Conference Sessions

With three days of professional learning, 60 breakout sessions, two powerful keynotes, and abundant networking opportunities, the 9th Annual Conference of The Reading League offers something for everyone.

The Comprehension Cohesion Connection: The Role of Cohesive Ties & Connectives
Presented by Nancy Hennessy and Julia Salamone

Creating a coherent representation of the text is critical to comprehension and dependent on a wide range of skills and knowledge. At a fundamental level, it requires the reader to identify connections and integrate ideas within and between sentences and then throughout the text. The reader’s ability to infer these connections requires an understanding of how authors use linguistic devices, cohesive ties, and connectives to convey meaning at the sentence level. Let’s surface the science related to cohesion and comprehension, identify types of cohesive ties and connectives, and how they are used in sentences within the text. Then, experience explicit text-based instructional activities that support the reader’s ability to apply this knowledge to construct comprehension and ultimately express understanding.

Project OPAL: Identifying Evidence-Based Practices for Optimizing Phonological Awareness Instruction
Presented by Shayne Piasta and Beth Phillips

Decades of basic research have established phonemic awareness as causally related to reading and spelling as well as a developmental progression from phonological sensitivity (i.e., larger units) to phonemic awareness. Research on the Science of Teaching Reading has also identified several effective practices for intervening on phonological sensitivity and phonemic awareness. Yet, we have more to learn about how best to support the phonological awareness of all children. In this presentation, we (a) discuss a current debate concerning the content, timing, and goals of phonological awareness instruction in early childhood and (b) describe Project OPAL, in which we are using longitudinal randomized controlled trials in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten to directly test premises of this debate. We will share the rationale, goals, and methodology of Project OPAL. Findings will ultimately provide evidence as to how to best optimize phonological awareness instruction for young children, in terms of how and when to most efficiently and effectively intervene and whether and how individual differences among children may affect such instructional decisions. These findings will add to the Science of Teaching Reading and have implications for instructional design and early learning standards.

Leading (Not Just Managing): A Principal’s Path from the Periphery to Practice
Presented by Margaret Goldberg and Jamie Allardice

Principals often find themselves on the periphery of instructional change when they follow the standard advice—adopt the right curriculum, hire a literacy coach, and bring in consultants for professional development. But when instructional leadership is subcontracted out, improvements tend to be inconsistent across classrooms and the work is easily abandoned. So what can a principal do to be the leader of instructional change at their school? In this session, a principal-coach team will share practical strategies for school leaders who want to move beyond managing change to actively leading it. We’ll explore the messy, rewarding work of hands-on instructional leadership. Bring your questions and challenges as we reimagine the principal’s role in improving reading achievement.

The (B)lack Narrative: Disrupting Deficit Ideologies in Literacy and Language
Presented by Dionna Latimer-Hearn

This session examines the pervasive influence of deficit ideologies on Black literacy and language, with a specific focus on speakers of African American English (AAE). Grounded in sociolinguistic and educational research, the session guides participants in examining personal and curricular frameworks that cast Black language, knowledge, and ways of being as inherently inferior. The session also explores how these ideologies contribute to inequities in literacy instruction and outcomes, both in schools and broader societal contexts. Participants will critically analyze the role of cultural and linguistic bias in shaping perceptions of Black students’ literacy practices. Additionally, the session provides evidence-based strategies for promoting equity and inclusivity by recognizing and building upon the cultural and linguistic strengths that Black students bring to literacy learning. Attendees will leave with practical tools for fostering culturally sustaining practices that disrupt inequitable narratives in educational spaces.

Dignity and Agency: Supporting Adolescent Striving Readers Across all Tiers of Instruction
Presented by Julie Burtscher Brown and Katie Keown

Older striving readers spend most of their time in content area classes. As such, it is essential that our instruction is aligned with their needs across the tiers of support throughout the school day. In addition, educators must attend to the unique social and emotional needs associated with reading difficulty. In this session, we will discuss a model for intervention and core instruction that respects the dignity of young adults and equips them with agency over their education. Educators and administrators will leave with concrete resources and actionable steps they can implement in support of their older striving readers.

