The Science of Reading: Implications for Teaching and Assessment 

Reading is a complex skill that, for most children, needs to be explicitly taught. In this talk, I give an overview of what the science of reading has shown us about how children learn to read, and discuss the implications of this for how reading should be taught and assessed. I argue that phonological decoding is the “bedrock” on which skilled reading rests, because it allows the child to unlock the code of our alphabetic writing system. As such, it must be explicitly taught and closely monitored. Nonword reading tests are the most effective means of assessing phonological decoding and, despite claims to the contrary, do not disadvantage more advanced readers. These, together with assessments of word reading fluency and reading comprehension, will provide educators with a comprehensive picture of a child’s progress in this crucial learning process.