Embedded Files
Spring Greetings,
it just seems like yesterday I was welcoming in the new school year- and here we are at the end of May. I thank you for the incredible work you have done this year to do what is best for your students, your colleagues and the families in your community. As I write this, I am still awaiting news which fully clarifies about how funding will be provided/ restored for our collaborative professional learning and the extension of our LETRS training and our LETRS Facilitator Training. Due to waiting, this newsletter is coming out much later than I had planned, and for that I'm sorry. Please be listening to your system leaders, as they will be tuned in to communication with KSDE as we learn more. Dr. Randy Watson, our Commissioner of Education, and Dr. Ben Proctor, the Deputy Commissioner of Learning Services, both have assured me that they are using all options to secure funding for our state literacy initiatives to continue- stating that it may take patience as we examine and utilize all options available, but to rest assured that the state has literacy as a high priority.
Due to summer being upon us, I have included resources to share with families and/or day care providers in your community...or for you to use as an anchor for summer school or district programming to provide literacy support over the summer break to help students gain and maintain literacy skills and strategies.
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
IMPORTANT TO NOTE
The KIDS reporting portal is open and will be open until June 30th. This is the portal where systems upload spring universal screening data for KSDE. Please note- this is an area of compliance for accreditation. While you screen all students K-8 three times a year, and 9th graders in the fall, only the spring data for all students in Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, and Eighth Grade will need to be uploaded on, or before, June 30th.
KSDE Universal Screening for Reading Risk/ Dyslexia EOYA Reporting
If there is any type of error message, or if you have questions, additional assistance can be found at kids@ksde.org
More information can be found HERE. While there, watch the highlight video with Dr. Randy Watson sharing the great things awaiting you this July at the Great Ideas Conference!
July 29th is Coming! Don't Miss Out!
Grab your Colleagues, bring your LETRS Facilitator friends and any literacy leader in your building/ district to hear Becca Silver, founder of The Whole Educator. Becca is this year's invited speaker at the KSDE Literacy Leadership Summit- July 29th in Wichita, as part of the KSDE Great Ideas Conference. Becca works with systems and states committed with strong embedded coaching models and you can read more about her HERE. Educators can register for just the ONE DAY of the summit If they wish. If you have a currently trained LETRS facilitator In your system, plans are for additional PD funds to be available for your district to offset the cost of registration for any LETRS facilitator to attend. You will be receiving more Information soon about those details! Becca will be providing sessions for building and district leaders In the morning of July 29th and then in the afternoon she will be working specifically with our literacy leaders/ LETRS facilitators. At the registration link to the left you can also find a copy of the conference sessions/ schedule.
For School/District Leaders:
This session provides school leaders with a clear, actionable framework for understanding and responding to staff resistance. You’ll learn how to diagnose what’s underneath the pushback—not just what it looks like on the surface—and use targeted strategies that align with each form of resistance. Whether you’re facing skepticism, burnout, or passive disengagement, you’ll leave with specific, practical tools to respond in ways that build trust, momentum, and meaningful buy-in. You’ll also explore how to support teachers at every level of willingness to change, using a differentiated leadership approach that strengthens professional growth and improves outcomes for both educators and students.
For LETRS Facilitators:
This session gives instructional coaches a practical approach to breaking through teacher resistance. You’ll learn how to identify different types of resistance, what’s actually driving them, and how to respond with strategies that match the need. Instead of generic coaching moves, you’ll walk away with specific, concrete techniques you can use immediately—tailored to different forms of resistance like doubt, disconnection, and overload. You’ll also learn how to adjust your coaching approach based on a teacher’s level of willingness to change, so your time and support are focused where they’ll have the greatest impact.
The 2025 state assessment has been given and you may be wondering about when scores will be released. Below is a timeline of the work that needs to be done prior to releasing the scores and reports, upon receiving board approval on August 8th.
June 9-13 – Standard Setting by Kansas Educators
July 8 – Kansas State Board of Education Standard Setting Results Presentation
August 8 – Kansas STate Board of Education Vote on Cut Scores for Performance Levels
Approximately September 1 – scores released to teachers, buildings, and districts. Scores in Parent Portal the following week.