From Sounds to Words: Teaching Phonics with Precision and Purpose
Presented by Yvette Manns

This session explores the foundational components of alphabetics and phonics instruction, aligning with evidence-based approaches. Participants new to the Science of Reading will explore how to systematically and explicitly teach letter-sound relationships and early decoding skills, allowing students to gain an understanding of the alphabetic code. We will examine a sequence of phonics instruction, beginning with individual letter-sound correspondences and moving progressively through blending sounds, decoding consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, and introducing multisyllabic words. With engaging activities and research-backed approaches, this session emphasizes the importance of systematic and explicit phonics instruction, explaining how these practices directly support the development of reading proficiency. Participants will leave with practical tools, strategies, and instructional sequences to implement effective phonics instruction in their classrooms. If you’re new to explicit instruction with letter-sound correspondence and decoding strategies, this session provides insights into using a sequential, cumulative approach towards the first step of building skilled readers.

The Structure of a Reading Revolution
Presented by Julie Washington

The “reading wars” have been described variously as science vs practice, phonics vs whole language, and dueling views of reading instruction. This characterization belies the systematic and thoughtful progression of normal science that has led us to what can more accurately be described as a “reading revolution.” This session will apply Kuhn’s (1962) cycle of scientific advancement to discuss and demonstrate the progress we have made in the development of science and practice related to reading, identifying the paradigm shifts along the way that have led to our current thinking.

The Bilingual Reading Brain: from Decoding to Reading Comprehension
Presented by Ioulia Kovelman

Most of the world’s children are growing up learning to speak and to read in two or more languages. On the one hand, we often marvel at the ease with which young children learn to speak in multiple different languages. On the other hand, we also worry that exposure to multiple languages might delay or otherwise alter the course of “normative” literacy development, especially for at-risk learners. In this talk, we will discuss neuroimaging evidence on bilingual language and literacy development. The discussion will include evidence from bilingual learners of English, Spanish, and Chinese. Through cross-linguistic comparisons, we identify universal and language-specific elements of learning to read, as well as the cross-linguistic transfer, in typical bilingual development and dyslexia. The discussion will involve all core elements of learning to read as we will review bilingual brain evidence for word reading, sentence recognition, and reading comprehension. The findings will be discussed in relation to literacy theories and instructional practices aiming to support literacy success across all learners.

Building Your Scientifically-Based ELA Block
Presented by Jamey Peavler

A scientifically-based literacy block reflects research on what and how to teach to maximize student outcomes. Reading Science frameworks illustrate the relationship between word recognition and language comprehension instruction on global reading outcomes. The reciprocal relationship between oral and print language (word recognition) is strong. By understanding these frameworks, and how these language components develop, we are better informed to design and deliver effective instruction. By coupling guidance on what to teach with knowledge of stages of mastery and cognitive load theory, we can better design instruction that supports students toward proficiency.

Leadership Matters! The Correct Professional Development is Critical
Presented by Angela Hanlin and Patti Montgomery

At long last, schools, districts, and states are making strides in improving professional development for teachers in the Science of Reading. However, school leadership has often been overlooked in this effort. Some states are beginning to ensure that school leaders also receive this crucial training. Yet, as we continue to expand the knowledge of the Science of Reading among school leaders, we may be overlooking the essential research on what principals and school leaders truly need to know. The most recent, comprehensive study on effective school leadership spans two decades of research and clearly outlines the key actions of effective principals. In this session, attendees will explore the findings of this important research. Unfortunately, professional development focused solely on the Science of Reading may not lead to lasting change in schools unless other critical areas of professional development for school leaders are also addressed. The good news is, this work is possible for all schools, and every school leader has the potential to become a highly effective leader! By integrating leadership development with structured literacy, we can empower all school leaders to drive meaningful, sustainable change. It’s possible for every leader to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to create a lasting impact in their schools.

