What Is The Science of Reading

Top 3 Key Takeaways

1. Reading is multi-dimensional – Effective reading instruction addresses phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and spelling in a coordinated way.
2. Data-driven, personalized instruction is critical – Assessments like DORA allow teachers to target individual student needs and provide instructional support at the right level.
3. Integrating reading and writing workshops boosts learning – Using DORA sub-tests to guide both reading comprehension and writing instruction ensures that gaps in spelling, vocabulary, or comprehension are addressed systematically.

The Science of Reading is an evidence-based framework emphasizing that reading is a complex, interconnected skill. Educators need to understand that reading involves multiple subskills:

• Phonemic Awareness (PA): The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken words.
• Phonics (PH): The connection between letters and sounds.

• High-Frequency Words (HF) and Word Recognition (WR): Quick recognition of common words to promote fluency.
• Vocabulary (VO): Understanding word meanings, which is essential for comprehension.
• Comprehension (CO): The ability to extract meaning from text, including inferential and factual understanding.
• Spelling (SP): Reinforces phonics and vocabulary knowledge, and supports writing development.

Let’s Go Learn’s DORA evaluates all these components, providing actionable, grade-level scores for students from K-12.

DORA doesn’t just give a single “reading score”; it breaks down student performance by subskill. This allows teachers to:

1. Identify precise areas of need – For example, a student may have strong vocabulary but weak comprehension, which would guide book selection and instructional focus.
2. Create targeted small groups – Using the Class Profile Report, teachers can group students with similar strengths and weaknesses, making instruction more effective.
3. Monitor progress in real-time – Teachers can view detailed reports showing reading time, question response accuracy, and mastery levels, guaranteeing that interventions are based on reliable data.

1. Reading Workshops: Focus on vocabulary and comprehension for secondary students, offering books and texts that challenge inferential thinking and factual understanding.
2. Writing Workshops: Use spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension sub-test scores to guide instruction. Students with lower spelling scores may avoid complex words, so guided editing helps them incorporate advanced vocabulary and sentence structures.
3. Adaptive Learning Tools: Programs like LGL Edge provide personalized lessons based on diagnostic results. Lessons adapt in real-time, reinforcing skills at the right level and ensuring mastery before progression.

1. Every student’s learning trajectory is different. Diagnostic tools like DORA and ADAM allow teachers to pinpoint the zone of proximal development (ZPD), giving students tasks they can do with guidance but not yet independently.
2. Personalized learning is especially powerful in special education, where each student may require a unique blend of skills, instruction, and scaffolding.
3. Regular monitoring, formative assessments, and adaptive lessons increase engagement, improve retention, and maximize learning outcomes.

Understanding the Science of Reading is essential for educators who want to provide instruction that truly meets each student’s needs. By leveraging data from assessments like DORA, teachers can pinpoint students’ strengths and gaps across phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and spelling. When combined with adaptive learning tools like LGL Edge, this data informs targeted instruction, small-group planning, and personalized learning paths.

Ultimately, integrating research-based reading instruction with real-time data empowers educators to support every student, build confidence, and ensure lasting literacy skills. The result is not just better reading scores but more engaged, capable, independent learners who are prepared for success across all academic areas.