Diagnostic Reading Tools Every Teacher Needs Before Summer

What if the biggest obstacle to student success isn't summer, it's what teachers stop doing after the standardized test?

In Part 1 of my S5E40 Schoolutions conversation with Dr. Katherine (Kay) Stahl, literacy consultant, clinician, and former director of the NYU Literacy Clinic, she shares what 25+ years in classrooms taught her about reading, assessment, and what actually works. Learn about effective methods for teaching reading and supporting learning to read, ensuring summer reading is a time of continued progress. This conversation offers practical education tips for teachers, emphasizing the importance of phonics and ongoing teaching, especially after standardized testing concludes.

🎯 In this episode, you'll also learn about:
• The constrained vs. unconstrained skills framework every teacher needs to understand
• Why diagnostic assessment has fallen by the wayside and how to bring it back
• What fluency really means beyond reading speed (hint: it's about comprehension)
• The case for morphology instruction in 3rd grade and beyond
• How to turn end-of-year data into something useful for families and next year's teacher
• Paired reading: the research-backed strategy parents can use at home this summer

Some resources mentioned:

• Assessment for Reading Instruction
• Paris, S. (2005). "Reinterpreting the Development of Reading Skills." Reading Research Quarterly
• Stahl, K. (2011). "Applying New Visions of Reading Development in Today's Classroom." The Reading Teacher
• Keith Topping, paired reading research and methodology
• Kay's website — specifically a parent-facing section on diagnostic assessment with 12 questions parents should ask their child's teacher
• Kay's five co-authored books 

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction ➡️Dr. Kay Stahl
1:45 Who is Kay? Background & NYU Literacy Clinic
2:45 Constrained vs. unconstrained skills (Scott Paris research)
5:30 The biggest mistake teachers make at year-end
8:30 Turning data into action ➡️ end-of-year assessment tables
11:00 Why diagnostic assessment has fallen by the wayside
13:00 Science of reading & Assessment for Reading Instruction
13:45 Morphology ➡️what it is and why it matters
15:40 Fluency beyond reading speed ➡️accuracy, prosody & comprehension
18:00 The speedometer➡️teaching kids to match reading rate to purpose
20:30 Paired reading ➡️ the research-backed family strategy
22:30 Lightning round ➡️summer tips, myths & quick wins
25:30 Wrap-up & what's coming in Part 2

Part 2 drops Friday: covering summer reading plans, what counts as reading, and a comprehension finding that changes everything.

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Transcript

Olivia: [00:00:00] What if the biggest mistake teachers make at the end of the school year isn't what happens on the last day, but what stops happening the moment the standardized test is over? Today's guest has spent more than 25 years in classrooms and 15 years directing the NYU Literacy Clinic, and she has watched that pattern play out more times than she can count. In part one of our conversation, we're talking about what teachers can do right now in these final weeks to set their students up for summer success. We get into the constrained and unconstrained skills framework that Kay says every teacher needs to know, why diagnostic assessment has quietly fallen by the wayside, what fluency actually means beyond reading speed, and the case for morphology that I did not expect to get this excited about. Part two is geared toward families, but if you're a teacher, you will want to listen to that conversation, too. [00:01:00] 

This is Schoolutions, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that isn't just theory, but practical, try-it-tomorrow approaches for educators and caregivers to ensure every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive. I am Olivia Wahl, and I am humbled to welcome Dr. Katherine Stahl on the podcast this week. Let me tell you a little bit about Kay. Dr. Katherine Stahl is a renowned literacy consultant, clinician, and author who spent over 25 years teaching in classrooms before becoming the clinical professor and director of the NYU Literacy Clinic. 

Kay has dedicated her career to transforming reading research into real classroom practice. She's the co-author of five books, and currently partners with schools and families to support students in grades K-12. Our conversation, part one and two, will offer [00:02:00] summer tips for teachers and families based on Kay's book, I have it right here. Kay, it is wonderful. I use it often. Assessment for Reading Instruction. Welcome to the podcast, Kay. I'm so happy to be in conversation with you today. 

Kay: Well, thank you, Olivia. It's a privilege to be here with you. 

