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Hello,
It is hard to believe we are well into February and heading towards my favorite holiday as a teacher... Valentine's Day! Being a kindergarten teacher for many years, I came to dislike Halloween. Trying to navigate the rules about costumes, helping little ones in and out of costumes when the urgency was there for using the bathroom- and the tears that fell when something with the costume broke or was lost. Thanksgiving- as a time to give thanks was a wonderful time, but I realized quickly that many of the books and materials we had were not historically accurate or sensitive towards Native Americans. Christmas/ Holiday parties held another type of anxiety for me as I tried to run interference for those who did or didn't believe in Santa. However, Valentine's Day...it was the best! Students were very motivated to write their name neatly and accurately, so their friends would be able to tell who the valentine was from! Children were motivated to practice fine motor skills in the cutting of curved lines and glueing patterned pieces in place as we made cards for those we loved, and they were very motivated to read those little cards. Who doesn't want an opportunity to give and receive positive, comical and/ or sweert affirmations of caring. SO...Happy Valentine's Day! I appreciate the work you do and your ability to help students love learning.
Laurie
Dr. Laurie Curtis
KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Program Manager
Information for Promising Practice
Developmental Language Disorder
We are having more children enter school with language delays, and some may enter to the school setting nonverbal. However, those children may be able to decode and at times have met as preschoolers their speech/language goals. A large body of research is finding these students then struggle with reading as they move into later grades...3rd, 4th grade- when difficulty resurfaces and children may be identified as having a developmental language disorder (DLD). New information is coming out about screening for developmental language disorders- a hidden difficulty that may affect 10-14% of students in our classrooms. For more information, please see this link:
Don't use the 3 cueing technique when teaching students to read. Three cueing leads students to use strategies we know struggling readers use- not the strategies that proficient readers use. I am finding that while many can state that 3 cueing is "bad", there is still confusion by some about what exactly we mean by 3 cueing and WHY it is not good to use with students. We need to make sure every opportunity is provided to draw student attention to letters and letter patterns to give students the chance to build strong word recognition skills!
If you know of anyone who may still be confused on what 3 cueing is- and/ or why it isn't good, please share the linked information below!
10 Reasons the Three-Cueing system (MSV) Is Ineffective - Breaking The Code
Meeting the Needs of All Students
As you consider how best to meet the needs of all students you may be gathering information to increase your own understanding on what it looks like to provide tiered support for students, this document may be useful. It provides key ideas and the link below expands on the numbered items you see listed.
Ten Key Policies and Practices for Reading Intervention
protect scheduled small-group time
Use universal screening to identify students at risk
Use informal diagnostic assessments to identify specific gaps
Group- and re-group based on specific needs
Monitor progress frequently against literacy goals
Explicitly model when teaching and give ample opportunities for application of skills
Provide systematic instruction with scaffolding in place
Provide high-quality, specific feedback
Equip teachers with knowledge and resources
Ensure intervention is supported by evidence-based materials and practice.
To read the complete document that expands on this list. please see: Ten Key Policies and Practices for Reading Intervention
For Additional Help from our Kansas MTSS and Alignment Team, please see: Kansas MTSS and Alignment
May I interest you in a road map that can lead you into a better place in implementing evidence-based practices?
This roadmap was developed to help state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) implement evidence-based literacy practices in classrooms. Select the link below to see the suggestions and learn about resources supporting the eight steps suggested to increase literacy learning.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Sign up your team! New Date for Girard!
CLUES: What Do We Do with All This Data?
A KSDE Professional Development Event
Addressing Balanced Assessment System/ Structured Literacy
8:30 am – 2:30 pm; $35.00 (includes lunch)
Our Feb. 6th date at Girard had to be rescheduled- please see the new date of March 5, 2024.
February 22, 2024: Southwest Plain Service Center, Sublette, KS Register HERE
March 5, 2024: Greenbush Service Center, Girard, KS Register HERE
March 19, 2024: Greenbush Service Center, Lawrence, KS Register HERE
Who: PLCs or Building/ District Leadership teams
This professional learning opportunity will provide building and/ or district teams of three more with structures and processes to discuss data and design action steps to improve student outcomes. This day of professional learning is designed for teachers and leaders of any/ all grade levels. Expect a day of discussion, processing, and planning! The discussion for this day will focus heavily on English Language Arts and reading data, however many of the processes can be transferred to other content areas if you chose to implement them at your school site.
Outcomes:
Collaborate with your leadership teams/PLCs to improve student outcomes
Learn how to utilize protocols to improve data driven conversations
Utilize an improvement cycle to select actions steps and monitor your impact on student learning
Explore best practices in data analysis
What to bring:
Bring a team- together everyone accomplishes more! Bring at least three individuals from your school or district who are interested in collaborating to bring this work forward in your district. To support teams of teachers and administrators during this session, it is crucial to have access to digital data or printed reports available. This can include a variety of sources, but at minimum please bring state assessment and academic screening results. Additional data can include common assessments, interim results, office referral rates, attendance, SEL screeners, surveys, and other relevant data collected by your school and district. By utilizing data, teams can make informed decisions and effectively address the needs of their students.
