Literacy in Color: A Science of Reading Aligned Podcast for Educators

Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Kate Winn, co-authors of Reading Assessment Done Right unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in literacy instruction: assessment. Rather than viewing assessment as something teachers must check off their to-do list, they explain how high-quality reading assessments can empower educators and transform instruction. When assessment data is used thoughtfully and linked directly to instruction, it becomes a powerful tool for identifying student needs, targeting support, and ultimately changing reading outcomes.
This episode is a must-listen for teachers, literacy coaches, interventionists, and school leaders who want to better understand how to use assessment data to drive meaningful instructional change.
Key Takeaways:
How assessment data can transform classroom decision-making
Common mistakes schools make when using assessment data
Why schools must sometimes de-implement ineffective assessments
The four key types of reading assessment and how they work together: Universal Screening, Diagnostic Assessments, Progress Monitoring, Outcome Assessments
How teachers can interpret assessment data and trends over time

Resources:
Book: Reading Assessment Done Right by Stephanie Stollar & Kate Winn
Book: MTSS for Reading Improvement by Stephanie Stollar & Sarah Brown from Solution Tree (or on Amazon)
FREE Resource: The Reading MTSS Reflection Guide
Previous Podcast Episode with Dr. Stollar: Episode 28. Clearing up Misconceptions around MTSS
Previous Podcast Episode with Dr. Stollar: Episode 80. MTSS for Reading Improvement

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Dr. Stephanie Stollar:
Website: www.readingscienceacademy.com/
Instagram: @ReadingScienceAcademy
Facebook: Stephanie Stollar Consulting
LinkedIn: Stephanie Stollar
Join Dr. Stollar’s Reading Science Academy Membership
The MTSS Collective

Connect with Kate Winn:
Podcast: Reading Road Trip from IDA Ontario
Website: http://thismomloves.ca/
Instagram: @katethismomloves

Thank you to Reading.com for supporting the production of this episode.
Visit reading.com/color for 60% off the annual plan today.
Instagram: @_readingcom
YouTube: ReadingCom
Facebook: Reading.com
Pinterest: Reading_com

Connect with Michelle:
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy
Course 1: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator
Course 2 & Curriculum: K-2 Morphology
Monthly Coaching Calls: Logos Live

Mentioned in this episode:
Reading.com
Visit reading.com/color for 60% off the annual plan today!

In this conversation, Michelle is joined by literacy advocate and author Yvette Manns to explore the power of read-alouds: both for instruction and for joy.
Key Takeaways:
The difference between reading for pleasure and instructional read-alouds
How read-alouds build oral language, vocabulary, and connection
Practical instructional moves to make read-alouds more impactful
The TAPES Method (Tell, Act, Point, Explain, Show) for vocabulary instruction
The origin story of the Phonics Read Alouds series
Information on how to celebrate National Schwa Day on April 7th!
The launch of a brand-new Morphology Read-Aloud series

This episode is both inspiring and deeply practical, full of classroom-ready ideas.
Phonics Read-Alouds
Created by Yvette Manns, the Phonics Read Alouds series blends explicit phonics instruction with rich storytelling. Characters like Bossy R, Magic E, and the Schwa bring abstract phonics concepts to life.
Website: www.phonicsreadalouds.com
Instagram: @phonicsreadalouds

National Schwa Day
Founded by Yvette Manns, National Schwa Day is celebrated annually on April 7th.
Why April 7th? Listen to the episode to hear the reasoning behind it!
What you’ll find in the free Educator Guide:
Classroom activities
Schwa parade word cards
Digital blending board activities (sponsored by Blend)
Celebration ideas

Download the FREE Educator guide: www.nationalschwaday.org
Exciting News: Morphology Read-Aloud Series
Michelle and Yvette announce the launch of a brand-new Morphology Read Aloud collection — beginning with:
The Always-Finished Suffix -ED
This story brings the three sounds of -ed to life through time travel, character development, and embedded word study.
🎉 Use code COLORFUL1 for 15% off (valid through 4/26/26)!
Additional Books Mentioned:
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
Cityrella by Yvette Manns

