Stephanie Stollar Consulting

04/22/2026

Have you ever stared at your data and thought: What do I actually teach next? 🤔

This video is for you.

This flowchart walks you step-by-step from student data to the exact instructional move.

No more overthinking, no more spinning your wheels.

Just match the right instruction 🤝 to the right need. Works like a charm.

Get your copy of this Data-Based Differentiation Chart here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_04_22_Classroom_Instruction -tools-for-effective-instruction

04/21/2026

When I see a word wall, I roll up my sleeves. There’s work to be done in this classroom.

Think about it: apple, about, any, ape are all under “A,” on a word wall, but they all have different vowel sounds.

🤔 If a student doesn’t know how to spell the word, how are they supposed to find it?

Instead of memorization or guessing, the science of reading teaches students how words work and groups words by the sounds they have in common.

Word walls are just one symptom of outdated literacy instruction.

👉 Now, let me be clear:

I don’t blame educators for encouraging guessing instead of decoding or separating skills that should be integrated.

If not your fault that you were trained using outdated practices.

Now, you have an opportunity to lean into the research and evolve for your students.

▶️ Start with the Intro to the Science of Reading resources when you unlock my free K-12 Resource Library.

Get instant access now: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_04_21_PD_Pitfalls -to-the-science-of-reading

04/16/2026

Too many assessments, but not enough clarity?

Before you add another assessment, take a step back and audit what you already have.

Grab my free Assessment Audit Tool inside the K-12 Resource Library.

It will help you:

👉 Stack your assessments

👉 Find and fill the gaps

👉 Eliminate whatever isn’t serving your students

Grab the Assessment Audit here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=26_04_16_Assessment

🎙️ Podcast clip from The Colorful Classroom - Literacy in Color Podcast with Michelle Sullivan in conversation with co-author of Reading Assessment Done Right This Mom Loves by Kate Winn.

04/15/2026

4 Signs MTSS Is Being Used to Identify Failure

1️⃣ You hesitate to refer students to special education because they will receive less intensive intervention than they currently receive.

2️⃣ Special education intervention is delivered in mixed groups and not targeted at skill deficits.

3️⃣ Special education teachers plan instruction separately from general education, instead of helping shape Tier 1, Tier 2, and grouping decisions.

4️⃣ Your screening data mainly leads to referrals, not changes to core instruction, small groups, or shared planning across adults.

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone. It’s a common pattern I’m hearing from educators inside Reading Science Academy.

The good news is that these are fixable system issues and not student (or educator) problems.

Want support to bring your MTSS system back to where it belongs?

Access my free K-12 Resource Library to get started: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_04_15_MTSS

04/14/2026

Students stuck reading accurately but not fluently? Try adding more practice. 🔁

Practice is the bridge between knowing and doing, and this is especially true for students sounding out every word without blending.

Move them to the next stage with intentional, repeated, accurate practice.

When students get enough successful reps with the right support, you’ll start to see the results, like:

✅ Shorter pauses
✅ Smoother blending
✅ Automaticity

Practice is how we get kids unstuck.

How are you building meaningful practice into your instruction right now?

Drop your ideas or questions about practice in the comments.

04/09/2026

Same Score ≠ Same Instruction 💡

Assessment scores tell you how well a student performed, but not what to do next.

The instructional hierarchy fills that gap by helping you determine what kind of instruction each student needs next.

Students move through 3 phases:

1️⃣ Accuracy Phase
Students are learning the skill. They need modeling, scaffolds, clear steps, and immediate feedback to produce the skill accurately.

2️⃣ Fluency Building Phase
Students are accurate but slow. They need repetition and practice to build automaticity.

3️⃣ Generalization Phase
Students can use the skill fluently in new situations. They transfer it to reading, writing, and problem-solving without prompts.

Two students with similar scores may be in different phases of the instructional hierarchy. That means they need different instruction to move forward.

When you pair your assessment data with the instructional hierarchy, your next steps are clearer and more effective.

🎥 Watch my free Diagnostic Assessments video to go deeper: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_04_09_Research_Real_Talk

04/07/2026

Sounding it out isn’t the same as reading it. 📖

If your students can say each sound but can’t blend them into a word, you’re not alone.

🔍 Here’s what’s actually happening:

Many students can decode sound-by-sound, but they get stuck when it’s time to blend those sounds into a real word.

Educators see this all the time with simple CVC words like cat, bat, and hit. Students will say each sound correctly, and then freeze. 🥶

It’s so common that I recently tackled it in a members-only Reading Science Academy Masterclass.

Inside that session, I broke down what it really takes to move students from sounding out to automatic word reading. Then I gave members practical tools they can use right away.

Here’s a peek at what’s inside the masterclass: 👀

1️⃣ The Secrets of Success
Automatic word reading doesn’t happen by accident. Students need specific prerequisite skills in place before they can make that leap, and when you know what those are, everything starts to click.

2️⃣ Step-by-Step Instructional Routines
Members get plug-and-play routines for sounding out, blending sounds, building automatic word reading, and structuring practice so students actually progress.

3️⃣ Exact Educator Language
What you say matters. Each routine includes the instructional phase, educator signals, student responses, and the exact wording you can use in the moment. These are things you can implement tomorrow.

4️⃣ Bonus Content
Members also received exclusive access to draft chapters from my upcoming book on this topic.

