Boost Reading Proficiency with On-Demand Science of Reading Coaching
Big news!
Science of Reading-based coaching is now available within the AI Coach platform.
As teachers complete coaching cycles, they can select the Science of Reading pathway to access research-based content, strategies, and best practices.
This new PD option is within the AI Coach by Edthena platform and empowers educators with cutting-edge technology and evidence-based practices:
- Flexible, self-paced professional learning
- Hundreds of research-backed strategy recommendations
- Personalized instructional support based on teacher goals
- Helps teachers consistently apply practices based on the Science of Reading
- Included with an AI Coach subscription
Keep reading to learn more about the pathway, the research behind the strategies, why ongoing coaching is so critical for success in implementing the Science of Reading, and more.
Table of Contents
- Anytime, anywhere Science of Reading coaching for all teachers
- Research-backed Science of Reading strategies at teachers’ fingertips
- Why schools need ongoing coaching to reinforce foundational Science of Reading training
- Complementing existing Science of Reading professional development efforts
- Providing coaching beyond the Science of Reading
- Improving student literacy and increasing teacher confidence
Anytime, anywhere Science of Reading coaching for all teachers
The AI Coach platform offers a unique approach to professional development. Teachers engage in self-paced coaching cycles that mirror an in-person instructional coaching process. Teachers upload videos and are guided through self-reflection and goal-setting in a private, low-stakes environment.
The AI Coach platform allows educators to:
- Reflect on their practice independently and set near-term objectives
- Receive personalized tips, research-driven strategies, and resources
- Develop an action plan for their classroom with students
The flexibility of this system addresses one of the most significant barriers to ongoing professional learning: time constraints.
Teachers can engage with the AI Coach platform at their convenience, pausing and resuming coaching cycles as needed to fit their schedules.
Research-backed Science of Reading strategies at teachers’ fingertips
In addition to anytime, anywhere access, what sets this pathway apart is the integration of Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project resources.
The Science of Reading is about using a research-based approach to teaching reading. To effectively implement those approaches, teachers need research-based strategies for classroom instruction.
Barbara Pape, senior director of the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise, emphasized the importance of providing teachers with seamless access to trusted resources.
“Teachers need research-based strategies at their fingertips so they can implement Science of Reading programs with fidelity,” Barbara said.
In addition to leveraging the Digital Promise resources, Edthena then tapped into our extensive network of existing K-12 practitioners and literacy experts to implement the Science of Reading framework within the AI Coach platform.
The result is high-quality, on-demand coaching that brings research-based strategies directly to the classroom.
The Science of Reading-based resources available in the pathway include:
- Hundreds of teacher-facing, strategy recommendations
- Content backed by published academic studies
- Early-elementary and late-elementary content
By incorporating these evidence-based strategies into the on-demand coaching process, teachers can continually refine their approach to literacy instruction, ensuring that Science of Reading principles are consistently applied in the classroom.
Why schools need ongoing professional development to reinforce foundational Science of Reading trainings
While many teachers receive intensive, initial training on the Science of Reading, the reality is that it is hard to revisit and reinforce this knowledge regularly due to ongoing constraints in school buildings. This gap between foundational training and ongoing practice can lead to inconsistent implementation and reduced effectiveness of these impactful teaching strategies.
Ongoing PD in the style of reflective coaching can be impactful in helping teachers improve instruction. Research has shown that “extensive support for teachers in their schools and classrooms is most likely to lead to changes in their practices.”
The AI Coach professional learning model helps teachers consistently implement small changes within their classrooms. This constant experimentation to find what works for their students is the basis of Improvement Science within education.
Not only is this Science of Reading PD a scalable and budget-friendly, but using the AI Coach platform ensures that teachers are constantly accessing a highly-curated set of research-backed resources that can help them improve student learning of foundational literacy concepts.
Complementing existing Science of Reading professional development efforts
It’s important to note that this on-demand coaching is designed to complement, not replace, the efforts of school leaders and instructional coaches to train teachers in the foundational concepts of Science of Reading practices.
By providing teachers with on-demand support, the system helps alleviate the personnel and scheduling constraints often associated with in-person coaching sessions. AI Coach is designed to support teachers in-between your in-person visits. This ongoing reinforcement is crucial for translating initial and in-person training into sustained, effective classroom practice.
With teachers engaging with on-demand coaching throughout the year to polish their skills, instructional coaches and administrators are then able to have deeper conversations during in-person sessions. This combined (in-person and on-demand) approach helps amplify the impact of coaching conversations and PLC collaborations happening throughout the school year.
Providing coaching beyond the Science of Reading
While the Science of Reading pathway is a significant addition to the AI Coach platform, it’s worth noting that teachers can also access coaching cycles on other essential teaching techniques, such as:
- Checking for student understanding
- Balancing student-teacher talk time
- Facilitating group discussions
- Managing student behavior, and more
This comprehensive approach ensures that literacy instruction is supported within the broader context of effective teaching practices.
Improving student literacy and increasing teacher confidence
Ultimately, the goal of this innovative project is to improve student outcomes.
By providing teachers with continuous, research-based support in implementing Science of Reading strategies, schools can expect to see:
- More consistent application of effective literacy instruction techniques
- Increased teacher confidence in using Science of Reading principles
- Improved student reading proficiency across grade levels
For K-12 decision-makers, this pathway offers a scalable, cost-effective way to support ongoing teacher development in literacy instruction. It addresses the common challenge of translating one-time training into sustained classroom practice, leading to significant improvements in student literacy.
To learn more about how on-demand Science of Reading-based coaching can benefit your school’s literacy instruction efforts, click here.