Unlocking Student Potential: The Writing-Reading Feedback Cycle
Presented by Mitchell Brookins

Transform how your students write about reading! Join Dr. Mitchell Brookins for an engaging session on the Writing-Reading Feedback Cycle, a dynamic process that starts with student writing and guides teachers in identifying targeted scaffolds to boost analytical skills. Learn how to analyze writing samples, pinpoint challenges in vocabulary, text structure, syntax, knowledge, or writer’s craft, and use those insights to re-immerse students in the text for revision. Walk away with practical strategies to help your students create clear, evidence-based essays that connect the author’s message, textual evidence, and the world around them. Let’s build our students into confident, analytical thinkers and writers!

MTSS and Adolescent Literacy, Planning for Literacy Interventions to Accelerate Growth
Presented by Michelle Elia

Students of all ages need data-informed reading interventions based on specific literacy needs. The question is, does matching students with interventions look dramatically different at the adolescent literacy level? Should schools be focused on reading comprehension interventions in older grades? This session will simplify components of MTSS for literacy at the adolescent level, with straightforward guidance on how to determine reader profiles and plan interventions in middle and high school.

Engaging families to (realistically!) boost reading outcomes
Presented by Joan Kelley and MaryKate DeSantis

Improving children’s reading outcomes demands strong language and knowledge skills, but schools alone don’t have time to do all that skill building. So how can schools support children’s extra dosage of playful skill-building beyond the school day? Joan and MaryKate will present their school-based work focused on a solution to that nagging question. This session will describe the feasible, sustainable, and inexpensive family partnerships schools are using to engage parents/caregivers and impact children’s reading skill development. As a school leader, you’ll walk away from this session with a specific option for setting up productive family partnerships without overtaxing busy teachers. As a teacher, you’ll leave with a way to engage families that feels substantive and doesn’t demand much of your time. As a literacy specialist, you’ll walk out with a way to get all the adults in a child’s life to easily and playfully build up academic vocabulary and other lagging skills.

Integrate, Don’t Isolate! Linguistic Bridges that Connect Sounds, Symbols, and Meaning in Early Literacy
Presented by Pam Kastner

This session explores the complex interaction between phonemic awareness and broader language systems. Participants will learn how to explicitly and systematically integrate phonology, orthography, semantics, syntax, and morphology to create a robust literacy framework for instruction. The session offers practical, research-based techniques for bridging language systems through an integrated instructional approach that bonds sound recognition with deeper linguistic understanding, demonstrating how each language system supports and enhances phonemic awareness development.

Rock Your Literacy Block: Mighty Moves to Organize Your Day and Optimize Student Learning
Presented by Lindsay Kemeny

We can read studies and listen to experts, but implementing the things we’re learning is on a whole other level. How exactly do you apply the science of reading? There are so many things to teach, how do you fit it all in? How can you maximize the amount of time students are engaged in learning? Join teacher and author, Lindsay Kemeny, as she guides you through her literacy block, step-by-step – from morning arrival to whole-class and small-group instruction, writing time, and read-aloud. Gain concrete examples of how to effectively teach reading and writing in the K-2 grades so you can rock your literacy block!

Making Words Stick: The What, Why, and How of Orthographic Mapping
Presented by Katie Pace Miles and Molly Ness

The average reader instantly recognizes 30,000 to 70,000 words—with no need to sound them out. How does that happen, and why does it matter in reading development? This session explains the cognitive processes of orthographic mapping. Attendees will understand how readers embed words into their long-term memories, as well as the decoding and spelling instruction that facilitates this process. We focus on a four-step, research-based instructional routine that accelerates students’ abilities to lift words off the page and capture them in reading and writing. This session does the following: Explain why words must be mapped, not memorized. Showcase the theory and research behind orthographic mapping. Give instructional routines to build readers’ sight word identification.