Presenter: Casey Peine, KSDE Teacher Leader Consultant: Casey Peine presently holds the position of Director of Teaching and Learning in Clearwater, USD 264. Throughout her educational career she has undertaken diverse roles, including service as a TASN consultant, administrator, instructional coach, and teacher. Her passion resides in the cultivation of teacher teams’ capacity to make informed decisions using data and evidence of student learning.
Teaching our Early Learners Literacy!
The Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) and Alignment is offering Playful Learning Across the Day in Pre-K, a professional development opportunity.
Attendees will discuss everyday routines with playful instructional strategies to help young children develop important early literacy foundational skills integrating print knowledge and phonological awareness.
There are two opportunities to attend. The first session will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 5, 2024, at Emporia State University Memorial Union, MU 231 Skyline Room, in Emporia. Click here to register.
The second session will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 6, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Salina. Click here to register.
Both sessions are free and lunch will be provided.
Reasons to Celebrate!
Sunflower State Well-Represented!
I just returned from the Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference held in New Orleans! 2700 in attendance and hundreds other waitlisted to get in. What an incredible opportunity to spend time learning about the newest research and promising practices used to make sure all students have the best chance possible to succeed in not only our classrooms, but life! Literacy changes lives! Keynotes included John Hattie, John Hodge and Maya Payne Smart. If you are wondering who else presented, there is a list of presenters HERE.
The most difficult challenge, was not being able to attend ALL the sessions! Those that I was able to hear included topics such as specifics in discussing dyslexia with parents, developemental language disorder, teaching spelling, literacy leadership, what it means to be on "grade level", visible learning, adolescent literacy, providing feedback, engagement (yes, Anita Archer), data driven literacy lesson plans...and there was an amazing panel discussion around "What's Next in the Science of Reading" with Kareen Weaver, Maryanne Wolf, Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Lucy Hart Paulson, and Julie Washington.
However, what brought me joy in the trip was seeing incredible Kansas educators taking in all this information to transform their classroom practice. If you were there from Kansas and I didn't see your team...send me your photo and information from your experience! The dedication of teams engaged in this experience was inspiring! Take a look at these amazing Kansas representatives below making a difference for our Kansas kids!
Pictured Left: Paola USD 368 Lauren Snyder, Title 1 Reading Specialist; Melinda Pitzer, 4th grade teacher; Cori Flynn, 4th grade teacher; Staci Wokutch, Sunflower Elementary School principal.
Pictured Center: Geary County USD 475 Leah Mehl, JCHS Lit Lab teacher; Jacob McCallister, 3rd grade teacher; Barret Hunstad 8th grade ELA; Jennifer Hansen, ELA District Specialist (KSDE Teacher Leader Consultant); Chelsea Todd, Instructional; Rebecca Pushee, Instructional Coach
Pictured Right: Goddard USD 265 Reading Specialists (Back Row L-R: Sarah Wolff, Michelle Ziegler, Patty Frame. Front Row L-R: Suzanne Sullivan, Dana Bridwell, Sandee Yost.
Being inspired by the amazing Dr. Anita Archer and Dr. Linnea Ehri.
Literacy Lifeline Questions/ Answers
Question: Which is more important...teaching letters, sounds, or both?
Answer: It may surprise you...take a look below!
Letters, Sounds, or Both...
Should you teach sounds first...letter names first...or both together? My answer is to follow the science and research, not the suggestion of a specific curriculum. As well, know the prior knowledge your students have to best recognize a logical "next step". The years I spent teaching kindergarten leads me to say both- as anyone who teaches PK-2 knows that "how do you spell.....?" is a question students ask- and as you help students accurately write representations of sounds, letter names are a tool for teaching. However, you don't have to take my word for it...what does the research say? This blog by Timothy Shanahan discusses this and also provides references for additional research you may want to explore.
Letter Names or Sounds First...You Might Be Surprised by the Answer
Do you have a question?
you have a question and would like some help in solving it...or want to consult with someone on the Early Literacy/ Dyslexia team, you can do so by completing this brief form: KSDE Literacy Lifeline Request Form
On the form you can request a day/ time to visit virtually with someone on our team or you can ask a question and receive a response to your question via email if that is better... or you are welcome to pose a question you would like addressed in this newsletter and we will try to provide that information in a future issue. Just know... we are here to help!
Important Updates from KSDE
IT IS TIME TO GET YOUR SCHOOL SIGNED UP FOR LETRS
Please contact Kevin Davis at kddavis@pittstate.edu to be registered for a LETRS state funded cohort starting this fall - paid for by KSDE and available to any teacher. This opportunity includes the regular LETRS course (2-year course), LETRS for Early Childhood (1 year course) and LETRS for Administrators (2-year course). If you are an administrator that will be directly supervising teachers and providing feedback for the implementation of LETRS, it is recommended that you take the LETRS for Educators course (rather than the Administrator course).
If you have registered for LETRS and signed into your course, the "clock" has started on your time towards completion, so please make sure to stay "on track" and encourage others do the same!
Selected Quotes from the Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning Conference
"The entire trajectory of a life can be changed by one caring adult" John Hodge
"The best way to predict the future is to create it. You have to have courage and the confidence to move to a better way of doing things". Elsa Cardenas-Hagan
"They don't come to school to learn what they already know." John Hattie
"I can't teach what I don't know. Teachers need to be scholars of language" Pam Kastner
"How well you teach = how well they learn" Anita Archer
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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