UNCOVERING THE TRUTHS THAT DRIVE THE “KEY ACTIONS”
Common Misconception: Decodable texts harm reading motivation or comprehension.
Are decodable texts holding students back? Some worry that these texts don’t provide meaningful reading experiences, but they actually play a crucial role in helping beginning readers develop automaticity and fluency, necessary skills for making sense of what they read.
The truth is, decodable texts are very useful because they are restricted to the spelling patterns that students have been taught to recognize and read. Decodable texts present children primarily with words they can successfully decode, allowing them to practice with increased accuracy and comprehension. As reading ability advances beyond the full alphabetic phase, students may no longer need decodable texts and can move into less-controlled texts for reading practice. Still, these should be texts that the student can read with high accuracy (Foorman et al., 2016).
To learn about other common misconceptions that may have led to ineffective literacy practices and how to shift to evidence-based structured literacy practices, see Key Actions for Meeting the Needs of ALL K-3 Readers and Writers.
ICYMI: Keynote Speaker Announced for Kentucky’s Read to Succeed Summer Conference
 The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) Division of Early Literacy invites you to the second annual Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 13, 2025, at The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky.
Keynote speaker and educational consultant to state departments and school districts on explicit instruction and literacy, Dr. Anita Archer has presented in all 50 states, all US territories, and many countries, including Australia and Canada, and has received ten awards honoring her educational contributions. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of three universities, including the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and San Diego State University. She is nationally known for her professional learning, and she has co-authored numerous curriculum materials and a best-selling textbook addressing reading and writing.
The conference, which will require registration but will be FREE to Kentucky K-12 public educators, will offer focused learning pathways to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. Attendees will learn from KDE Office of Teaching and Learning consultants and partners about:
- Evidence-based instructional shifts for literacy;
- The benefits of structured literacy;
- Why high-quality instructional resources matter; and
- Available resources for implementing the Read to Succeed Act.
Mark your calendar for this June 13 event, and please stay tuned for registration information coming soon.
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