Science of Read

This is a page dedicated to promoting the science of reading and our understanding of it.

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Want to learn how to intensify reading interventions? I discuss it on this episode of Not Your Average School Psychologist Podcast at https://t.co/sdjFWzQwdE
@TheNCII @UFLiteracy @Devereux_Natl @CECMembership @reading_league @nasponline @FLschpsychs @ILAToday @mtssassociation

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Excited to be on Amplify's Science of Reading: The Podcast. Host Susan Lambert and I discussed why an #MTSS is often understood in theory but not in practice. Listen at: https://t.co/kHKsOG0AYV
@Amplify @UFLiteracy @mtssassociation @CECMembership @nasponline @MTSScenter @TheNCII

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

New study - kids are probably need more phonics if they don't read at least 85% of words correctly in 1st grade, 93% in 2nd grade, and 94% in 3rd grade. @HollyLanePhD @ValContessePhD
https://t.co/l19yf0ZilZ
@CECMembership @UFLiteracy @reading_league @ReadingForum_Ed @nasponline

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

I often see schools use data from an assessment that was not designed for that purpose - which gives erroneous decisions. Our new article discusses this @UFLiteracy @nasponline @CECMembership @reading_league @NCTM @ASCD @mtssassociation @ResearchGate: https://t.co/uLJsR2cDX6

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Hey, school psychologists - interested in an association dedicated to MTSS and data-based decision-making? Check out @mtssassociation (it is free). @nasponline @apadivision16 @SASP_D16_APA @MTSScenter @MTSSInnovations @PodcastPsyched

[Karen Vaites @karenvaites]

Notoriously, @burnsmk1 has said the Fountas and Pinnell assessment is no better than flipping a coin, based on his studies.

Here's a classroom-specific case In point.

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

New study that found that syntax (sentence repetition) uniquely predicted reading proficiency.
@ILAToday @reading_league @NCILiteracy @ReadingForum_Ed @UFLiteracy @UF_COE @MountStJosephU @SpedMizzou @USouthFlorida @acadience
https://t.co/yUBTF68TgH

[Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Podcast @literacypodcast]

We’ve been thinking a lot about phonemic awareness this month, and this is one episode we keep coming back to.

Our conversation with Matt Burns helps make sense of what research actually says and why it matters for instruction.

🎧 Listen now: https://t.co/Yr7B07u0EG

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Join us at the All In For Education party (with a purpose) on Aug 1st in San Francisco. It will benefit the @mtssassociation and other worthy educational organizations. @ASCD @CCSSO @casecec @CECMembership @nasponline @NAESP @GreatSchools @reading_league
https://t.co/5PF2CM1YFl

[International Dyslexia Association @DyslexiaIDA]

Save 15% on your membership with code SPRING15
Join the International Dyslexia Association and gain access to:
• Classroom-ready resources & professional development
• Expert-led webinars, research, and CEUs
• A supportive community that understands your work

[Kareem J. Weaver @KJWinEducation]

The Mississippi Dept of Ed's Literacy Division: Top Ten Things that Every Literacy Leader (Administrator) Needs to Know: #10 Effective Feedback https://t.co/dFMK7unQ5T

[Iowa Reading Research Center @IAReading]

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words, and learning morphemes can help students break down the meaning of unfamiliar words! Join us on April 8 to learn three morphology instructional strategies that secondary teachers can use across subject areas: https://t.co/yqQiyC1Kly

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Looking for quality yet entertaining literacy PD? Check out @literacypodcast. Here are top 5 for 2025 - honored to be included.
@UFLiteracy @ILAToday @DyslexiaIDA @CECMembership @leadforliteracy @NCILiteracy @TheNCII @nasponline @UF_COE @reading_league @ScienceofRead

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

Great news, @UF_COE Spec Ed is searching for a new colleague with an open rank search!!! Come join the collaborative, collegial, and creative team.
@CECMembership @AACTE @AERA_EdResearch @SSSReading @ScienceofRead @black_literacy @NCILiteracy @DyslexiaIDA
https://t.co/ICNbyburRc

[ABC News @ABC]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is attempting to stop the reported selloff of the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to private companies. https://t.co/ovZwom4xNy

[Matthew Burns @burnsmk1]

If you missed the @EdWeekTeacher webinar on screening for #dyslexia, sponsored by @RenLearnUS, then you can still access the video at https://t.co/aG1RBaFRuM
@DyslexiaIDA @reading_league @LDTonline @ScienceofRead @NCILiteracy @nasponline @CECMembership @DyslexiaFound

[The Reading League @reading_league]

🎉 It’s HERE! Registration for #TRLConf2026 is NOW OPEN!

📅 Sept 30–Oct 2, 2026 | Chicago

Join educators, researchers & literacy leaders for three days of evidence-aligned learning, inspiration & connection.

Secure your spot early & save your seat: https://t.co/meTaLBFGSL

[Ms. Benison- @BenisonMrs]

Orthographic mapping is essential to sight word development.

Orthographic mapping is not something we can teach.

It is a brain process.

What we can do is to teach in a way that facilitates it.

The research shows with certainty that proficient readers do not learn words as a whole. To read words as if by “sight”, all readers must orthographically map those words.

Consequently, the most effective reading instruction for novices is that which facilitates this process.

Understanding this is essential for teachers of novice readers effectively; without it, we risk relying on practices and strategies that are not effective for most students.

Reading is not primarily about recognizing the overall shape or pattern of a word. This is particularly dangerous for novice readers, who are the most vulnerable. Decades of research have already established that proficient readers do not become proficient by looking at the shape of words or memorizing them. Our visual memory has a limited capacity.

To my knowledge, there is no research supporting the idea that spelling is a visual task where students simply “see” words in their rather than sound them out when reading or spelling.
On the contrary, skilled spellers rely heavily on phoneme–grapheme knowledge, semantics as well as morphology, etymology, and statistical knowledge of spelling patterns.

[Ms. Benison- @BenisonMrs]

Pro tip: Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. Keep it clear.

[Kate Winn @thismomloves]

Return Road Trip! 🚗

I’m joined by @mmeburchell to discuss language learners (including Multilingual Learners and French Immersion students) and literacy!

Is structured literacy good for them? Should assessment be different?

https://t.co/AKwJxxnZ7u