Richard Gentry understands what every teacher knows about early literacy assessment: that to be useful, an assessment instrument must reveal more than how well a student is reading or writingits got to show what instructional direction the results indicate. Literacy develops in five recognizable phases, progressing predictably from one stage to the next, but many assessment systems arent sensitive enough to recognize which phase a child has reached, nor sophisticated enough to offer ideas on how to move ahead. So Gentry created a kit to demonstrate an efficient, easy, and accurate way to see students literacy development with new eyes and unrivaled clarity. His method works, and the information it gives you will support a differentiated vision of every students progress toward literacy. Assessing Early Literacy with Richard Gentry is a three-part, DVD-based kit that shows you how one simple diagnostic test can reveal any students progress through the phases of early reading and writing. Youll watch firsthand as Gentry meets children between ages three and seven for the first time and uses his famed Monster Test to uncover which literacy phase they have reached and point toward the next steps each child should take. Paralleling the Instructional Blueprint in his best-selling Breaking the Code, Gentrys powerful assessment tool will give you invaluable insight into childrens thinking as they discover the pattern of meaning behind the marks on a page and you track the natural, ordered, step-by-step sequence of operations that all beginning readers and writers employ. Assessing Early Literacy with Richard Gentrys three components together offer an individualized professional development experience that will quickly have you assessing students successfully:

• The DVD lets you watch up close as Gentry meets and assesses seven students of varying ages and literacy levels. Youll see the powerful five-to-ten-minute sessions he spends with each child, allowing you to work alongside him and make your own evaluations. In the final segment, Gentry reveals the students phases of development, and shares exactly how he arrived at them, and describes what they mean for each childs future instruction.
• The Phase Finder is a field guide to the five phases of early literacy development. It helps you recognize a childs phase and plan for subsequent teaching with advice designed to propel students through their current phase and into the next. Youll refer to this valuable resource while assessing the students on the DVD or the students in your own classroom.
• A Viewers Guide to Assessing Early Literacy with Richard Gentry offers suggestions for getting started, recommendations for making the most of the DVD and the Phase Finder, and tips on what to look for as you watch the DVD or assess the readers and writers in your classroom.

A former struggling speller himself, J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D., has authored three books and a video on the topic with Heinemann, including My Kid Can't Spell (1996), Teaching Kids to Spell (1992), Spel...Is a Four-Letter Word (1989), and Richard Gentry on Spelling (1992), as well as numerous articles in academic journals and textbooks for school-age children. A former elementary teacher and university professor, Gentry is a Heinemann Professional Development provider and has lectured and conducted workshops on literacy and spelling throughout the world. Visit http: //JRichardGentry.com for additional information about Richard Gentry and his work.