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Hello,
Happy New Year!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and I wish you the best best for the new year! Whether or not you made any resolutions, I think we all resolve coming back after the holidays with a renewed sense of urgency and a desire to accomplish great things as we move into the new semester/ 9 weeks!
Below you will find some new opportunities for professional learning and an opportunity for you to suggest things you would find helpful to support you in the work you are doing. I am also going to start providing a "book and/ or podcast" review and would love to hear from you if you have a shining example of a text or podcast you think should be shared with others as part of their own personal/ professional learning journey. If you have suggestions, please send them to me at ELitDyslexia@ksde.gov or complete the form below.
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
The Updated Definition for Dyslexia: The International Dyslexia Association
The new, updated dyslexia definition that was voted upon at the recent International Dyslexia Association conference (October 2025) was shared at the December 9th Kansas State Board of Education meeting. This definition will be used in the Kansas Dyslexia Handbook when it is reviewed/revised for the 2026-2027 school year. You will see that the new definition addresses the lifespan perspective of dyslexia, expands on the importance of early risk identification and prevention- specifically mentions early oral language weakness, and expands the discussion of the secondary consequences to include possible impact on employment opportunities and psychological well-being.
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.”
Literacy Day at the Capitol is January 20th! 9:30 - 1:00 pm
There will be a concerted effort to provide information and honor the work that is being done across the state to move literacy efforts forward. I hope you can follow the event or participate in it if your location and/ or schedule allows. Literacy Day will be a day for helping those who represent us recognize the work that is being done to help all children in Kansas have access to high quality literacy instruction. If you are interested in joining the efforts or learning more, please register by visiting this link that is provided by the International Dyslexia Association of Kansas/ Missouri.
UPDATE related to Lexia® LETRS® assessments:
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), and scored below 80% to have an opportunity to reset Volume post-test to allow a retake of the assessment. We are waiting for finalization of all documents, and I will let you know when the request for is available for those who qualify.
Important information to note:
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.
More information will be coming as things are finalized.
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. In addition to the assistance from our team (Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Team). To make a request, you can use the form below- while we need to have some time for advanced planning, we look forward to providing support through our collaborative service center work, virtual consulting or when schedules allow- in person presentations and support!
Professional Learning Opportunities
The Learning Continues- please join us!
We (KSDE and TNTP) are excited to continue this work in 2026 with three additional virtual sessions on January 20, February 3, and February 17. These sessions will deepen our focus on high-quality questions and tasks in literacy instruction, as well as foundational skills, all grounded in the materials you use every day. We look forward to continuing the series and further developing a strong statewide community of instructional leaders.
All sessions occur from 4:00 - 5:15 CST via ZOOM and are 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 which sessions you plan to attend, and a calendar invitation will be sent to all registered participants.
Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Team
Don't Miss Out!
KSDE and our Educational Service Center Partners are providing professional learning sessions that are free to participants- and this is the last month to attend these free sessions!
Did you know that DLD, Developmental Language Disorder, affects approximately 7 % of students...possibly 2-3 students in each classroom? Learn more from this fact sheet and come to a day of professional learning to see how to best identify and help the students in YOUR classroom who may have DLD, something that affects more students than autism, is on a continuum like dyslexia...and like dyslexia, is lifelong.
Other sessions are available to help educators and administrators learn about differentiated phonics instruction, fluency building activities...and engaging school wide vocabulary strategies to make a difference for ALL students?
Each session of this FREE PD includes a day of professional learning for educators and provides a free half-unit of graduate credit (and lunch)- but please only register if you know you can attend! We want as many people as possible to be there! There needs to be a minimum of ten participants for the sessions to be held- so bring your friends and colleagues for a great day of professional learning. Below you will see the offerings specific to structured literacy- but many of the ELA sessions are also based on the principles and elements of structured literacy. For ALL offerings, including the ELA options. see THIS LINK.
Word Power: Proven Routines to Strengthen Vocabulary Schoolwide
Unlock the secrets to building a robust vocabulary across your entire school! In this hands-on session, educators will explore evidence-based routines designed to expand students’ word knowledge for students in grades K-5. From daily practices to schoolwide strategies, you'll walk away with practical tools to integrate vocabulary-building activities into your classroom culture—empowering students with the words they need to succeed!
Dates, Location and Registration:
January 27, 2026 Smoky Hill (Salina) Register HERE/ Cancelled
Understanding and Addressing Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Prevalence and Effective Instructional Strategies for Educators
This session will provide educators with a comprehensive understanding of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), which affects language acquisition in approximately 7% of children in grades PreK-12. Participants will learn about the prevalence and impact of DLD on academic and social development, along with the importance of early identification. The session will explore practical, research-based instructional strategies designed to support students with DLD in the classroom, promote language development and reading comprehension, and foster language-enriched learning environments.
Dates, Location and Registration:
January 20, 2026 Greenbush (Girard) Register HERE
January 20, 2026 ESSDACK (Hutchinson) Register HERE
If you have registered- we will see you soon!
our KSDE Structured Literacy and ELA teams will be collaborating to offer a text-based learning opportunity starting in January of 2026 to discuss and navigate the chapters together.
What: Virtual (Zoom) Text-Based PD, Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives- educators will provide their own books
When? January 26-March 9, from 5:00 - 6:00 PM, have book in advance to prepare for January 26!
Why? To help students learn how to navigate and tackle complex text and you can earn PDC points for time you are able to actively participate with us!
Registration closed January 12th.
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.
Register HEREks.thereadingleague.org/2026-elevating-literacy/
Information for Promising Practice
Book/ Podcast Recommendation (recommended by Laurie Curtis)
The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading:
Translating Research to Reignite Joy and Meaning in the Classroom.
This recently written book by Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway helps educators know what to do AFTER students have mastered the ability to decode...what do we do as educators to make sure our students think critically about what they are reading, find interest and joy in reading and are able to comprehend at a deep level. If you want to learn more about this book, I recommend a blog that is found at the Learning and the Brain website, which was written by Dr. Eric Jahner. You can read that blog HERE.
Our program manager team is considering doing a future text-based KSDE professional learning study with this book as the anchor text. If you have questions or thoughts about that possibility- please email me at ELitDyslexia@ksde.gov.
What great resource have you found to support your evidence-based practices in reading? If you have a book or podcast you would like to recommend to others for their own professional learning OR possibly something that could be shared in a building, district PLC or in our newsletter, complete this survey!
English Learner Support
Best of 2025: New Resources from Colorín Colorado
Please see the link above to explore a collection of resources to support educators in their professional learning. This resource includes resources for:
classroom strategies
content area instruction
literacy instruction
artificial intelligence and ELLs
Early Childhood Education
Partnering with Families
Helpful videos and additional resources
Reasons to Celebrate!
A Great New Year Starts with Important Professional Learning for USD 480!
Dr. Gayla Lohfink (KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia) and the educators at Bright Start Early Learning Center (Liberal, USD 480) started the year off right learning about intentional oral language instruction through read-alouds and play-based learnng to build a strong literacy foundation! A focus on strong oral language instruction- including vocabulary and syntax was part of the day, as well as important professional learning on developmental language disorder (DLD). Thank you to USD 480 for supporting their dedicated early childhood educators as they work to help children joyfully get those foundational skills in place so they can build important reading and writing skills for future success!
Literacy Lifeline Questions/ Answers
Literacy Lifeline is up and 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 Early 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.
Happy Kansas Day- January 29th!
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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