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Hello,
Well, the sun is setting on another summer...but I hope you made some great memories over the past several weeks. We have been very busy at KSDE as we prepare for the roll out of the new school improvement model. I will be highlighting it in next month's newsletter along with some new resources we are developing. An exciting preview of that, in case you haven't heard, is that across the state we will be prioritizing four fundamentals...and one of those is structred literacy. The other three fundamentals include a balanced assessment system, standards alignment, and high quality instruction. Stay tuned for more resources!
In this issue, you will find that there are three exciting opportunities for professional learning which you can register for...all free to you! You will find a two session webinar by Dr. Tiffany Hogan, a top researcher on DLD, and two virtual opportunities that are based on two excellent text resources including Wiley Blevin's new book on differentiated phonics instruction and a re-offering of our Structured Literacy Intervention study that was offered last year, but requested again! If you are doing one of the text-based studies...get those books ordered...and see if you can bring your PLC colleagues along! All are welcome.
As promised, the revised KSDE Dyslexia Modules were sent out several days ago- but I have also included a link below if you missed them!
Please read and share this widely, and if someone wants to sign up to get this newsletter sent out automatically, , just encourage them to email ELitDyslexia@ksde.org.
Yours in education
Laurie
Dr. Laurie Curtis
KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Program Manager
Important Updates from KSDE
They are HERE! WAIT NO LONGER!
The newly revised KSDE required Dyslexia Training Modules for teachers who are new to the profession, or new to teaching in Kansas (based on licensure) are available and are already being used.
This training is required for any new hire to a district that has not received this training in a previous district and holds the license or endorsements below. I have received a couple of questions asking if teachers taking LETRS are released from this requirement. The answer is no, they still should be fully trained with these modules. The information included is not the same as LETRS. For example, Module 1 is specific to KSDE and the Kansas School Improvement Module. LETRS is not specific to dyslexia, doesn't discuss executive function, etc. such as you will find in Modules 2 & 3. However, the information in module 4 should be reinforce some of their LETRS content and it never hurts to hear good information more than once!
• PK-6 Elementary Education,
• Early Childhood Unified,
• High Incidence Special Education- Teaching in grades K-12,
• ELA grades 5-12,
• Reading Specialists
• School Psychologists
This training is also recommended for para-educators and/ or others your system has assisting with literacy support and instruction.
Documentation for when this training occurs and who attended should be kept by the district and referred to when completing documentation for school improvement and/ or accreditation.
Training can be done in one full day, or over time, but should be completed by March 1st. You can access these modules, the facilitation guide and supportive materials at the KSDE Dyslexia Page, or by using this link:
KSDE Dyslexia Training Modules
Information for Promising Practice
What key factors lead toward greater reading comprehension? What is the role of background knowledge? What can educators do to increase background knowledge and boost comprehension?
Read specific tips and techniques to help answer these questions at the Fact Sheet link below, provided by the International Dyslexia Association.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Virtual professional learning!
All you need is a book and some time... PD hours documented via KSDE certificate.
Our recent text-based virtual PLC: Structured Literacy Interventions: Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties K-6 was well-received and comes with an amazing Padlet of resources to support your practice of providing interventions to enhance student learning. Sign up yourself or get a group of colleagues to join you as a building-level cohort!
The Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Team will be offering this study again via Zoom but on a different week night this coming Fall/Winter. The dates are below. Please mark your calendar! This ten-week study (plus an introductory week) will begin September 18th and meet every other week via Zoom on Wednesdays from 4:00 - 5:00 pm, CST.
Registration can be found HERE
DATES for the study:
September 18
Oct. 2nd, 16, 30
Nov. 13th- no study the week of Thanksgiving
Dec. 4, 18
January 8, 22
February 5, 19
Let's think about the ENTIRE reading rope... with a focus on language comprehension. If students are gaining decoding skills and STILL struggling with comprehension...what might be the problem? Come learn from a leading scholar about DLD, Developmental Language Disorder...what it looks like alongside dyslexia, how it may present without dyslexia, how might we identify it with our youngest of students and get them the help they need before they struggle with comprehension as they get older?
You may have seen her at the Plain Talk conference, or read her articles in The Reading League Journal...but as a Kansas educator, YOU are now personally invited to learn from Dr. Tiffany Hogan!
