Back-to-School Planning Guide
for Principals and Administrators 2022–2023
As you begin to plan for the next academic year, you'll want to incorporate the best practices and lessons from the previous school year that promote and prioritise student reading comprehension success.
To assist you during this planning process, we’ve compiled a list of our best resources and recommended solutions.
Establish an Academic Baseline and Provide Targeted Intervention
Students will begin the new school year with larger gaps in learning and a greater variety of needs than most educators have previously had to navigate in their teaching careers. Assessments that evaluate each student’s starting points, strengths and weaknesses are essential for learning. Fortunately, CARS & STARS Online is there to help.
The adaptive and repetitive Placement Test is used to determine each student's general comprehension level to place them in the appropriate reading level for their ability.
The research-based CARS (Comprehensive Assessment of Reading Strategies) module works to understand each student's specific comprehension skill gaps, regardless of year level, and then the research-based STARS (Strategies to Achieve Reading Success) module meets students at their point of need with recommended exercises to remediate these areas. Teachers can also lead explicit instruction using the STARS interactive teaching guides found in their teacher portal.
Focus on Reading Foundations
It’s well known that a strong foundation in literacy is key to future academic success in any subject. The FOCUS Reading module is designed to provide both reinforcement in the key reading strategies for on-level readers, and targeted intervention for struggling readers and English-language learners (ELL). Using FOCUS Reading on top of CARS & STARS ensures students are on track to become successful and lifelong readers.
Identify Essential, Year-Level Appropriate Reading Strategies and Skills
After another year of disrupted summative testing, make sure you have the right tools to ensure students continue to achieve year-level mastery. CARS & STARS Online provides formative assessments and meaningful practice to build proficiency with embedded high-stakes test preparation that is broadly aligned with the Australian National Curriculum for years F–9.
Automatic Marking
Focus on the things that really matter. CARS & STARS Online marks your students’ work for you, giving instant feedback and requiring no transfer or handover process.
Nurture the limitless potential of your students with your newfound spare time instead of marking ticks and crosses all day. The presence of useful data is important in pinpointing the best way to help students achieve. Our reports are detailed, yet simple and understandable, so that any areas of concern can be acknowledged directly and not hidden behind a tiring string of numbers. Students can also work online from anywhere, as can their teachers.
Support to Help You Achieve Real Learning Growth
Our Professional Development team includes education specialists and former teachers to help you get the most out of CARS & STARS Online. Virtual sessions and online resources are designed to grow with your implementation.
Our Client Success team is invested in your achievement. They’ll prove it to you by getting ahead of any issues, promptly addressing your concerns and delivering clear, expert answers to your questions.
Acclaim from Our Valued Educators
Are you looking for online programs that will assist your school in improving reading comprehension outcomes for all students? Then check out Hawker Brownlow Digital's suite of research-driven, data-based solutions to see why schools across Australia and New Zealand are proud to work with us.
This blog discusses the CARS & STARS program’s alignment with ACARA’s reading comprehension standards. It highlights how the program uses diagnostic assessments and targeted instruction to map 12 core reading strategies to specific ACARA outcomes. The approach allows educators to effectively pinpoint and nurture students’ reading strengths and weaknesses, ensuring tailored and data-driven instruction that aligns with national educational standards. Click the link below to learn how CARS & STARS program’s alignment with ACARA’s reading comprehension standards.
Explore the transformative journey of literacy education with our latest blog. Uncover how reading comprehension strategies reshaped teaching and empowered students globally. From Reader-Response Theory to modern educational practices, discover the pivotal role of these strategies in classrooms. Interested in how these techniques enhance learning and foster engagement? Click the link below and discover the impact of these innovative strategies in education today.
Discover the secret to unlocking your students' reading potential! Dive into our latest blog post to explore how explicit instruction with the CARS & STARS program can transform reading comprehension in your classroom. Learn about the systematic approach that demystifies learning and provides tailored strategies for every reader. Ready to foster a culture of reading success? Click the link below about this game-changing framework for educators.
Technology in education can serve as a catalyst for innovation, personalisation and accessibility. To find out how CARS & STARS Online, as an advanced online reading comprehension program, aligns with these goals, click the link below.
Effective classroom management aims to create a supportive and structured learning environment where both you and your students can thrive. Click the link below for 24 great and easy strategies to help you establish a positive and productive classroom atmosphere that benefits everyone.
With the right strategies and a bit of practice, students can significantly improve their comprehension and appreciation of poetry. To find out more, and how CARS & STARS Online can help students to better understand the kind of figurative language used in poetry, click the link below.
Reading a variety of text types is essential for developing better reading comprehension for several reasons. To find out more, and how CARS & STARS Online exposes students to different types of texts from its earliest levels, click the link below.
Maintaining an organised workspace is a simple yet effective way to create a conducive environment for teaching, learning and personal development. To find out more, and how CARS & STARS Online can help, click the link below.