Olivia: Well, let's kick off the conversation with a little bit of research, um, a piece of research that you lean on often when it comes to reading instruction 

Kay: Okay. Well, one of the pieces of research that I lean on, uh, now is by Scott Paris, and it's called "Reinterpreting the Development of Reading Skills." And it was in RRQ in, uh, 2005. And it was one of those pieces that I read and I said, "This puts into words things that I always suspected or observed, but I could never put it into words." [00:03:00] And, um, this was the research to support what my gut was telling me. And, um, the two of the-- And I'm gonna go ahead and talk just a, a minute or so about that research because it's gonna come up in our, the ongoing conversation.

And so the, the development that Scott Paris talks about is that skills can either be, it's a continuum of constrained to unconstrained. And this continuum, uh, so for example, the constrained skills are things like phonics, things like let- uh, teaching children letter names. And because the constrained things are skills that are sequential, they are isolated, uh, they are learned over a fairly short period of time. And then along this continuum, when you get to the other end of the continuum, are unconstrained skills, and those are skills that you learn [00:04:00] across an entire lifetime. They're not isolated. Things like comprehension and vocabulary, and that we are learning around those topics or those s-skills incrementally. And, um, they're, they are difficult to teach and difficult to test compared to the constrained skills, which are much easier to teach and test. So, um, I have relied on, on that work in my teaching, in my writing, in my work with schools.

Olivia: I am so excited about this because a few years ago, I was with a colleague, Dr. Wendy Bunker, and she shared that piece with me, and it was everything that I had wondered about. She and I talk about it often, and most of our work is with middle and high school students, and so it's so important to understand the difference between the types of skills, [00:05:00] and it also helps us fill in gaps for students that are still reading significantly below grade level but at a, a older, older age increments.

Kay: I'm so glad to hear that you're familiar with that piece, Olivia. And, um, and I think for teachers, when I read it, I thought, "This, you know, all teachers need to know about this." But I thought that the original article that Scott Paris wrote is a little, it's maybe difficult for teachers to both access the article but also access the material in it, because for him it was a research project that he had done. And so what I did is I actually wrote a Reading Teacher article that is translating his article for teachers, and that was, uh, that was in The Reading Teacher in 2011, and it's called Applying New Visions of Reading Development in Today's Classroom, and it's very teacher-friendly. 

Olivia: Oh, thank you for adding that. So I will make sure to [00:06:00] tuck both links in the show notes, and if people are not able to access the original research, they can definitely have access to your piece. Um, part one of this conversation is really going to be about setting teachers up for summer success, uh, with their students. Part two is going to speak more to families and getting a summer reading plan in place. If I were a teacher, I would wanna listen to both. If I were a caregiver, I would want to listen to both because I'd wanna hear the information. Um, and really anyone that works with children, I'd wanna hear this conversation. So with all of your years in the classroom, I wanted to have you share what is the biggest mistake you see teachers making that last week of school when it comes to reading continuity?

Kay: Well, I'm gonna stretch it a little further than the last week of school. Teachers are working so hard, but what I find, uh, both in the schools when I taught, and I was guilty of it, and it's, [00:07:00] um, we all have such a big buildup for those standardized tests. And then what happens is after the standardized test, we take a, a, a big sigh of relief when it's over. And so from that point forward, in many schools, we end up sort of doing end of year cleanup before it's really the end of the, the school year. And one of my graduate students said that he got a job at a school in which they were not allowed to put anything away until the la- after the last day of school because they wanted-- And this was charter school, and it was because they wanted t- children learning each, you know, throughout, uh, all 180 days.

So I think one thing, I mean, uh, is that we really wanna make sure that even after those standardized tests, that we really are teaching up to the last day of school. It can look a little different. Aside from the standardized test, that's usually when we do end-of-year tests throughout all the [00:08:00] grades, so we're gonna be doing some of that. But I think it's a good time because we know our students, and I think the end of the school year is a time to really emphasize what I like to call those holistic projects. And activities that children can use that are related to the curriculum, our state curriculum, but doing activities that show that they can apply those isolated skills that we have taught them, that they can apply them in holistic projects and holistic activities.

Olivia: Kay, you are an expert with turning data into action. So what could teachers do? How could they use what they know about their students as readers at the end of the year? 