This is the link from the May board meeting that discusses standard setting to understand the work that will be completed:
Standard Setting Methodology with Dr. Karla Egan
Start Time: 4:30:47
Join KSDE on Blue Sky for updates and information!
If you enjoy staying current on social media- KSDE can now be found on BlueSky, in addition to other platforms. Recent accolades are found there related to our 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year finalists! Congratulations Educators!
Information for Promising Practice
The video below is an incredibly clear and concise video to share with educators OR parents OR community members to explain exactly what dyslexia is and what it is not. This very brief video was provided by dyslexia expert and researcher, Dr. Tim Odegard , Dr of Psychology at Middle Tennessee State. When I contacted Dr. Odegard for permission to include it here, he said to be watching for additional videos that will be following...so stay tuned!
This will also be placed on the KSDE Dyslexia page for your reference.
“Start With a Book is an exceptionally helpful site for parents and teachers who are looking for book suggestions, reading activities, and practical tips for teaching kids to read. Books are categorized by theme so you can choose subjects that you know interest your kid.”
Common Sense Media
Start with a Book Is a resource for parents and techers who are interested In connecting kids with content while supporting reading development. It is a summer and out-of-school-time learning project from Reading Rockets and is designed to help kids strengthen their reading and writing skills and build background knowledge.
It allows users to search books and find accompanying activities based on student interest to help students who are learning to read, read something they are interested to learn. Please check out this resource and share with other educators and parents- it may also be a very helpful resource for teachers who are working on developing summer school programming.
Book Buddies Activity Kits and Guides
For additional information see:
Is Morphology Training Better Than Phonics Instruction?
by Dr. Tim Shanahan
Although an earlier blog opposed early attention to morphology, Dr, Shanahan's views have changed as new evidence has accumulated. Most of this research has focused somewhat later in the primary grade sequence, and he still contends that it makes sense to start by teaching students to translate print to pronunciation (some form of phonics). However, he says he Is increasingly being convinced that the early introduction of morphology make sense too. He states that morphology teaching should be introduced even when explicit phonics instruction is still being taught. Gradually the proportion of word reading instruction should shift from phonology to morphology. The judicious approach would be to include some simple morphology lessons as early as kindergarten, increasing them as the new vocabulary (and spelling demands) justifies. What we need now are evaluations of experimental morphology curricula to help us understand how best to accomplish this.
The link to the blog post is at the top of this post!
Developmental Language Disorder
Along with great infographics, visit DLD and Me to see four brief vignettes of what it is like to have DLD or care for those who do. These brief peeks into the lives of these children can help us know how to better support them.
Visit the website at: DLDandMe
Say NO to Summer Slide!
Join Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson as he takes a deep dive into the world of Kansas public education on the Insight podcast. Featuring engaging conversations with a diverse range of guests, this podcast explores the latest national and state issues impacting our Kansas schools.
Don't miss the most current episode with incredible educators, including reading specialist Jeri Powers from the KSDE Early Literacy/ Dyslexia Team-. She makes a clear case for summer school needing to be intentional, well- planned and having the highest trained educators working with our students needing the most assistance! For the Summer Slide episode, click HERE or where you get your podcasts by searching for KSDE Insight Podcast; Kansas State Department of Education.
If your school is providing summer academic learning programs- you may find this document by EdResearch for Action, entitled Design Programs for Academic Summer Learning Programs helpful. You can find it at this LINK
Last month I shared with you a page KSDE has developed that shares our KSDE school improvement resources. We have many of our resources all put together and easily accessed off the KSDE Homepage- with by clicking on the "School Improvement Resources" button. More will be coming including professional learning in using those resources. Currently, in addition to science and math, you will find a General Observation tool and an English Language Arts Observation/ Coaching tool at this link. While there is a foundational skills portion on the ELA one, we are working on one more specific to structured literacy and what high quality instruction looks like when implemented well for early skill development. Please check back, and watch for any summer update through our listservs! Those tools will be found under the Quality Instruction tab in the School Improvement Resource link found directly on our KSDE.gov webpage and I have also linked it HERE
Kansas State School for the Blind is proud to serve as a resource providing information and support for administrators, teachers, and parents across Kansas.
