2022 Literacy Symposium: Learners With Diverse Needs 

Today’s students spend a good portion of time reading on their computers, tablets, and other digital devices. But what difference does reading digitally have on what students understanding (comprehension) and how well they judge their performance (calibration)? In this session, Singer Trakhman and Alexander will first overview the research on reading comprehension across print and digital mediums and the consistent finding that reading on paper is more effective than reading on screen. Singer Trakhman and Alexander will close the session by sharing practical guidelines for teachers and students on effective use of print and digital mediums for improved learning and performance. 

In this session, we will compare and contrast the sound inventories of Spanish and English to understand emergent bilinguals' phonological development.  We will also explore the implications of these similarities and differences for phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding instruction for Spanish-English emergent bilinguals. (k-12) 

Because of the unique cultural differences of racially and ethnically minoritized students the effects of colorblind interventions (i.e., those without adaptations to fit the unique identities of the target population) may not be effective for Black students. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss cultural considerations when selecting/planning reading interventions, identify cultural adaptations to evidence-based reading interventions, and describe how cultural adaptations propel equity in schools. (k-5) 

There are 5 million English learners attending public schools today. Every educator must therefore understand how to design and implement Structured Literacy among this diverse population of students.  This session will address the evidence-based practices for incorporating intentional oral language strategies within Structured Literacy lessons. Participants will learn the cross-linguistic features of several languages and how to design reading instruction which integrates first and second language knowledge. Strategies will be modeled and practiced for ease of implementation. 

See the Sound - Visual Phonics© is a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading, language, and writing skills. It is a system which associates each sound in our language with a hand gesture graphic symbol.  See the Sound - Visual Phonics© links speech sounds to our other senses in a natural progression.  The mouth movements for each phoneme are then mirrored in a hand gesture.  The gesture in turn is reflected in a written symbol.  This session will provide an overview of the strategy and validating research.  a sample of the gestures and written symbols will be shared. 

Executive skills are task-oriented skills that underlie students’ ability to learn. They are brain-based skills such as task initiation, sustained attention, working memory, planning, organization, and goal-directed persistence that are absolutely critical to school success. Although seldom taught explicitly, many educators now see that students who are strong in these skills are more successful than those who aren't. This workshop will introduce the 11 executive skills featured in the “Smart but Scattered” model and will describe how they support literacy development. 

This session will prepare educators to provide culturally responsive instruction. With this knowledge base, educational professionals will discuss the importance of design and meaningful delivery of culturally responsive evidence-based practices in literacy, intended to support all students within an MTSS framework. (k - 12) 

Learning to read can be challenging, particularly for many students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Yet, reading and writing are connected to the symbolic representation, vocabulary, and strategies that comprise their AAC systems. Integrating comprehensive literacy instruction amid teaching students to use AAC not only builds literacy skills but also facilitates the development of language, fosters communication, and promotes social interaction. 

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), educators, and other practitioners have consistently noted the diagnostic challenge observed when attempting to distinguish between the typical linguistic variation of African American English (AAE) speakers, the clinical indicators of language disorder and language delay based on the impact of being reared in poverty. We will discuss evidence-based assessment and treatment practices that practitioners can utilize when working with speakers of AAE and other non-mainstream dialects. 

In a knowledge economy, the human right of the 21st Century is literacy. What is at stake for children who fall through the cracks in systems without a strategically designed literacy safety net in place? What do parents and other community stakeholders deserve to know about this high stakes imperative?  What are the coordinated systems that lay a blue print to successfully develop skilled readers, writers, and critical thinkers? What is possible when we ensure children become literate for a lifetime, regardless of zip code or student group?

Literacy is a set of skills that opens a world of possibilities for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities. Despite the functionality of literacy, schools experience challenges when developing and implementing literacy instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This session will begin the discussion about what literacy instruction looks like for this group of students by discussing the definition of literacy, examining the research literature, and providing questions to help guide the development of literacy instruction.