Kay: I am a big believer in tables and charts, and so I think it's really important, um, that teachers collect a lot of data, especially now. You know, we're collecting, [00:09:00] uh, we're collecting standardized data, we're collecting, uh, curriculum-based measure data. And I think that, um, and I would hope that we're- and I, I think we'll talk about this a little later, about some diagnostic data. And I would hope that that data is being, um, translated to the children's teachers for next year in a way that is very explicit, very systematic, is actually done in a standardized way. I think that it's also important for that information that s- I like to use a table. And, um, to have that table create, uh, created and shared, not only with the student's teachers for the following year, but also with the parents. 

And it's important that it be, uh, friendly enough for the layperson to read that, and that's why I like a table. One of the things [00:10:00] that I would suggest also for, uh, for teachers and p- parents also, on my website, I have a section that's devoted to parents, and it's called diag- uh, diagnostic assessment. And in that section, the first page that a parent, that, that a parent would come to is about 12 questions that they should be asking their teacher about where their child is, where their child needs to go next.

It's very simplistic. And so I would recommend also that I know we usually don't have conferences scheduled at the end of, very end of the year, but I would heartily recommend that parents, especially if your child is performing below the anticipated grade level or above, especially those ends of that continuum, I would recommend that you call and [00:11:00] request a conference with the teacher to really find out exactly where the child is and, um, where they need to go next and how you can help during the summer.

Olivia: Oh, that's extraordinarily helpful. And something else I really appreciate about the book, it directly aligns with guidelines for the science of reading. So, and that, uh, I think where we're going in our nation, it, it is important that it is aligned. Why does that matter though now more than ever? 

Kay: I really think that it's important, and I am just thrilled. I'm thrilled to see that our teachers have now become more aware of the research supporting what kind of teaching our children need. Um, and I think I've never seen an era where teachers are more aware of that than we are in right now. What-- But in our book, I think why it's important is because I think that, that the science of reading is doing a, and the [00:12:00] people affiliated with it are doing a great job in terms of teaching, particularly teaching phonics Uh, but I think where we really need a little more emphasis is the science of reading asse- of assessment.

And particularly, I think that I've-- in classrooms I've been in in the last few years, I see a lot of standardized tests being used, and I also see a lot of curriculum-based measures, CBMs, being used. But what I think has fallen by the wayside somewhat is the diagnostic tests, and that is really crucial because for us to really know what to teach. And I know that teachers, um, can look at the data, even from CBMs, and can say, "Okay, I know where the child is, but I need to be able to pinpoint... exactly what I need to teach the child." 

Olivia: Yes. 

Kay: And, and that, w- for that we require [00:13:00] diagnostic assessments, and those are the kinds of assessments that are most common in our new book, um, is those diagnostic assessments that actually pinpoint where a child is, what they have mastered, and also where they need to go next.

Olivia: I so appreciate, Kay, how the book highlights all of the bigger aspects of what it means to teach reading and reading instruction. So we have phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension. In New York State, we're even adding oral language development as well, which I know we're gonna talk about with read aloud later in part two. With that said, there is also a section in this edition on morphology. I was so excited to read that. So for listeners, will you define what morphology is, first of all? 

Kay: Yes. So s- morphology is the study of the structure of words. So that's a fairly [00:14:00] simplistic definition for it. And it's basically the, um, it's looking at words and taking, taking them apart into the sections that we call prefixes, suffixes, um, we have our Greek and Latin root words- Words, yeah ... and th- or roots, and then we have our base words that can stand alone. 

Olivia: A lot of the work I do with older students, really third grade and beyond, if they do not have morphology understanding under their belt, it, it's unsustainable for them. And so by giving them access, especially to the root or the base words, they're able to read much more complex text when they understand- 

Kay: Exactly 

Olivia:... this is the base or this is the root, and this is what it means when a prefix is added or a suffix is added. 

Kay: Yes. 

Olivia: It's how the meaning is changed. So I was so excited with about that section being added. Um, how can families and teachers prep [00:15:00] families over the summer to do this work at home?