As you seek Information about how best to support your students with vision impairments, please visit this Incredible resource. They have assistance for those teaching all content areas and a wealth of ideas for how to make sure all students have access to content. As you plan for the upcoming year...please make sure this resource Is shared with all educators!
Professional Learning Opportunities
Due to the loss of ESSER funding, the professional development focused on Standards Alignment has been temporarily paused. KSDE is currently working on an appeal to restore this funding. In the meantime, we remain committed to advancing the important work already underway. The following plan will guide KSDE and Service Center professional development efforts moving forward:
Science sessions will continue as scheduled this summer. A participation fee of $35 will be required, to be paid by the participant or their district. Free college credit will no longer be available.
HGSS professional development will proceed with a modified ESSDACK plan. These sessions will also require a $35 participation fee, with no option for free college credit. Sessions planned in collaboration with Greenbush will be moved to the next school year.
Math, ELA, and Structured Literacy (SL) sessions originally scheduled for the summer will be rescheduled for the next school year.
SEL, PE, and Counseling summer sessions will continue as scheduled for certain Service Centers. Please reach out to your service center for more information. A participation fee of $35 will be required, to be paid by the participant or their district.
We understand how vital this work is to districts and educators across the state. While these changes are necessary at this time, our shared goal is to continue progressing Standards Alignment work. Rescheduled dates and registration links will be shared as soon as they are finalized. Should ESSER funding be restored, we will reassess and reallocate those funds to support and accelerate these efforts.
We truly appreciate your patience, flexibility, and partnership as we navigate this transition and remain focused on delivering high-quality professional development aligned with your needs.
Reasons to Celebrate!
Here is our newest LETRS Local Facilitators who completed their Facilitator Training for Volume 1 in Derby in Early May!
Well Done Kismet-Plains!
Congratulations to educators completing Volume 2!
Congratulations Great Bend!
34 individuals- 2 who are secondary educators finished Volume 2...and they are planning to do the same next year and are continuing to plan for inclusion of their secondary faculty!
Congratulations Chaparral!
Well done finishing your LETRS course! So grateful for your hard work and dedication to improve literacy instruction!
Congratulations
Derby!
Smiles all around as these amazing educators in Derby completed their entire LETRS course! As the screen says...Congratulations on your AWESOME ACHIEVEMENT!
On May 5th I had the supreme honor of being In Lawrence as they celebrated 110 educators completing Volume 2 of their LETRS training! USD 497 has had five cohorts trained In LETRS, with a total of 332 LETRS Trained Staff Members- which Includes elementary educators, special education professionals, ESL, Instructional Coaches, Interventionists, Psychologists, and Secondary Educators (41). They have also had 100% of their Early Childhood Educators and 15 Elementary Principals (100%). They have selected the next group to be trained as LETRS Facilitators in the future- and although our ESSER funding has been paused, they are committed to carry on with their mission of assuring every teacher has the best Information to help every student learn to read! Well done ALL of you and especially to Denise Johnson and Kristin Hase for the chance to share In your special event!
Congratulations Olathe, USD 233!
We celebrate with Olathe as they have a second cohort finishing up Volume 2!
CELEBRATION with Central Heights!
May 15th, Dr. Watson and I were honored to share the last day of school banquet with the dedicated educators at USD 288 Central Heights. They have done an incredible job of training their faculty In LETRS, but their special education department has gone further and celebrated 10 of their 12 paraeducators completing Modules 1-4 of LETRS. In their letter of invitation, Hope Lickteig, elementary principal, noted this is an accomplishment worthy of celebrating for their small, rural 2A school! We would agree!
"We are a small but determined school, and we are bound and determined to have 100% of our students reading on grade level. This commitment is truly a testament to the heart and passion of our educators, especially those in special education who are helping us break down barriers and create a brighter future for our students." Hope Lickteig, Elementary Principal
Literacy Lifeline Questions/ Answers
Literacy Lifeline will continue to run over the summer!
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.
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. --Robert Louis Stevenson
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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