S7 E3 - What Does Research Really Say  About Decodable Texts?

S7 E3 - What Does Research Really Say About Decodable Texts?

From The Structured Literacy Podcast by Jocelyn Seamer

February 15, 2026 · 25 min · Season 7 · Episode 3

About this episode

This episode discusses the current research on decodable and leveled texts, highlighting key findings and cautions in the field of literacy education.

In this episode, we weigh the current research on decodable and leveled texts, separate durable findings from weak claims, and explore which research findings we can confidently base decisions on. Some of the research focus explored in this episode are: • strengths and limits of the research base • how decodables build early decoding and pseudoword reading • strategy differences prompted by text type • why early gains fade without progression • cautions around comprehension claims...

People in this episode

Host: Jocelyn Seamer

Topics covered

  • decodable texts
  • leveled texts
  • reading research
  • decoding skills
  • comprehension
  • education

Keywords

  • decodable texts
  • leveled texts
  • reading research
  • decoding
  • comprehension claims
  • education
  • pseudoword reading

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