STARI Highlights from September
What's in this issue:
- Tips for Getting Started: Partnering with Parents
- STARI Parent Info Flyer
- Latest NAEP Results & Meeting the Need of High School Readers
- NYCPS Approves STARI as Tier II Intervention
- Connecting with STARI: Community Forum, SERP Stories, AMLE in Indianapolis
- What We've Been Reading
Tips for Getting Started: Partnering with Parents
At the start of the year, many STARI students aren’t sure why they’re in an intervention class, and some even resist attending. Parent outreach can make a big difference.
As NYC STARI teacher Leigh Carey shared:
“Parent outreach made a huge difference, families were grateful to know about the program and encouraged their children to take it seriously. Often, parents don’t realize their child is reading below grade level until we have that honest conversation. Once students and parents understand why they’re in STARI, buy-in grows and behavioral issues drop.”
Try This: Use our Parent Info Flyer to open a positive conversation with families about their child’s participation in STARI and how they can support their child's reading growth.
Meeting the Needs of High School Readers
The latest NAEP reading results are in: the average reading score for 12th graders in 2024 dropped three points compared to 2019.
These results highlight an urgent reality: too many students are leaving high school without the reading proficiency they need for college, career, and life.
That’s why we developed STARI Series 4, designed specifically for high school students. This series is built to:
- Engage older readers with relevant, age-appropriate texts and topics
- Strengthen critical reading skills including comprehension, fluency, and decoding
- Provide structured support that helps students build confidence and persistence in reading
With Series 4, teachers have evidence-based tools to support students who still need targeted literacy instruction in high school. Learn more about STARI Series 4.
New York City Public Schools Approves STARI as Tier II Literacy Intervention
We’re proud to share that
New York City Public Schools has officially approved STARI as a Tier II literacy intervention for students in grades 6 and up. This recognition speaks to STARI’s strong track record, helping struggling adolescent readers boost not just their skills but their confidence too. Learn more about NYC Reads, Chalkbeat.
NYC Teachers:
Free, district-supported STARI professional learning in partnership with AIS is available to help you bring STARI to life in your classroom. The next set of professional learning sessions start October 1!
Connect with STARI
STARI Community Forum - Oct 14th
Mark your calendar! The next STARI Community Forum is happening on Oct 14th at 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET / 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT.
Come ready to swap ideas, troubleshoot together, and get inspired by fellow STARI teachers.
SERP Stories: Episode 2, The Birth of STARI
I remember the teacher who clearly said, 'I am not gonna humiliate my students by putting texts about ducks in front of them so they can learn to decode words. I need materials that respect their developmental level and I just can't find them.'
- Suzanne Donovan, SERP
Join us at AMLE in Indianapolis, Nov 5-8!
We'll be leading two sessions at this year's AMLE Conference! Drop by our sessions and our booth.
Concurrent Session: Better Together: How Peer Collaboration Fuels Literacy Growth in Adolescents
Speed Session:
Tier II That Teens Don't Hate - Literature Based Intervention That Works
Keep Calm and STARI On!
- The STARI Team