If this is something you’re seeing in your classroom, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Inside Reading Science Academy, you’ll find the full Masterclass, downloadable routines, and hundreds of resources to support your science of reading and MTSS implementation.

You’ll also meet a community of educators doing this work alongside you. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

✨Join us now to access this Masterclass and everything else Reading Science Academy has to offer: https://www.stephaniestollarconsulting.com/register?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_04_07_Classroom_Instruction

04/02/2026

You’ve done the screening. You have the data. But what comes next often feels unclear or overwhelming.

Screening (along with diagnostic data) can help answer one key question:

➡️ What instruction does each student need next?

When you step back and group students by patterns in their data, everything starts to make more sense.

Here’s how to think about it:

Group 1️⃣ is students meeting benchmarks across decoding and fluency.
👉 Up Next: Focus on extending skills through advanced phonics, fluency, and comprehension.

Group 2️⃣ is accurate decoders who aren’t fluent yet.
👉 Up Next: Focus on fluency building, repeated reading, and oral reading with feedback.

Group 3️⃣ is students who can decode in isolation but struggle in connected text.
👉 Up Next: Focus on advanced phonics patterns and applying skills in controlled text.

Group 4️⃣ is students who know letter sounds but can’t blend.
🚩 This is a major red flag.
👉 Up Next: Focus on explicit decoding routines and blending practice.

Group 5️⃣ is students struggling with foundational skills.
🚩 These students need the most time, intensity, and support.
👉 Up Next: Focus on high-utility sounds, blending, and early word reading.

When you group like this, your instruction becomes targeted, efficient, and actually moves students forward because you’re meeting them where they are.

Want help doing this in your own classroom or school?

✨ Get my Grouping Worksheets for BOY, MOY, and EOY inside my free K–12 Resource Library: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_04_02_Assessment

04/01/2026

I’m looking forward to this one! Join us!

If you join the MTSS Collective before May 4, this won’t be a rhetorical question.

➡️ All MTSS Collective members will be able to join a LIVE workshop with Dr. Archer!

Dr. Archer will be sharing her proven instruction strategies for increasing classroom engagement for secondary students. ✅

These techniques will deliver quick wins no matter what grade level or subject matter you support!

Normally, you’d have to travel and pay potentially hundreds of dollars to join a live session with Anita Archer.

An MTSS membership gets you the opportunity to be in the (virtual) room with Anita – plus access to all of the MTSS templates, tools, research briefs, and workshops in our archive – for a fraction of the cost.

🍎 We know that many districts are looking to spend the last of their 2025/2026 budget.

If you want support to get your participation funded, we created an advocacy email template that you can copy, paste, and send directly to your leadership.

Don’t miss your chance to hear directly from Dr. Anita Archer!

Download the template or join now: https://www.mtss-innovations.com/mtss-collective

03/31/2026

Progress monitoring is one of the most powerful tools we have in MTSS.

It’s also one of the most misunderstood.

For example, have you been told that students need “3 data points above the goal” before moving on?

❌ That rule was never meant to be a pass/fail checkpoint. It’s simply a way to identify a trend in the data so you’re not reacting to a single score.

Instead:

✔️ Compare the most recent three data points to the goal line. Above the goal means growth is faster than expected, below the goal signals instruction may need to change, and around it means instruction is likely working.

📈 The three points are meant to show a trend in growth, not require students to hit the goal three times. Those trends empower teams to make timely instructional decisions instead of waiting too long.

Still confused? 😵‍💫

✨ Grab the free Progress Monitoring Implementation Guide inside my free K-12 Resource Library. ✨

Inside, I answer 15 of the biggest questions educators have about progress monitoring, including:

❓ What is the purpose of progress monitoring?

❓ Which skills should be monitored and for which students?

❓ How often should I monitor, and how will I find time to do it?

❓ How does progress monitoring fit into MTSS?

❓ What makes a strong progress monitoring assessment tool?

Plus, I share a free progress monitoring tool that meets all my criteria.

➡️ Want my free Progress Monitoring Implementation Guide? Grab it here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_03_31_Assessment

03/26/2026

Strong systems are built together. 🤝

If your MTSS meetings, curriculum decisions, and intervention plans don’t includespecial ed teachers and administrators, you’re designing a system with a missing pillar.

Special education should not be an island that pulls students away from core instruction.

It should strengthen Tier 1 and deliver the double dose in Tier 2.

I’m hearing about classroom teachers who hesitate to refer students to special ed because the support feels disconnected.

🚩That’s a red flag for a problem in the system.

The strongest reading outcomes happen when special ed is embedded in skill-based grouping, intervention planning, and data conversations from the start.

Want tools you can share with your special ed team to align science of reading and MTSS work?

Access my free resource library here: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_03_26_Classroom_Instruction

03/24/2026

MTSS isn’t a sorting hat. 🎩

I was recently invited on The Colorful Classroom - Literacy in Color Podcast with Michelle Sullivan to share about my book, MTSS for Reading Improvement.

Michelle and I talked about schools treating MTSS like a system for sorting students into Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. But that’s not the point.

When we shift the focus from categorizing students to strengthening supports, MTSS becomes what it was meant to be:

✅ A framework for prevention

✅ Effective instruction for every learner.

What’s the biggest misconception about MTSS you’ve seen in schools? 👇