Kay: Well, I think one way, and I, I thought about this a lot, um, and I thought really one of the best ways is during the summer, I don't want a bunch of drills. All right? I don't want it to be like school. So I think one of the best ways is to just keep a journal of words and make it fun, make it fun. And so when a child encounters a word that has, you know, multiple parts and has a complex structure, that to go ahead and in their journal to write the sentence and then break the word into the parts, and then think of other words they know that have those parts. So I mean, I think that, you know, it, it's functional, it's easy, and it generates interest. So I think that that is, um, you know, as much as I would wanna do with that, you know, with parents. 

Olivia: Okay. I want to just linger for a moment because there's a big difference between students who read slowly because of [00:16:00] decoding struggles versus reading slowly because of fluency struggles. As a teacher, how would you explain that to a family member? 

Kay: Well, I think first I would like to define fluency. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Kay: Because so often I think we use the idea of fluency as, and it's-- the way it's measured in schools is usually by, uh, by rate, by how fast the child is reading. And so I think that, you know, somebody who's having difficulty reading, uh, and maybe not reading fluently because of decoding, it's because they haven't progressed beyond the isolated skills of, say, either letter-by-letter reading or they are over-- they're, they're not using patterns like some of the word patterns because they're reading it by individual letters rather than using some of the most common [00:17:00] patterns that, um, should be automatic.

And, um, so that can promote slow reading. But in terms of fluency, we need to be thinking of fluency as it's, it's also it is not only the reading rate, but it is also accuracy, and it is also what we professionals call prosody, which really is are they reading the text with expression? And that expression is not because the child...Uh, and this is something I hear, and it's mostly people in-- who are working in the older grades is they say, "Oh, well, they didn't pay attention to the punctuation." It's not that the punctuation is cuing, it's the comprehension. 

Olivia: Yes. 

Kay: And so that's why you really need, do need the automatic decoding [00:18:00] using not...And you want children to move beyond those, the single letter-by-letter, and you even want children to move beyond just those common patterns into the value of the morphology, and so that they can read it, they can understand it, and that is what's going to give them the flow, and it's also going to give them the prosody. Now, with that being said- When I was teaching second grade, we really think, okay, now they have the, the patterns have become automatic, and they, they can transfer them easily beyond decodable books. They're able to transfer those patterns, you know, to whatever they're reading. And so, um, what I had on the, um, on my wall is I had a speedometer.

And so what we talked about every time we went to read something, you know, where should the speedometer be for this? Is this something that I [00:19:00] should be reading quickly, that is, it's a quick read? Is this something that I should really, if we're reading our science book, we, we need to probably slow it down because there's gonna be new information that I need to really think about to understand.

But if I'm reading a book that is, for example, which I love, especially in second grade and even beyond, I love reading my mystery series. So if children are reading those series, they can read them fairly quickly, and, and it's good to have a, a fast reading rate for something like that. Or if you're sitting in the getting a manicure to read a movie magazine. So those are things that you can read quickly. But we-- but I think sometimes with our testing of using those CBMs, children think it's always better to read quickly. And I think it's really important to talk about in, in, in reference to fluency that different Reading, uh, [00:20:00] activities require different levels of reading rate and attention.

Olivia: I could not agree more. And even with Shanahan's latest book, thinking about the idea of a just-right read, it, it really, it, it gets a little dicey because what a reader brings to the table with them has so much to do, their background knowledge, um, different vocabulary that they already have into play. And so this idea of the comprehension being affected by the reading rate, I think that that's a critical point to make. 

Kay: One of the activities that, um, is very good for working with children, and parents can do this very easily. In fact, the first research was done with this with parents, and it was only later that it was brought into schools, and it's called paired reading by Keith Topping. This is not partner reading. This is not partner reading. It's paired [00:21:00] reading, where the child and the adult, it's a child with text, and often it's for children, uh, who are not reading on the appropriate reading level, and they see their friends reading, um, more complex books that are difficult for them to read independently.

