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Hello,
Happy Valentine's Day! I may have said this last year- but Valentine's Day was by far my favorite holiday during the school year. Not a time that you had to dress up like Halloween, worry about gifts and hope someone didn't spoil "Santa Magic" for a classmate- but a time when we worked really hard to write our name 25 times neatly so someone could read it...write the names of classmates and then strive really hard to read and comprehend those notes we received. A time we practiced a lot of fine motor skills with all those hearts we cut. There seemed to be a way to work on standards and developmental skills all while planning to tell people that you wanted to be their friend. If you are working with older students- you may have many different experiences than an early grade teacher! However, I still hope you feel cared for an appreciated for who you are and what you do. I appreciate you so very much for your dedication to the profession of teaching. You make a difference in the lives of others...EVERY SINGLE DAY.
In the newsletter below you will find some updates, resources and a few new opportunities! Please share this newsletter widely and let me know if you have questions or need additional support. If you know of someone who would like to receive this newsletter each month, please let them know they can do that by emailing a request to ELitDyslexia@ksde.gov.
Yours in education
Laurie
Dr. Laurie Curtis
KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Program Manager
Important Updates from KSDE
Don't Forget! IT IS TIME TO PLAN FOR THE 2ND GRADE ASSESSMENT.
We are in the third year of proving this optional assessment...and we don't want you to miss out!
The window opens March 23rd and closes April 24th.
The Grade 2 Kansas Reading Assessment measures both foundational skills and reading comprehension. It is designed to serve as a bridge between the early elementary goal of learning to read and the later elementary goal of reading to learn. Results are intended for parent, teacher, school, and district use. Results should be used to guide instruction and possible summer intervention prior to 3rd grade. Grade 2 Reading Assessment results are not included in the state accountability framework.
This assessment is provided in 2 sessions, 25-30 minutes each in an engaging format. Students have the chance to "try out" those foundational skills in passages, giving them an opportunity to see what an assessment through KAP might look like before they take their first "state assessment". More information is provided at THIS LINK. Information and timelines for all assessments can be found on this document: Kansas Assessment Program Overview
Educators can contact their test coordinator to be set up for the assessment or contact Chelsea Pelfrey at Chelsea.Pelfrey@ksde.gov with questions!
UPDATE related to Lexia® LETRS®:
Resetting LETRS Volume /Summative Assessments (taken after July1, 2025)
KSDE and Lexia have reached a verbal agreement that will allow individuals who took a summative assessment after July 1, 2025 (the date of the assessment change) for LETRS for Administrators, Early Childhood and LETRS 3rd Edition- if participants scored below 80%- to have an opportunity to reset the Volume post-test. We are waiting for finalization of all legal documents and then we will provide information to make sure that those who qualify have the link provided by Lexia to request a reset.
Important information to note: (this information has not changed):
Post-tests that were taken prior to the July 1st date are not included in this request because July 1, 2025 is the date of the changes in the assessment.
If an assessment is re-set, the earlier score will be deleted and replaced with the most recent score.
This reset option does not include unit assessments, just the end of the volume summative assessment if there was a score below 80%.
One reset per Volume, per individual, will be considered.
PLEASE NOTE QUESTION REVIEW IS CONTINUING: If you take a LETRS assessment and have questions related to a specific item- please document the specifics for what was unclear or what you feel was incorrect and contact support@lexialearning.com to share the specific item information or your question with the Lexia support team.
*If you are an educator who fully completed a LETRS course prior to the assessment change in July and you didn't score at or above 80% and you are in a role that requires the Seal of Literacy, you may want to use your LETRS materials to review/ study the content and then take the ETS 7002 Praxis exam (expense is $85.00 for the 7002 Teaching Reading exam). If you meet the score requirement for the ETS Praxis 7002 exam, you would be able to acknowledge that you have completed LETRS training and you would also receive the Kansas Seal of Literacy. More information can be found HERE
We are here to assist!
Complete this form to request KSDE Program Manager assistance when you have a need for professional learning provided by KSDE. You can use the link below to request the assistance from our team (Structured Literacy/ Dyslexia Team) or other content areas. It is especially helpful if smaler systems combine for professional learning days for larger audiences and networking of content areas! The Structured Literacy/ Dyslexia team is also avaialble for virtual consulting by using the Literacy Lifeline link at the end of this newsletter!
Professional Learning Opportunities
ONE LAST SESSION!
FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS!
We (KSDE and TNTP) are excited to continue this work with one last virtual sessionson February 17. This session will deepen our focus on foundational skills- all grounded in the materials you use every day. We look forward to completing this series and further developing a strong statewide community of instructional leaders.
Even if you haven't been able to attend the other sessions- don't hesitate- please come to this one!
This session will occur February 17th from 4:00 - 5:15 CST via ZOOM and is free for participants. For those who attend, there is a certificate of participation to verify your time spent at the sessions.
Here is the registration link. Please indicate you plan to attend, and a calendar invitation will be sent to all registered participants.