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Yvette Manns:
Website: https://www.yvettemanns.com/
Instagram: @phonicsreadalouds & @the_lit_teacher
Facebook: Phonics Read-Aloud
TikTok :@PhonicsReadAlouds
Email: [email protected]

Thank you to Express Readers for supporting the production of this episode.
Express Readers creates thoughtfully designed decodable texts that align with the Science of Reading and support developing readers at every stage. You can visit their website to learn more and grab a free sample to try with your students!
https://expressreaders.org/
Instagram: @expressreaders
LinkedIn: Express Readers
Facebook: Express Readers Inc.

Connect with Michelle:
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy
Course 1: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator
Course 2 & Curriculum: K-2 Morphology
Monthly Coaching Calls:

Sara Marye, founder of The Stellar Teacher Company, joins Michelle to unpack what effective upper-elementary reading intervention can actually look like in the general classroom setting. Together, they explore why students in grades 3–5 may continue to struggle with decoding, how phonics gaps impact both reading and writing, and what classroom teachers can realistically do to support older students who still need foundational skill support.
Sara shares the thinking behind the Stellar Reading Intervention Toolkit, including its intentional structure, focus on multisyllabic words, and commitment to dignity-preserving, age-appropriate materials for older students.
Key Takeaways
Reading challenges do not end in second grade and they don’t resolve themselves without explicit instruction
Upper-elementary students often struggle not because they can’t learn phonics, but because they were never explicitly taught
Short, systematic, and well-structured lessons are more likely to be used consistently by classroom teachers
Intervention should feel connected to Tier 1 instruction, not isolated or “in a box”
It is never too late to address reading gaps, but supports become harder to access as students get older

Resources
Stellar Reading Intervention Toolkit
The Stellar Literacy Collective Membership

Connect with Sara Marye
Email: [email protected]
Podcast: The Stellar Teacher Podcast
Instagram: @thestellarteachercompany
YouTube: @thestellarteachercompany
Website: stellarteacher.com
LinkedIn: The Stellar Teacher Company

Thank you to Express Readers for supporting the production of this episode.
Express Readers creates thoughtfully designed decodable texts that align with the Science of Reading and support developing readers at every stage. You can visit their website to learn more and grab a free sample to try with your students!
https://expressreaders.org/
Instagram: @expressreaders
LinkedIn: Express Readers
Facebook: Express Readers Inc.

Connect with Michelle:
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy
Course 1: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator
Course 2 & Curriculum: K-2 Morphology
Monthly Coaching Calls: Logos Live

Mentioned in this episode:
Express Readers
Get your Free Decodable Book Sample today!
https://expressreaders.org/
Reading.com
Visit reading.com/color for 60% off the annual plan today!

Deirdre O’Toole’s doctoral research focuses on early literacy acquisition, specifically around articulatory gestures and attention to speech production. In recent years, we hear a lot about Sound Walls being “aligned to the Science of Reading”. In this episode, Dee shares what we know from research, what we don’t yet know, and how small instructional shifts (like simply saying “Look at my mouth”) can make a meaningful difference in early reading instruction.
Key Takeaways:
What phonemic awareness really means (and why “conscious awareness” is key)
Articulatory gestures refer to how speech sounds are physically produced (lips, tongue, jaw, airflow, voicing)
Research supports articulatory-based interventions (like Lindamood-Bell LIPS), but evidence does not show they are superior to other high-quality interventions
What the research says (and does not say) about sound walls
The impact of visual speech cues (including research during COVID on masked instruction)
Practical teacher language for supporting spelling and phoneme-grapheme connections

Dee also shares insights from her work organizing the Right to Read Ireland conference and advocating for evidence-informed literacy instruction across Ireland.
Resources Mentioned:
Right to Read Ireland Conference / IG: @righttoreadirl
The Teacher’s Table / IG: @attheteacherstable
Facebook: Science of Reading Discussion for Irish Teachers
Lindamood Bell
Open Access: Seeing the Mouth: The Importance of Articulatory Gestures During Phonics Training - Novelli et. al., 2023
A Meta-Analysis on the Optimal Cumulative Dosage of Early Phonemic Awareness Instruction - Erbeli et. al., 2024