Trick or Treat? What ‘Tricky’ Words Show us About the Whole System
Presented by Lyn Stone

Getting a room full of diverse learners to apply the alphabetic code to words and start reading and writing is daunting enough without also having to deal with scary ‘irregular’ words! Do I heart them? Do I ‘map’ them in Elkonin boxes? Do I just set them for memorization homework as whole words and wish the parents luck? Do I just avoid them for as long as possible and hope they somehow magically crop up in the minds of my students? Well, those are ‘trick’ approaches. How about seeing them as a treat? Every irregular word tells a story. Don’t believe me? Let’s take ten fine examples (harvested over years of asking teachers, ‘What word is hard to spell/teach/remember?’) and tell their stories, whilst revealing the underlying story of English orthography. Leave this session with a bag of tricks to help you make every word-study session a treat.

Adolescent Writing and The Writing Rope Framework: Evidence-Based Teaching Suggestions for Grades 5-12
Presented by Joan Sedita

The ability to use writing to support learning is essential for adolescent learners. This session will address writing skills and strategies related to three of the five strands in The Writing Rope framework. Suggestions will be shared for teaching advanced sentence writing (the Syntax strand) and text structure for informational, argument, and narrative writing (the Text Structure strand). Suggestions will also be shared for teaching students to respond to text in writing to support learning in any subject (the Critical Thinking strand). This includes strategies for using notes to gather information from text sources and pre-writing planning tools for writing personal reactions to narrative text, summarizing, and responses to prompts based on text sources.

Bring the Science of Writing to Your Classroom in Fun & Engaging Ways
Presented by Leslie Laud

Discover easy-to-implement and evidence-based ways to re-invigorate how you teach writing. Learn pre-writing strategies that help students make deeper meanings of texts (from your Core ELA, SS, and science curricula). Support your writers as they generate fresh insights when they write about these. Teach scaffolds and structures for navigating the full writing process from planning to revision, and in ways to build knowledge about the world and student voice. Help your students become more strategic, empowered, independent, and goal-oriented writers and thinkers.

Spelling – the foundation of reading and the greatest ornament of writing
Presented by Malt Joshi, Emily Binks-Cantrell and Taylor Seymour

Despite the importance given to spelling in the past, including the great lexicographer Noah Webster, research as well as teaching spelling has not progressed very far. For instance, in terms of the number of research publications in journals, there are very few research papers compared to reading, and further, many classroom teachers believe that English spelling is chaotic and best learned by rote memorization. Surprisingly, even many university faculty members believe in this notion and may not be knowledgeable in the scientific structure of the orthography of English spelling. In this presentation, we plan to demonstrate how regular English spelling is, although it is not perfect, governed by phonological, morphological, and etymological principles. Further, we also show findings from our team spelling in different orthographies like Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Norwegian, etc., to demonstrate the similarities and differences among different orthographies. We conclude by presenting evidence that spelling is a window on what a person knows about words and thus, analyzing spelling errors may tell the person’s knowledge about words. Further, explicit, systematic spelling instruction based on phonological, morphological, and etymological principles of an orthography helps students spell better and not through copying the correct spelling ten times and closing the eyes and thinking about it as per the current practice.

Getting F-I-I-T by Leading with Purpose: Be the Change and Cultivate System Success
Presented by Dawn Brookhart

Join Dr. Daryl Michel and Dawn Brookhart for an inspiring session that redefines instructional leadership and its pivotal role in driving lasting, system-wide change. In the face of rapid shifts and complex challenges in education, instructional leaders must go beyond merely modeling expectations—they must create the conditions for transformative success. Dr. Michel and Dawn will demonstrate how purposeful leadership, grounded in intentional action, fosters environments where continuous growth and meaningful change can thrive. This session will equip leaders with actionable strategies for navigating ongoing change and building systems that scale and sustain student learning. Attendees will gain insights on the critical role of De-implementation in preventing the “layering effect” of too many competing initiatives, which can undermine progress. By applying principles of implementation science (Fixsen et al., 2005) and integrating Student-Focused Coaching as a core strategy, leaders will learn how to foster both the adoption and sustainability of innovations, ensuring that their efforts lead to lasting, systemic success. Come ready to explore how leading with purpose can cultivate an ecosystem where change is not only embraced but sustained—creating a foundation for educational excellence.