And so rather than just having them listen to the text, what is very effective is doing paired reading, and the paired reading is where the child and the parent read the text that the child selected, and they're both reading it simultaneously. And then the child, when the child feels like they are ready and able to take over and read solo, they tap on the table or have a little signal. Maybe they touch the parent's shoulder, and then they read solo Until they make an error. The ch- parent does not teach the child what the error is. The parent [00:22:00] just jumps in, says the word correctly, and keep on going in duet, stopping intermittently to ask questions, talk about what they've read. This is extremely effective, and we have done that also in the NYU Reading Clinic. For the children who were in third grade and beyo- beyond, the last 10 minutes of each of their sessions was paired reading. 

Olivia: All right, Kay, we're gonna end part one with a lightning round. Uh, just give your gut responses. Um, what is the best free summer reading assessment that teachers can send home with families?

Kay: One thing I would advise parents to do if they are interested in doing this, it's-- there's a book called How Words Work, and that book has a simple spelling test. And the other thing that's so great about that book for parents is that it has all games and activities that are so much fun, and it doesn't really [00:23:00] feel like you're doing homework. And it, it would be great for the summer, and you can just make the games, game boards, and just reuse them for different patterns and, um, you know, I w- that-- if there's only one thing to recommend, that would be it. 

Olivia: Fabulous. Okay. Um, so true or false: audiobooks count as reading. 

Kay: T- true, under the condition that they are being discussed.

Olivia: So all of my drives, some of the districts that I serve, uh, are two hours away each way. So I listen to a lot of audiobooks. I do talk about the books, but as I'm driving, uh, I found it was lovely to listen to a book versus always a podcast. Um, and that I'm talking about it, I'm dying when I get there and arrive at the school. I need someone to talk about it with. Um, but I feel like I'm able to also process it in a different way. So kids need to talk about the books they're listening to. 

Kay: Yes. Yes, absolutely. [00:24:00] 

Olivia: Why? 

Kay: Because I, I think that we can just glaze over things, and the whole purpose to me is in, in reading is to expand our minds. And so I think in that way we are still being able to expand what our interpretation of the book or passage was by, by talking with others about it and getting other viewpoints about it.

Olivia: Yeah. All right. Uh, what's the biggest myth about summer reading slide? 

Kay: That it's unavoidable. I think we can avoid the summer reading slide by being active over the summer. 

Olivia: Yeah. Yeah, and you've given so many wonderful tools to help with that. Um, if you had one minute with a kindergarten teacher in June, what would you say?

Kay: What will you do differently next year? 

Olivia: Hmm. Good question. And what did you do as a teacher later in your career that you wished you would've started sooner? 

Kay: Well, the last five years that I was teaching, I was teaching second grade, and what I [00:25:00] did is I aligned all of my teaching- I aligned the content that were in our state standards with my literacy lessons. There was, like, no separation. And, um, I wish I had done that years earlier in my teaching, and, um, because that's so effective and it makes so much sense. 

Olivia: It sure does. It sure does. Uh, part one has been illuminating, Kay. You are brilliant. Your work is brilliant. I'm sure teachers and families will so appreciate it. Uh, part two we're going to talk a lot about summer, making a summer toolkit, a summer plan for families, and I think teachers will want to hear it as well because they can start to get their minds wrapped around what kids may be coming back with in the fall based on this conversation. Thank you so much.

Kay: You are so welcome. 

Olivia: That is a wrap on part one of my conversation with Dr. Kay Stahl. Three things I am still thinking about from this [00:26:00] conversation with Kay. First, the constrained and unconstrained skills framework. I want every teacher and caregiver I know to have this lens. It reframes so much of what we misread as a child not trying. Some skills have a finish line, others grow for a lifetime. Knowing which is which changes everything about how you teach and how you assess. 

Second, diagnostic assessment is not an add-on. It is the piece that makes instruction actually work. Standardized tests and CBMs can tell you where a child is, but only a diagnostic can tell you what to teach next. If you're a teacher sending students into the summer, that data belongs in the hands of next year's teacher and in the hands of families. Third, that speedometer on Kate's classroom wall. I want every child to understand that reading fast is not the goal. Understanding is. A mystery novel and a science textbook are not the same kind of read, and [00:27:00] kids deserve to know that.

Links to Kay's website are in the show notes, and part two is coming on Friday. We're going all in on summer, what it actually looks like for families, what counts as reading, and the research finding about comprehension that genuinely blew my mind. You do not wanna miss it. See you Friday.