Tier 1 Literacy Playbook
Strong Tier 1 Starts Here.
The best intervention begins before students struggle.
What if one of the most powerful things we could do for struggling readers happened before they ever needed intervention? That’s the idea behind the Reading Rev Tier 1 Structured Literacy Playbook.
For the next 10 days, we’re going back to the heart of great literacy instruction and sharing 10 practical “plays” that can make Tier 1 instruction stronger, more intentional, and more effective for ALL learners. We’ll dig into everything from using data and research to guide instruction to word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, instructional time, and the magic of highly engaging whole-group teaching.
And this isn’t just a “read the blog and move on” kind of series. Each day, we’ll give you something you can actually use. We’ll share practical strategies, free resources, classroom ideas, and even some pretty great prizes along the way!
Best of all? We’re building the Playbook together as we go. A new play will be added right here each day, and at the end of our 10 days, we’ll package the entire Reading Rev Tier 1 Structured Literacy Playbook into a FREE downloadable resource you can keep, share with your team, and come back to all year long… because strong Tier 1 instruction doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens one intentional instructional decision at a time. Let’s get started!
PLAY 1: Data as the Driver
Big Idea
Assessment should help you answer three questions:
What do my students know?
What do they not know yet?
What should I teach next?
If the data doesn’t help you make an instructional decision, ask yourself whether you really need to collect it.
Why It Matters
Effective teachers don't collect more data just for the sake of collecting data. They collect the right data, and then they do something with it.
Frequent, skill-specific assessment helps you pinpoint exactly where students are succeeding and where instruction needs to go next. When we identify and respond to gaps early, we have a much better chance of preventing small gaps from becoming big ones.
Try This Tomorrow
Beginning-of-the-year assessment can feel overwhelming. The temptation is to give the assessments, record the scores, check the box, and move on.
Instead, choose one assessment you've already given and look at it through an instructional lens. Don't just look at the score. Ask:
What does this student already know?
Where specifically did the student break down?
Do I see a pattern across several students?
What will I teach differently because of what I learned?
That last question is the most important one.
Data + Analysis + Action = Better Instruction and Outcomes
Need Help Making Sense of Your Data?
We teamed up with the Georgia Department of Education to create two Diagnostic Assessment Toolkits: K–2 and Grades 3–8.
These toolkits walk you through the entire process: which assessments to give, how to administer them, how to analyze and interpret the results, and…most importantly, what to do next.
Because the goal isn't to assess more. The goal is to know more so you can teach better.
Favorite Resource(s)
Reading Rev Diagnostic Assessment Toolkits
Research Corner
International Dyslexia Association Perspectives on Language & Literacy: Data. What’s your Question?
The International Dyslexia Association’s Perspectives on Language and Literacy connects current literacy research with classroom practice, bringing together experts to explore important topics in dyslexia, assessment, and instruction and translate research into actionable guidance for educators. The Winter 2026 issue is all about making data manageable and useful! These publications are free for IDA members!