Blueprint for a Universal Theory of Learning to Read: The Combinatorial Model
Presented by David Share

In this presentation, I lay out some of the essential ingredients of a universal theory of reading acquisition,one that seeks to highlight commonalities while embracing the global diversity of writing systems. I begin by stressing the need to consider insights from multiple disciplines including neurobiology, cognitive science, linguistics, and socio-cultural-historical inquiry, although my major emphasis is on a writing systems approach. A theme common to many of these perspectives is the need to attain a level of word reading speed and effortlessness necessary to overcome the severe limitations of human information processing. To achieve this, the overarching and universal principle of writing system combinatoriality (i.e., “infinite ends from finite means”) implies that children must learn how to combine and chunk a limited and learnable set of rudimentary (typically meaningless) elements – letters (in alphabets and abjads), aksharas and fidels (in alphasyllabaries/abugidas), syllabograms (in syllabaries), and character components (in morpho-syllabaries) into a nested hierarchy of meaningful higher-order units such as morphemes, words, and compound characters that can be recognized instantly via parallel processing of their constituent elements. The notion of writing system combinatoriality converges with linguists’ insights into the combinatorial patterning of language in all its forms – spoken, signed, and tactile. Combinatoriality makes it possible for an orthography to provide decipherability/learnability for the novice (via phonological transparency) as well as unitization/automatizability for the expert (via morphemic transparency). Unlike traditional stage-based models of reading development, the proposed combinatorial model likens the development of reading to a maturing tree that grows both upwards and outwards. Vertical growth can be thought of as an incremental and universal 3-phase progression from sub-morphemic, through morpho-lexical, to supra-lexical phases in which later- developing phases do not replace earlier phases but are added in a nested combinatorial hierarchy. Outward growth is conceptualized as a process of knowledge arborization – ongoing refinement, elaboration, and diversification. I conclude by noting that an appreciation of the particular language and writing system a child is learning to read within the broader context of global linguistic and orthographic diversity is crucial not only for a deeper understanding of the particulars of learning to read a specific language but for a truly global non-ethnocentric science of reading.

Delivery of Explicit Instruction: High-Leverage Practices that Promote Engagement and Learning
Presented by Anita Archer

Explicit instruction is an evidence-based, systematic methodology for teaching academic skills to students across grade levels. While the Science of Reading informs us on what to teach, 50 years of research on Explicit Instruction guides us on how to teach. In this session, Dr. Archer will present high-leverage practices and procedures for the Delivery of instruction that increase engagement, participation, and learning: 1) requesting frequent responses, 2) monitoring student performance carefully, 3) providing affirmative and corrective feedback, and 4) maintaining an appropriate pace throughout the lesson. Note: Dr. Archer is presenting two sessions on Explicit Instruction. This session focuses on the Delivery of Explicit Instruction and the second on the Design of Explicit Instruction. Participants may attend one or both sessions.

Astronomical Comprehension for Every Child
Presented by Kay Wijekumar, Kacee Lambright, Pilar Sierra, Javier Garza and Carmen Langston

Comprehension is supported by structured, systematic, and evidence-based instruction that is child and teacher-friendly. The Knowledge Acquisition and Transformation (KAT) framework has resulted in 100% pass rates for all children by cracking the code for comprehension. The framework shows children how to select important ideas, generate main ideas, extend the main idea to summaries, and extrapolate inferences by leveraging the text structure logic for well-associated memory. Utilizing cause and effect, problem and solution, cause-problem-solution, and comparison text structures, students learn how to read for comprehension. The framework carefully integrates assessments to promote transfer and application of knowledge in important state and national high-stakes assessments. Finally, teachers and school leaders receive practice-based professional development to implement the KAT framework within their own scope and sequence of English language arts standards. During this session, you will learn the structure of the KAT framework with theoretical and empirical rationale. To promote learning of the instructional routines, three example lessons will be delivered using expository, narrative, and poetry genres. Classroom implementation guidelines will also be presented. The team of presenters includes the architect of the KAT framework, Dr. Kay Wijekumar, two classroom teachers who achieved 100% pass rates—Dr. Kacee Lambright and Ms. Pilar Sierra, two school leaders who transformed their comprehension outcomes—Mr. Javier Garza (Principal) and Ms. Carmen Langston (District Curriculum Director).