Dr. Hogan is the Director of the Speech and Language Literacy Lab (SAiL) and Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at MGH Institute in Boston. She studies the genetic, neurological nd behavioral links between oral and written language and literacy development. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. She also serves as a Research Associate for Harvard Medical School.
Registration is OPEN and free of charge! Join us for both sessions- a virtual 1 hour webinar on Tuesday, September 24th from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm and also for the follow-up panel with Dr. Hogan and Kansas educators/ specialists on October 8th from 4:00 - 5:00 pm.
You can register for both session at the following link:
Dr. Tiffany Hogan: Developmental Language Disorder
These sessions are designed for: PK-6 teachers/ paraeducators, speech-language pathologists, reading specialists, special education teachers, and school psychologists! Everyone is welcome! Spread the word! Zoom link will be sent prior to September 24th.
While we are hoping to record Dr. Hogan's presentation on Septmeber 24th, a KSDE certificate of attendance will only be provided for those in attendance for the live sessions on September 24th and/ or October 8th.
You can learn more about Dr. Hogan and the work she does by following the links below!
If you want to learn more about Dr. Hogan's scholarly work, check out her profile on Google Scholar below:
Come and Learn about differentiating phonics instruction with your Kansas colleagues!
Last year many of you joined us for a study on Wiley Blevins' book called A Fresh Look at Phonics. We will be exploring his brand new book, called "Differentiating Phonics Instruction for Maximum Impact: How to Scaffold Whole-Group Instruction So all Students Can Access Grade-Level Content (Corwin Literacy).
This study will be held weekly for 10 weeks via Zoom, starting September 16, 2024, from 5:00 - 6:00 pm CST. There is no cost to participate except for the purchase of the book prior to the study.
Graduate credit (1-2 hours) will be offered from Ft. Hays State University for this study. Contact Heather Musil at hjmusil@fhsu.edu for more information regarding enrollment and fees for graduate credit.
This study meets from 5:00 - 6:00 CST, which allows our colleagues in the west edge of the state to dismiss students and participate! Spread the word!
Dates will include:
September 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 21, 28
November 4,11,18
All are welcome!
Register below for:
LETRS®
The Kansas State Board of Education has approved a license renewal requirement for professional learning in the science of reading for those licensed in the state that are working in certain roles in our schools. Those who complete the approved training or pass a science of reading test (that is approved by the Kansas State Board of Education) will meet the requirements for license renewal and receive a "Kansas Seal of Literacy" on their licence. Additional guidance related to the specifics for training and testing will be coming soon.
The Kansas State Board of Education is working to extend the opportunity for funding LETRS beyond this year to help districts meet this requirement. Please look for more information coming regarding this initiative.
To register yourself or your district for LETRS, please contact:
Kevin Davis (TASN) kddavis@pittstate.edu
Reasons to Celebrate!
Well done Ottawa, USD 290!
Ottawa, USD 290, had 47 elementary teachers complete Volumes 1 & 2 of LETRS and shared this photo from their last Unit 8 session!
Amy Bybee, USD 290 Assistant Superintendent and KSDE Teacher Leader Consultant stated, "It was a heavy lift, but they persevered through and gave a few summer days to complete training days. Their knowledge is already being used through summer curriculum work where they are now looking at curriculum and instruction with well-informed eyes! We appreciated the state offering the materials and our BOE offering stipends for those who completed the course."
If you have a cohort of educators completing LETRS training, please let me know. I would love to highlight your accomplisment in this newsletter!
Literacy Lifeline Questions/ Answers
Literacy Lifeline is up and running!
As school gets underway, if you have a question about literacy professional practice, or anything else related to improving student literacy learning - the KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia team is here to help! Our KSDE Literacy Lifeline is back up and running for the upcoming school year! You can ask a question using the linked form below and request it be answered via a Zoom virtual conference/ consulting session, an email, or suggest it as a possible article in this newsletter.
"A problem is an opportunity in work clothes."---Henry J. Kaiser
If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, please ask them to contact me at ELitDyslexia@ksde.org to request being added to the Early Literacy/ Dyslexia listserv, or visit the KSDE Dyslexia page and select the purple HERE button and select Newsletter to see the current and past issues.
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