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Teaching Strategies Unveils New Curriculum and Assessment Tools

In a significant move to enhance early childhood education, Teaching Strategies has introduced a fresh suite of curriculum and assessment tools specifically designed to improve early literacy instruction. With alarming statistics revealing that only 30% of fourth graders are proficient in reading, this initiative comes as a crucial response to the ongoing literacy crisis in the U.S.

Teaching Strategies, a prominent provider in early education solutions, has developed these tools in alignment with the science of reading, emphasizing a need for better foundational skills among young learners. The latest offerings include a supplemental play-based pre-K curriculum, an innovative literacy screener, and a comprehensive assessment system. This suite aims to deliver a cohesive educational experience for children, educators, and families alike.

The New Curriculum: Kickstart Literacy™

One of the standout components is Kickstart Literacy™, an engaging pre-kindergarten curriculum that prioritizes fun and interactive learning through play. Designed for the crucial year before kindergarten, this curriculum focuses on essential skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary. The program includes daily, 20-minute lessons that combine rich, hands-on materials with scientific principles of reading, making it suitable for integration within any pre-K framework.

A notable feature of this curriculum is its adaptability, as it seamlessly fits into the busy schedules of classrooms across the nation. Furthermore, teacher-friendly resources and onboarding training have been included, such as short video examples for every lesson, ensuring educators are well-supported in delivering effective instruction.

Enhanced Assessment Tools: Introducing GOLDFinch™

Following the acquisition of Cognitive Toxbox, the assessment suite has been expanded with the launch of GOLDFinch™. This innovative tool combines the widely recognized GOLD® observational assessment system with Finch™, a new gamified assessment product. Together, they provide a comprehensive look into each child’s development, particularly in areas of reading and mathematics.

• - Finch Literacy Screener: This new screener is pivotal in identifying reading challenges early, including conditions like dyslexia, thereby facilitating timely interventions. Utilizing automatic speech recognition, it captures language development data efficiently and generates tailored reports that feed directly into the GOLD® documentation.

• - Finch Formative Games: Available in both English and Spanish, these engaging formative games take just five minutes or less each week. They allow teachers to gather developmental progress insights directly from children, making assessments more interactive and less reliant on traditional observations.

A Response to Declining Reading Proficiency

The introduction of these tools comes amidst growing concern over reading proficiency rates as reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Only 30% of fourth graders demonstrated proficiency or advanced skills in reading, prompting calls for states to implement literacy policies, including the adoption of effective screeners and supplementary curricula focused on critical phonological skills.

Nicol Russell, Chief Academic Officer at Teaching Strategies, articulated the organization’s mission: "Every child, not just one out of three, should be able to enter fourth grade reading proficiently and confidently." She emphasized the importance of establishing a robust literacy foundation early on, using diverse sources of evidence to monitor each child’s reading journey and develop their skills in engaging ways.

These new curriculum and assessment tools from Teaching Strategies are available for purchase in preparation for the 2025-2026 school year. They build upon the organization’s existing approach to support research-based early literacy instruction, which was highlighted previously with the rollout of their first-ever pre-K curriculum that intertwines play with explicit math and literacy instruction.

About Teaching Strategies

Teaching Strategies is a leader in providing early childhood curriculum, assessments, and professional development resources. Their various products, including The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, touch the lives of over 4 million children across more than 270,000 classrooms in 80 countries annually. For 45 years, they have been a trusted ally in early education, striving to connect teachers, families, and children through quality learning experiences.

For more information, visit Teaching Strategies.