The Role of Sentence Structure in Reading and Writing Assessment and Instruction
Presented by Adrea Truckenmiller

Reading comprehension at the word level (vocabulary) and text level are more well understood than reading at the sentence level. In our studies, we have found that this is likely because sentence comprehension depends so much on the same skills needed for word and text comprehension. Across a line of research, my team and I have administered many types of sentence assessments and we created four assessments of sentence comprehension. In this presentation, I will integrate the results of several published studies on important considerations for teaching and formatively assessing sentence-level reading and writing. I will talk about implications that the research supports and popular conclusions about sentence comprehension that the research does not currently support.

Partnering with The Reading League: Connecting Transformative School Practices with TRL’s Support
Presented by PD Partner School
Description: Coming Soon

From Mississippi to Maryland: Implementing Statewide Literacy Reform that Gets Results
Presented by Carey Wright

Join Dr. Carey Wright as she shares the proven roadmap for implementing comprehensive statewide literacy reform based on the science of reading. During her tenure as Mississippi’s State Superintendent of Education, the state achieved the highest reading growth in the nation, with 4th grade reading scores rising from 50th to 21st nationally. Most remarkably, Mississippi’s economically disadvantaged students outperformed their peers across racial and ethnic lines both regionally and nationally. Now leading Maryland’s education system, Dr. Wright is implementing similar evidence-based reforms through a comprehensive pre-K-3 literacy policy focused on progress monitoring, intervention, transparency, and accountability. She will detail the key components that made Mississippi’s reforms successful—including literacy coaching, teacher professional development in the science of reading, K-3 assessment systems, and parent engagement—and discuss how she is adapting these strategies for Maryland. Drawing on data from both states and research including Boston University’s study on the impact of Mississippi’s reforms, Dr. Wright will provide practical insights on overcoming implementation barriers, building stakeholder support, and achieving sustainable improvements in student literacy outcomes. Participants will leave with actionable strategies for implementing literacy reforms at scale.

When Worlds Collide: Bridging WIDA and the Science of Reading in ESOL Programs
Presented by Jennifer Penergrass, Tabatha Tierce and Dave Chiesa

WIDA-based ESOL programs face significant challenges in aligning with state literacy laws that emphasize Structured Literacy and the Science of Reading. The primary obstacles include gaps in (1) standards-based instructional practices, (2) comprehensive assessment, and (3) setting language expectations. Phonological instruction, such as decoding or phonemic awareness, which are crucial for early reading development, are missing from WIDA’s ELD Standards Framework, Proficiency Level Descriptors, and assessments. This gap means that while the WIDA framework supports overall language proficiency, it does not address the foundational skills required for word recognition and phonics, and thus leads to confusion and misalignment with literacy laws. This session discusses WIDA’s shortcomings, the impact on multilingual learners at the district and state level, and how districts can supplement existing frameworks to take steps toward alignment with Science of Reading research and literacy legislation. The presenters will share how Georgia’s Floyd County School district shifted priorities for improved professional learning, resources, and procedures. Collaboration between district ELA and ESOL departments brought new district initiatives, developed through a lens of considering what research tells us about the critical elements multilingual learners need in a structured literacy experience.

Achieving Equitable Literacy with the Science of Learning in Grades 5 to
9
Presented by Zaretta Hammond

Despite the investment in literacy and the rise of the science of reading in the past decade, older readers are still struggling as they enter middle and high school. Without strong reading skills, we know these students won’t be able to access high quality, grade-level materials independently. The solution lies in amplifying the science of learning that is embedded in the science of reading.

In this session, we will explore how to combine the two in your teaching practice to accelerate student progress. We will review methods to coach students to close their gaps in key reading skills through deliberate practice to develop long vowel agility and active learning across the three phases of word study to master multisyllabic words. We will look at how to integrate these practices into core subject areas without compromising content coverage.

