills instruction and uses those critical building blocks to foster strong readers and writers. 

What is the new Oral Reading Fluency Application tool, and why did the team add it to Open Court Reading?

Karen: Fostering fluent readers is truly the goal of foundational reading instruction. We want students to move past decoding and blending, and teachers need plenty of assessment data to understand where students may need additional practice to become fluent. The Oral Reading Fluency Application is an assessment tool that we’ve added to help teachers capture data on students’ fluency. The tool records students as they read aloud and measures the number of words they read per minute, as well as how accurately they read the words. These assessments are often done manually, with a student reading aloud while the teacher marks mistakes, which is very time-consuming. Eliminating the manual, one-on-one fluency assessments will free up the teacher’s time and allow for more data collection.

Tell us about the new Digital Writing Lesson Planners.

Karen: From the Science of Reading, we know that reading and writing are inextricably linked. For example, writing about what we read supports our comprehension. Teachers are aware of those connections and want to ensure they’re dedicating meaningful time to writing instruction. We created the Digital Writing Lesson Planners to provide teachers with a snapshot view of all the writing that takes place within a single unit. The planner outlines step-by-step guidance for teachers to plan, organize, and confidently teach the writing process. We’ve also added additional short writing assignments in the Reading and Responding portions of lessons to boost students’ writing practice.