At The Hillside School, helping students grow into confident, capable readers is at the heart of everything we do. This year, educators Pam Kuntzman, Stacey Kuntzman, and Su Esterly are expanding their expertise through specialized training in EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction), a research-based approach designed to strengthen foundational reading and language skills for students with a wide range of learning profiles.
EBLI takes what is known as a linguistic “speech-to-print” approach to reading instruction. Rather than beginning with written letters and teaching students what sounds they represent, instruction starts with spoken language and the sounds of words, then connects those sounds to print.
“It is a linguistic approach, meaning it’s speech-to-print, as opposed to Orton-Gillingham, which is print-to-speech,” explained Pam Kuntzman. “It’s honestly unlike anything I’ve ever trained in before.”
Pam first discovered EBLI while exploring professional conversations within the literacy community. “I was skimming a Facebook group and another reading specialist mentioned it, speaking highly of its efficacy,” she shared. “Particularly the feedback on the growth that kids were experiencing in such a short amount of time—it made me extremely interested in learning more.”
What Makes EBLI Different?
One of the strengths of EBLI is the way it integrates many essential components of literacy instruction into cohesive lessons. “It integrates so many different components of literacy instruction throughout a simple lesson,” said Stacey Kuntzman.
For Hillside students—especially those with language-based learning differences—this integrated approach can be especially powerful. Rather than isolating skills, EBLI helps students see how different elements of language work together.
“Rather than teaching sounds in isolation, you are integrating instructional components including skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, reading, writing, and spelling,” explained Su Esterly. The approach also allows students to move beyond basic decoding skills and develop the ability to tackle more complex words and patterns. “Students who have basic CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) understanding can move beyond that into complex multi-syllabic patterns of decoding,” Su added.
During their training, the educators have also discovered some surprising connections between literacy skills and other foundational practices.
“One interesting thing we’ve learned is how consistently handwriting is incorporated into instructional routines,” Pam noted. “The research shows that if students can write 40 lowercase letters in a minute, their fluency in reading increases significantly.
As Pam, Stacey, and Su continue their EBLI training, they are already thinking about how these strategies can strengthen literacy instruction across Hillside. Su sees the potential impact extending throughout the school’s literacy program. EBLI, she explained, can help accelerate literacy growth while creating greater efficiency in instructional practices, allowing Hillside educators to deliver cutting-edge, research-based instruction to students who benefit from clear, structured learning.
Through professional learning opportunities like this, Hillside continues to invest in innovative, evidence-based approaches that help students unlock the power of language. As these strategies begin to take root in classrooms, they will support the continued growth of Hillside readers and reinforce the school’s commitment to helping every student thrive.