One way that you can counter distractions is by using strategies that enable students to process information better, even under adverse conditions, because they have a proven method in place to do so. To find out more, and how CARS and STARS Online employs this approach, click the link below.
Encouraging students to explore a diverse range of genres can be a powerful tool in fostering a love for learning and literature. To explore some of its benefits, and to see how CARS & STARS Online can help, click the link below.
Students learning critical thinking can develop the ability to distinguish between what's logical and illogical through a combination of practice, understanding logical fallacies and employing specific strategies. For some ways they can improve their skills, click the link below.
The way we talk, including our speech patterns, accents and word choices, can create and deepen social biases, starting from the point of view of children. For some examples of how speech can contribute to the development of biases in children, and how these can hopefully be mitigated, click the link below.
In a classroom setting, stimuli refer to the various sensory inputs and learning materials that students encounter every day. To find out more about how classroom stimuli can relate to cognitive development, click the link below.
Cognitive flexibility (or cognitive shifting) refers to the ability to adapt and switch between different cognitive tasks in response to changing situations or demands. To find out how thinking games can be valuable tools for improving cognitive flexibility, click the link below.
Concentration is the ability to direct our attention and focus to a specific task or stimulus while ignoring distractions. To find out some reasons why people might find it hard to focus or maintain concentration, and some helpful strategies to improve concentration, click the link below.
A flow state, also known as being “in the zone”, refers to a mental state of optimal performance and engagement in an activity. It typically occurs when the challenges of a task align with an individual's skill level. To find out more about flow states, and some tips for reaching them, click the link below.
We all know how important sleep is, and most of us know that because we aren’t getting as much of it as we would like – or at least in the quality we would prefer. Lack of sleep, especially on a chronic basis, can have significant negative effects on both the body and the academic performance of students. For some key impacts of sleep deprivation, click the link below.
The role of the natural environment in learning in general and study spaces in particular is something we are only just beginning to investigate seriously. But we know that sunlight especially can play an important role in a classroom or study setting for several reasons. To find out what they are, click the link below!
It might some like a no-brainer, but there are advantages to both quiet and loud study environments while learning. Whether you like one or the other can depend on nothing more than your personal preference or learning style, but there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The choice between studying in quiet spaces or noisy places depends on individual preferences and the nature of the task at hand. To find out some considerations for both options, click the link below.
Everyone knows how important diet and exercise are to every aspect of our lives – even if we like to pretend we don’t sometimes. It turns out food is just as vital to our brain’s well-being too. When it comes to supporting cognitive function and promoting optimal brain health, several foods have been associated with positive effects. Click the link below for some examples!
Parent-teacher interviews are valuable opportunities for teachers to communicate with parents about their child's progress, strengths and areas for improvement. For some tips for teachers to prepare effectively for parent-teacher interviews, and to see how CARS & STARS Online can help parents become more involved in their child’s learning.
CARS & STARS Online is a comprehensive reading comprehension program that offers flexibility, interactivity, customisation, and cost-effectiveness for educators. It also provides premier support and professional development at no extra cost. For existing customers, specialised training programs are available to ensure a seamless transition to the online platform. With CARS & STARS Online, educators can provide their students with a high-quality reading comprehension program that prepares them for success in school and beyond.
Both written and verbal speech are essential components of language across different languages, and each plays a crucial role in communication and human interaction. For some reasons both forms are important, and how CARS & STARS Online can help with both, click the link below.
A person’s personal history of language, which includes their linguistic experiences, exposure to different languages and language learning background, can significantly impact their present language abilities, including how they speak and comprehend reading. Click the link below to find some ways personal language history can influence the present.
The CARS & STARS Online program uses technology to open doors for parents that let them better understand the context of their child’s learning and have a more engaged role within it. CARS & STARS Online gives parents an instant overview of their child’s progress that they can access at any time and from anywhere.
Being a highly skilled, competent reader is a skill that improves every learner’s life. And with CARS & STARS Online, achieving that is within every student’s grasp – even those with special needs – and more easily achievable for their teacher than ever before.
A tongue twister is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to articulate properly and can be used as a type of spoken (or sung) word game. Tongue twisters can be a fun and engaging tool to support the development of foundational reading skills and promote a positive attitude towards reading.
Riddles are questions or statements that offer a puzzle to be solved. They encourage children to think critically, analyse clues and apply logical reasoning to arrive at the answer. This problem-solving aspect of riddles stimulates the brain and helps children develop creative problem-solving skills.
Supporting struggling readers often requires a multifaceted approach, including tailored instruction, accommodations, explicit teaching of reading strategies, scaffolding of comprehension skills and addressing underlying difficulties through targeted interventions.
By engaging in cooking and following recipes, individuals practise critical thinking and problem-solving skills within a practical and enjoyable context. These skills, developed through cooking, can transfer to other reading materials and real-life situations, supporting improved reading comprehension and the ability to analyse, evaluate and solve problems effectively.
