Transforming Test Scores With READING GROWTH!

Presented by Matt Bardin, Nationally Recognized Educational Leader, and Founder and CEO, Zinc Learning Labs Sponsored by Zinc Learning Labs Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features. Helping students love reading is the surest way to boost academic achievement and raise test scores. Helping students love the effort of reading is even more powerful! When students read by choice and for enjoyment, they encounter richer language, more complex sentence structures, and diverse perspectives that lead them to discover the value in effortful reading. Over time, this consistent exposure strengthens the very skills tested across subject areas—not just in English language arts, but also in science, social studies, and math word problems. Just looking at a test can feel overwhelming—but we can give students a strategy so that they always know what to DO. It’s a one-two punch: first, we raise their comprehension. Then, we seal the win by showing them how to use their new powers to turn test misery into test validation. In this edWebinar, attendees will learn practical, classroom-ready strategies to increase reading engagement, including creating a culture of choice, incorporating high-interest texts, and talking with students about what they love about reading. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to cultivate motivated readers, strengthen literacy foundations, and ultimately see improved student confidence and higher test performance—proving that when students love reading, achievement follows. This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, ELA department chairs, and ELA administrators. Matt Bardin, a nationally recognized educational leader, founded Zinc Learning Labs in 2016 with a singular focus on achieving huge reading growth for secondary students. He started his career as a secondary teacher in New York City Public Schools and contributed to the founding of Teach For America. Through his work as a tutor with students worldwide, Matt developed critical reading and test prep strategies that help students raise test scores by building their love for reading and learning. The College Board has awarded Zinc its CEO Breakthrough Award for Zinc’s “unique achievement in student engagement, secondary reading growth, and meaningful test prep.” Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features. Join the Be a Literacy Hero community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates. Zinc Learning Labs is a science-backed reading skills accelerator for secondary schools that drives transformative reading growth. Zinc offers easy-to-implement, individualized, digital experiences backed by comprehensive reporting, empowering teachers to guide all students to reading success.