Handwriting: The Research, Impact, and Instruction
Presented by Amy Siracusano and Jill Rogers

Why handwriting instruction was pulled out of the literacy block years ago in most schools we will probably never know, but it shouldn’t have been. Participants in this session will leave with an understanding of how important handwriting instruction is in the primary grades, its connection to cementing phonics and spelling knowledge, and the need for strong fine motor skills. Handwriting and keyboarding research as well as instructional supports will also be discussed.

Writing Development and Instruction for Multilingual Students
Presented by Elsa Cárdenas Hagan

Written language is one of the highest forms of language that an individual can obtain. It is therefore essential for all instructors to have a deep knowledge of the development of writing. Since there are more than 5.3 million multilingual learners in the United States, educators must also be prepared to understand second-language writing development.

This session will describe writing development and a method for collecting students’ writing samples. Participants will learn how to analyze writing samples with a particular focus on cross-language analysis. Evidence-based practices aligned to multilingual students’ writing skills will be modeled and practiced for ease of implementation in the classroom.

Empowering Literacy Instruction: Insights from the Science of Reading-Writing Connections
Presented by Young-Suk Kim

The relationship between reading and writing is widely acknowledged, yet its significance in understanding their interconnected nature, addressing related challenges, and enhancing instructional approaches is often underrecognized and underestimated. In this session, I will delve into several key aspects, including the theoretical foundations of the connections between reading and writing, practical implications for supporting students with diverse needs, and strategies for integrating reading and writing interventions to improve literacy outcomes. The discussion will be anchored in the Interactive Dynamic Literacy model, which provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how reading and writing interact and influence each other. This model emphasizes the dynamic and reciprocal nature of these processes, highlighting the potential for leveraging their interconnections to support literacy development. I will also present a review of empirical evidence, examining how the interplay between reading and writing impacts English learners, individuals with dyslexia, and those with developmental language disorders. By understanding these interconnections, educators can better tailor their instructional approaches to meet the unique needs of these students. Furthermore, I will share empirical findings on integrated reading-writing instruction, showcasing effective strategies that have been demonstrated to enhance literacy outcomes. Through this session, participants will gain valuable insights into how to effectively integrate reading and writing instruction to support diverse learners and improve overall literacy achievement.

How Spelling Supports Reading: Implications for Instruction
Presented by Carol Tolman
Description: Coming Soon

Beyond the Hype: The Opportunities and Limitations of AI in Structured Literacy
Presented by Vivek Ramakrishnan

As applications and discourse around artificial intelligence take K-12 education by storm, educators are left wondering how these technologies apply to teaching and learning how to read. Sure, these tools are neat, but can they actually improve student outcomes in foundational skills or reading comprehension? This session will explore the intersection of AI and Structured Literacy specifically, using Scarborough’s Reading Rope as a guiding framework. With concrete examples, we will analyze the real opportunities and current limitations of AI in both teacher and student-facing use cases. Attendees will gain insights into how these emerging tools can support evidence-based literacy practices.

Expanding Word Families: Integrating Linguistic Neighbors to Strengthen Neural Connections in the Reading Brain
Presented by Carolyn Strom

This session will explore the research behind “word families” in reading instruction, broadening the traditional understanding to include linguistic neighbors—words that are related in meaning, phonology, and orthography, as well as those that share cultural or linguistic ties. The brain’s ability to process words quickly and efficiently relies on forming strong neural connections. By integrating linguistic neighbors into early reading instruction, we can strengthen neural pathways involved in phonological processing, orthographic mapping, and semantic encoding. We will discuss how engaging multiple aspects of language simultaneously—through both decoding and meaning-making—helps support the neural circuitry required for fluent reading and spelling. Through a combination of research findings and practical classroom strategies, the session will demonstrate how expanding word families to include linguistic neighbors can enhance students’ decoding, engagement and vocabulary, particularly in multilingual contexts.

