Insider Tips
Personalized Reading Starts Here: Phonics, Reading and Me’s Screener & Pathway Explained
September 8, 2025
by: Sam Deffes
2 mins
Phonics, Reading, and Me® gives students meaningful opportunities to apply newly taught phonics and word study skills—collaboratively and independently—following explicit instruction in teacher-led small groups. Each multimodal practice is intentional and purposeful, with the digital component serving as a powerful instructional partner. Like a second teacher, it provides students with multiple chances to deepen their learning through four interactive decodable texts and engaging activities that reinforce and extend classroom instruction.
Getting Started is Simple
To launch a lesson, follow these 4 steps:
Click Assign Practice in the Lesson Content tab:
Image2. Select a start date:
Image3. Adjust settings if needed (use of overrides are not recommended):
Image4. Confirm with the blue Assign Practice button:
ImageConfirmation message will appear at the top of the screen. The “Assign Practice” button will be replaced with: “Unassign Practice” (available until any student begins the lesson), “Edit Start Date” (also available until a student begins the lesson), and “Settings.”
ImageOnce students have begun practice, student reporting can be accessed via this section for ease of use.
ImageDifferentiated Student Experience Without the Lift
Once assigned, students begin with an oral reading screener that requires no special equipment. Students simply read aloud into their device. This format often reduces the stress of feeling judged while reading, creating a more comfortable experience for students. After completing the recorded oral reading screener, students complete:
1. A short comprehension check
2. An in-text skill activity to identify words with the target skill
3. A gamified practice activity—a crowd favoriteThe screener results determine each student’s adaptive pathway, ensuring practice is perfectly matched to their level. For students, the experience feels like a game—colorful, engaging, and empowering—while for teachers, it’s an instructional powerhouse leading to student confidence and success!
Personalized Support Without Extra Lift
Every click, drag, and tap in the pathway strengthens phonics and word study skills, directly reinforcing small-group instruction. If a student struggles with decoding, the program automatically provides scaffolds—like breaking down words into sounds—without requiring extra steps from the teacher.
ImageThe adaptive pathway enriches learning for all students without highlighting skill differences, ensuring equity and avoiding the feeling of being “othered.” Activities adjust in real time—providing easier content when a student struggles and more challenging content for those in need of a stretch. These two screens show real-time differentiation, giving students exactly the level of challenge they’re ready for while still providing practice within the target skill.

No matter their level, students always have agency of choice, selecting where to go next and taking ownership of their learning.
The Adaptive Pathway Offers Clear, Actionable Data
Class-level reports show each student’s progress with intuitive coding:
• ✅ Green Check – Skill met
• ❌ Red X – Skill not met
• 🟡 Yellow Dot – Received additional support path

Student-level reports provide a complete picture—from oral reading screener scores to performance in the adaptive pathway—removing the guesswork from instructional decisions:

If students hit a gap in understanding after a lesson, teachers can rest assured each lesson’s decodable includes built-in recursive review which can be leveraged during instruction:

For Sets B–D, the Formative Assessment Card and Next Steps Guide give extra support for remediation:

A True Partner in Instruction
While technology will never replace the expertise of a teacher, Phonics, Reading, and Me serves as a trusted partner—quietly closing learning gaps, providing targeted practice, and making learning genuinely fun.
