Cambridge, MA, July 19, 2006 — Educators Publishing Service (EPS), a leading publisher of supplemental reading materials, announces that S.P.I.R.E.®, grades Pre-K–8, a widely-used intervention program, and Making Connections™, grades 1–6, a new reading comprehension program, are confirmed by the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) as meeting federal Reading First criteria. Both programs were reviewed in spring of 2006, and reports are available at www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports.

The FCRR reports detail how S.P.I.R.E. aligns with the findings of the National Reading Panel (2000) and Reading First: “It is explicit and systematic in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency…. Fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills are taught and practiced at each level with fluency drills, repeated oral readings, phonetically controlled vocabulary, visualization strategies, and literal and inferential questioning.”—FCRR, July 2006

“We are pleased that the Florida Center for Reading Research confirmed that S.P.I.R.E. meets these important criteria,” noted Gunnar Voltz, President of EPS. “These reports confirm what many educators using S.P.I.R.E. have known for some time: this reading system provides educators with an effective instructional approach designed specifically for struggling readers.”

S.P.I.R.E. was developed by noted educator Sheila Clark-Edmands, MEd while working for many years with students who have language-based learning differences. The reading system targets early intervention and prevention of reading failure via early diagnosis and a structured, spiraled curriculum beginning at the Pre–K level. S.P.I.R.E. teacher materials offer direct, detailed instructions “for each step of each lesson to assist teachers in scaffolding instruction.” (FCRR, July 2006) Student materials provide an unparalleled compilation of reading selections and word, phrase, and sentence lists, affording students “multiple practice opportunities of previously learned skills to attain mastery.” (FCRR, July 2006) Ancillary materials, such as a Phoneme Segmentation Chart, Words Cards, and Phonogram Cards, provide time-saving materials for teachers.

Making Connections is a supplemental literacy program designed to develop comprehension skills and strategies and create active readers. “The program’s goal is to equip all students with the strategies necessary to monitor comprehension and construct meaning by implementing comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading informational and narrative text. A further expectation is that rereading text to develop fluency and increasing word knowledge to develop vocabulary will increase comprehension…. There was solid support for the use of the following strategies in Making Connections: monitoring comprehension, cooperative learning, graphic organizers, story structure, answering and generating questions, and summarizing.” —FCRR, July 2006

The FCRR report also indicates that Making Connections “is strong enough to be used as the primary instructional method to develop comprehension skills.”

“EPS has a great deal of experience in working with educators to publish their classroom-tested strategies. Our goal with Making Connections was to bring these strategies together with the most current reading research and standards while developing engaging materials,” observed Charles Heinle, Vice President and Publisher for EPS. “To date, the response to Making Connections has been enthusiastic.”

Making Connections is a full-color program that provides a balance of fiction and nonfiction reading selections through comprehensive teacher and student materials for grades 1–6. A coordinating Comprehension Library extends the opportunity for students to apply the skills and strategies they have learned to longer reading selections.

S.P.I.R.E. and Making Connections are available from Educators Publishing Service. More information can be found at www.epsbooks.com/SPIRE and www.epsbooks.com/MakingConnections.

Educators Publishing Service, a member of the School Specialty family, is built upon 50 years providing quality individualized reading and language arts instruction for students with learning differences. Today EPS has broadened the scope of these trusted classroom materials by developing truly differentiated instructional programs for grades K–8. This can be found in time-tested series, such as Wordly Wise 3000, Explode The Code, and Primary Phonics. We continue to expand our presence in reading and language arts by creating new programs such as S.P.I.R.E., a Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence, and Making Connections.

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