Evidence-Based Resources

Evidence-Based Literacy Practices: Instructional Resources 

The following documents provide information about evidence-based practices recommended in the What Works Clearinghouse/IES Practice Guides, specifically Preparing Young Children for School, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, and Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. These practice guides present recommendations that were developed by a panel of literacy experts based on reviews of research, practitioner experiences, and expert opinions. Click on each evidence-based practice to learn more about the ESSA level of evidence, how to carry out the recommendation, and connections to Literacy Essential Practices.   

Prekindergarten

• Build Children's Knowledge of Letters and Sounds 

• Intentionally Plan Activities to Build Children’s Vocabulary and Language 

• Use Shared Book Reading to Develop Children's Language, Knowledge of Print Features, and Knowledge of the World 

Grades K-3

Foundational Skills

• Develop Awareness of the Segments of Sounds in Speech and How They Link to Letters 

• Teach Students to Decode Words, Analyze Word Parts, and Write and Recognize Words 

• Ensure That Each Student Reads Connected Text Every Day to Support Reading Accuracy, Fluency, and Comprehension 

• Teach Students Academic Language Skills, Including the Use of Inferential and Narrative Language, and Vocabulary Knowledge 

See the Annotated Guide for Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in K Through 3rd Grade for more information about the practice guide from which these recommendations were taken.   

Comprehension 

• Teach Students How to Use Reading Comprehension Strategies 

• Establish an Engaging and Motivating Context in Which to Teach Reading Comprehension  

• Teach Students to Identify and Use the Text’s Organizational Structure to Comprehend, Learn, and Remember Content 

• Select Texts Purposefully to Support Comprehension Development 

• Guide Students Through Focused, High-Quality Discussion on the Meaning of Text 

See the Annotated Guide for Improving Reading Comprehension in K Through 3rd Grade for more information about the practice guide from which these recommendations were taken. 

Annotated Guides 

The following documents are annotated summaries of What Works Clearinghouse/IES Practice Guides related to literacy. 

• Annotated Guide for Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (2022): This practice guide is designed to help classroom teachers and specialists improve reading skills of students in grades 4-9 and contains recommendations of ways to build students’ decoding skills, fluency, and comprehension. 

• Annotated Guide for Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (2014): This practice guide is designed to assist classroom teachers and specialists in improving the literacy skills of multilingual learners and contains recommendations to help students acquire academic vocabulary and improve oral and written English.