Read, Talk, Play, Thrive: A Whole-Child Literacy Institute
Free National Early Literacy Institute coming to Kansas City in February!
On February 24-26, the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning will host "Read, Talk, Play, Thrive: A Whole-Child Literacy Institute" in Kansas City, Missouri. This conference will shine a light on best literacy practices that support brain development and help every child take their first steps toward a lifelong love of learning.
This free in-person professional development event is designed for early childhood leaders and educators across all program types working with children from birth to age five. Participants will gain insights into the foundational role early literacy plays in children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Explore Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension and learn evidence-based ways to promote literacy through reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing, with an emphasis on the role of structured play in fostering neural connections, vocabulary growth, and brain development in young children.
Click here to view the agenda-at-a-glance and to register. Registration closes soon. The conference begins at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Febr. 24 and ends at 12:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Click here for conference hotel information.
The National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning is part of a comprehensive federal Office of Head Start training and technical assistance system. Contact Maryanne Pascua Garcia (mpascua@zerotothree.org) with questions.
The Reading League Conference
Elevating Literacy: Connecting Communities for Lasting Impact!
The event will be held at the Rhatigan Student Center on the Wichita State University campus in Wichita, KS on Monday, March 30, 2026.
More information and the lik to register can be found HERE ks.thereadingleague.org/2026-elevating-literacy/
Information for Promising Practice
Rocket Science Revisited: Where Should Reading Research Take Us Next?
Please take a look (or listen) here! This recent EdView 360 podcast! It calls out states that are doing some powerful things, and of the two mentioned, Kansas is one!
The guests on this podcast are Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Tim Odegard.
Points covered include:
● Why “Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science” remains relevant today
● Priorities for improving implementation of evidence-aligned instruction
● Why higher education holds the key to sustaining literacy reform and preparing future teacher educators
● What the national landscape of dyslexia laws reveals about progress—and what’s still missing in impact research
● Why current policies overemphasize foundational print skills while neglecting morphological and etymological depth in spelling and word study
● How oral language and comprehension continue to be overlooked in screening, curriculum adoption, and teacher preparation
● What Kansas and Ohio’s systemic literacy blueprints teach us about building coherent, statewide literacy systems
Looking for a free, supplemental resource for students in upper-elementary?
WORD CONNECTIONS, by | Jessica Toste PhD , a multisyllabic word reading program
You can download the instructional scope and sequence at the page and learn more about the 40, 40 minute lessons designed for students in upper elementary grades who continue to need decoding instruction. These lessons were developed to provide supplemental instruction for students in 3rd grade and above.
English Learner Support
Take a look at these great resources to support our EL students!
Explores these Tip Sheets in the EL Famiy Toolkit!
Explore the new EL Family Toolkit Tip Sheets from the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). These easy-to-use resources summarize key points from all six chapters from the EL Family Toolkit, offering practical guidance and support for ELs and their families.
The Tip Sheets cover topics such as:
· Enrolling your child in school
· Understanding U.S. school systems
· Educational programs and services
· Extracurricular opportunities
· Health and safety
· Strategies for your child’s success
Download Here: EL Family Toolkit Tip Sheets | NCELA - English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs
Questions- or need more assistance?- just contact:
Emily Scott, Coordinator
Special Education & Title Services
Emily.Scott@ksde.gov
(785-296-4941)
Reasons to Celebrate!
Let's talk about something to celebrate!
30+ Kansas Schools are named as a Bright Spots in this article that celebrates schools that are beating the odds and doing great work in teaching students to read when they are faced with challenges!
SCHOOLS THAT ARE BEATING THE ODDS AT 3RD GRADE READING
The top ranked school in Kansas is Dighton Elementary School in Dighton, KS! (USD 482)
In Dighton, when hearing about this honor, Superintendent Matt Hendricks shared, "I am incredibly proud of our staff’s commitment to the science of reading. Through our comprehensive TSS program, they transform data into meaningful action—ensuring that high-quality instruction and genuine care reach every single student."
Dighton Elementary grades PK-2 have been consistently aligning their practice to the science of reading and using a structured literacy based curriculum since 2012. All teachers and support staff working in core and intervention groups of primary students received strong science of reading training to reinforce the core curriculum and to understand how to supplement where the curriculum is lacking.
They also are committed to having highly trained teachers and support staff in the intermediate grades to continue this decoding and fluency work for students who have not met benchmark by the end of second grade. Hailey Hawkinson, 2nd grade teacher, stated "throughout the 13 years of this journey we continue to see improvement. Consistency over time and continued growth of structured literacy/SoR knowledge and implementation has been the key to our success."
Congratulations to USD 482 and all the educators who make success like this happen!
To access the full map of Kansas see THIS LINK
Literacy Lifeline Questions/ Answers
Literacy Lifeline is available to answer your questions!
If you have a question about literacy professional practice, or anything else related to improving student literacy learning - the KSDE Structured Literacy/ Dyslexia team is here to help! 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.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” – Albert Einstein.
If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, please ask them to contact me at ELitDyslexia@ksde.gov 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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