This issue of set: Research Information for Teachers includes several articles on the theme of developing language. There are findings from research into the literacy development journeys of 5- and 6-year-olds in low socioeconomic schools, a report on a collaboration to bring a language focus to secondary school subjects and a study that asks students how they learn to spell. The commentary looks at the Te Kotahitanga programme from the perspective of a non-Māori participant, and there are insights into the schooling experiences of Pasifika students. Plus: the challenges of graph interpretation in science, technology-enhanced teaching and learning in primary science, and how health promoting schools tackle bullying. This edition’s Assessment News contains tips on understanding error in test results.

The focus of this edition of set: Research Information for Teachers is expanding literacy teaching. There are articles on the use of multimodal texts to build student engagement and achievement in literacy, countering the “summer reading drop” at a New Zealand primary school and a United States approach to supporting literacy learning for struggling secondary students. Also in this issue: a group of history teachers challenge colleagues to develop their own and their students’ thinking about the discipline through an innovative approach to teaching at historical sites.

The other articles explore building peer assessment into classroom programmes, support for early career teachers and partnerships with parents as children with special needs start school. Assessment News for this edition asks: What makes a rich task?