DCIU PD Offerings

Audience: School Administrators

Format: In-person, 4 Full-Day sessions

Overview: This course supports school leaders in understanding Pennsylvania’s structured literacy requirements under Act 55 and Chapter 49. Administrators will examine key Science of Reading principles and analyze their current literacy systems to identify strengths, gaps, and leadership actions that support high-quality, evidence-based instruction within a structured literacy framework. 

Audience: PK-4 Educators

Format: In-Person

Overview: This session provides an overview of structured literacy and its foundational components. Teachers will explore what structured literacy looks like in the PK–4 classroom and learn practical ways to apply core concepts to support effective, evidence-based reading instruction. 

Audience: Paraprofessionals

Format: Online

Overview: This course builds paraprofessionals’ understanding of their role in supporting foundational literacy instruction. Participants will learn practical strategies to support phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and student engagement during literacy learning. 

Audience: K-12 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: This professional learning experience explores all components of Scarborough’s Reading Rope, with attention to both Word Recognition (phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition) and Language Comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge). Participants will engage in hands-on, multi-modal activities that model effective instructional practices and student engagement strategies. The session emphasizes practical, classroom-ready approaches educators can use to support students in developing strong, interconnected literacy skills.

Audience: Grades 6-12 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: This session clarifies what structured literacy looks like in grades 6–12 and how its principles can be embedded into existing curriculum without requiring major instructional changes. Participants will explore key components of secondary structured literacy, including multisyllabic word reading, fluency, vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and writing. The focus is on practical, content-aligned routines that strengthen Tier 1 instruction.

Audience: Grades 6-12 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: Students must read, write, and use language to learn in every content area. This session helps educators understand how structured literacy principles support learning across disciplines. Participants will explore practical, high-leverage strategies—such as vocabulary routines, sentence-level instruction, and purposeful reading and writing—that can be embedded into existing lessons. The focus is on strengthening Tier 1 instruction and supporting all learners through consistent, content-aligned literacy practices.

Audience: K-12 Coaches, Educators, Administrators, Special Education Teachers, Reading Specialists, MTSS Coordinators/ Interventionists

Format: In-person

Overview:  In this interactive session, educators will explore the key ideas from The Evolving Science of Reading by Anthony Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., and examine how a fragmented approach to literacy instruction can limit student growth. Participants will learn how to align foundational skills, language development, fluency, and comprehension into a cohesive, K–12 continuum that supports all learners. The session will provide practical strategies and tools to strengthen instructional coherence, deepen student understanding, and promote critical thinking across grade levels. Educators will leave with actionable insights to help students move beyond basic reading proficiency toward true literacy—empowering them to read both the word and the world.

Audience: K-5 Educators, Reading Specialists, Literacy Leaders, Administrators 

Format: In-person

Overview: In this interactive, two-hour workshop, educators will engage in a hands-on exploration of their fall/winter literacy screener benchmark data. Participants will analyze key trends, identify student needs, and begin crafting targeted Tier 1 and Tier 2 instructional plans rooted in data insights. Practical resources and planning tools will be provided and collaboratively explored to support effective differentiation and literacy growth. Come ready to dig into your data, collaborate with colleagues, and leave with actionable next steps to drive student success.

Audience: Grade 6-12 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: Teachers in all content areas will learn how to incorporate meaningful writing into their instruction—without turning their classroom into an ELA class or requiring major shifts to their curriculum. Grounded in Collins Writing, this session focuses on simple, manageable strategies that support student thinking through writing across disciplines.

Participants will explore how to embed short, purposeful writing tasks into daily lessons to strengthen comprehension, deepen content understanding, and improve communication skills. This workshop emphasizes the natural connection between reading, writing, speaking, and listening in every classroom.

Teachers will leave with ready-to-use routines and strategies that can be implemented immediately—no extensive grading or additional workload required.

Audience: Grades 4-8 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: Teachers will strengthen their Text-Dependent Analysis (TDA) instruction by building a practical, classroom-ready toolkit. This session moves beyond simply “teaching the prompt” and instead focuses on developing strong, consistent writers through daily practice. Teachers will explore how to intentionally blend reading comprehension with structured writing techniques, using strategies grounded in Collins Writing.

Participants will engage in ready-to-use routines, scaffolds, and high-impact activities that support students in analyzing texts, developing clear claims, and writing with evidence. Teachers will leave with concrete strategies they can implement immediately to improve student writing outcomes.

Audience: Grade 6-12 Educators

Format: In-person

Overview: In this interactive professional development session, teachers will explore how to embed reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills authentically across all content areas through the lens of disciplinary literacy. Participants will examine how experts in different fields think and communicate, experience the challenges students face when disciplinary thinking is not explicitly taught, and learn practical strategies to support students in reading, writing, and speaking like scientists, historians, mathematicians, artists, and more. Teachers will leave with concrete tools and strategies to make disciplinary thinking visible and strengthen student engagement, comprehension, and communication within their classrooms.