Connect with Deirdre O’Toole:
https://playfulclassroom.ie/
Instagram: @playful_classroom
Facebook: Playful Classroom
TPT: Playful Classroom

Thank you to Express Readers for supporting the production of this episode.
Express Readers creates thoughtfully designed decodable texts that align with the Science of Reading and support developing readers at every stage. You can visit their website to learn more and grab a free sample to try with your students!
https://expressreaders.org/
Instagram: @expressreaders
LinkedIn: Express Readers
Facebook: Express Readers Inc.

Connect with Michelle:
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy
Course 1: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator
Course 2 & Curriculum: K-2 Morphology
Monthly Coaching Calls: Logos Live

Mentioned in this episode:
Express Readers
Get your Free Decodable Book Sample today!
https://expressreaders.org/
Reading.com
Visit reading.com/color for 60% off the annual plan today!

MTSS can serve as a true system of support, not just a sorting mechanism, for improving reading outcomes and Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Dr. Sarah Brown share how. Drawing from their book MTSS for Reading Improvement (published under Solution Tree), the conversation bridges the Science of Reading with practical systems-level decision making that supports teachers and students alike.
Rather than treating MTSS as a checklist of structures, Drs. Stollar & Brown emphasize fidelity to outcomes, prevention-first thinking, and instructional coherence across Tier 1, intervention, and leadership practices.
Key Takeaways:
Why MTSS often fails when it becomes a sorting system instead of a support system
How schools unintentionally undermine reading improvement by focusing on individual students too early
How the Simple View of Reading and the five essential reading skills can guide both prevention and intervention
What kinds of data actually support instructional decision-making, and which ones don’t
The role of leadership in creating a culture of vulnerability, collaboration, and shared responsibility
Why asking better questions leads to better instructional solutions

Resources:
Book: MTSS for Reading Improvement by Stephanie Stollar & Sarah Brown from Solution Tree (or on Amazon)
FREE Resource: The Reading MTSS Reflection Guide
Book: Reading Assessment Done Right by Stephanie Stollar & Kate Winn

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Connect with Dr. Stephanie Stollar:
Website: www.readingscienceacademy.com/
Instagram: @ReadingScienceAcademy
Facebook: Stephanie Stollar Consulting
LinkedIn: Stephanie Stollar
Join Dr. Stollar’s Reading Science Academy Membership
The MTSS Collective

Connect with Dr. Sarah Brown:
Website: https://systemimpactconsulting.com/
Contact Dr. Sarah Brown on her Website
LinkedIn: Sarah Brown Ph.D.
Join Dr. Brown’s MTSS Data Academy
Dr. Brown also offers Virtual Coaching Sessions!

Thank you to Express Readers for supporting the production of this episode.
Express Readers creates thoughtfully designed decodable texts that align with the Science of Reading and support developing readers at every stage. You can visit their website to learn more and grab a free sample to try with your students!
https://expressreaders.org/
Instagram: @expressreaders
LinkedIn: Express Readers
Facebook: Express Readers Inc.

Connect with Michelle:
Follow me on Instagram: @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom & @logosliteracyacademy
Join our Facebook Community
Sign up for my Newsletter
Shop on TPT: The Colorful Classroom
Visit: www.michelleandthecolorfulclassroom.com
Join The COLORFUL Literacy Toolkit Membership

Want to Support the Podcast?
Make a Donation to Support Production

Interested in Learning More about Morphology?
Logos Literacy Academy
Course 1: Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator
Course 2 & Curriculum: K-2 Morphology
Monthly Coaching Calls: Logos Live

Mentioned in this episode:
Reading.com
Visit reading.com/color for 60% off the annual plan today!
Express Readers
Get your Free Decodable...