Translanguaging and Building on the Linguistic Assets of All Students
Presented by Antonio Fierro and Julie Washington

Translanguaging goes beyond the ability to switch seamlessly between languages; it is also a teaching method that values and leverages the linguistic resources students bring with them. This approach is vital for embracing and understanding linguistic diversity, preparing instruction to accommodate dialectal variations, and supporting English learners. In this session, we will explore how educators can cultivate a deeper appreciation for a language’s complexity and cultural richness by adopting a translanguaging pedagogy.

Aligning Standards, Systems, and Strategies to Improve Comprehension
Presented by Kay Wijekumar and Herbert W. Turner III

Comprehension continues to be a challenge for large swaths of children in our schools. The scores remain stagnant despite the best efforts of teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers. Schools and communities are constantly on the hunt for a solution to the comprehension problems that ail our children. A revolving door of textbooks, resources, professional development sessions, research, and standards are rolled out regularly with no change in any comprehension outcomes for 40 years. The Literacy.IO team applied an implementation science lens to understand the students’ comprehension needs, teaching practices in classrooms, curricular resources, standards, and climate and culture of the systems to solve this vexing problem. What we uncovered was a surprising set of misalignment and misuse implemented with the best intentions but producing poor outcomes for children. Each segment taken in isolation appears to focus on solving the comprehension problem. Unfortunately, when the systems interact with each other, the result is quite unexpected and poor. In this session, we will share with the audience the causes for the reading comprehension problems related to the standards, curricula, teaching practices, and high-stakes assessments. Data from multiple states and countries validate our findings. The most powerful outcome of this implementation science review is the transformational change in comprehension for all children. The Knowledge Acquisition and Transformation (KAT) Framework addresses the root cause of the reading comprehension problems to finally solve this vexing problem for children and teachers.

Secondary Literacy Leadership: Leading with Impact; Driving Change, Inspiring Growth
Presented by Jeanne Schopf

Strong literacy leadership is the foundation for academic success at the secondary level. In this dynamic session, participants will explore the critical role of leaders in shaping school-wide literacy initiatives, fostering collaboration among educators, and supporting diverse student needs. Key focus areas include: Developing Influence: Creating a vision and a culture where literacy is a priority across all content areas. Lead with Intentionality: Set clear goals, prioritize actions, and cultivate a culture of accountability. Strategic Planning: Align literacy goals with school improvement plans and monitor progress effectively. Empowering Educators: Building teacher capacity through professional learning, coaching, and data-informed practices. Model Growth: Commit to continuous learning as a leader and mentor, encouraging others to adopt a growth mindset. This session will empower school leaders, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders to drive meaningful change in secondary literacy outcomes through practical strategies, case studies, and actionable insights. Attendees will leave with tools to lead literacy initiatives with purpose, elevate instructional practices, and empower students to achieve their highest potential.

The Causes of Reading Difficulties and How to Help Students who Have Them
Presented by Devin Kearns

Serious difficulty with word recognition can have pernicious consequences for students. Many students with word recognition difficulty are identified with a specific learning disability in reading, often dyslexia. There are at least 6 ways to explain the nature of a child’s reading difficulty. Dyslexia is one important cause of word recognition difficulties, but there are others. In this session, I discuss these different causes of reading difficulties and explain some confusing points and controversies related to word recognition difficulty. Then, strategies are provided to support children with word recognition difficulties including dyslexia. The strategies include very foundational strategies for students with very limited reading skills and more advanced strategies for students who have acquired skills for reading monosyllabic words.

Follow the Science of Instruction
Presented by Amanda VanDerHeyden

K-12 education can feel like a churn of new initiatives (e.g., RTI and MTSS, the Science of Reading, the Science of Math). Yet, these frameworks are all logically and empirically connected, grounded in the same science, making each one more of an evolution than a revolution to actual practices in classrooms. This session will detail how the science of instruction drives all learning improvement. Attendees will take away tactics and web-based resources to use in their own work to adopt science-based math instruction within MTSS. Free print and video resources will be provided.

Speech, Language, and Literacy: Acquisition, Disorder and Equitable Practices for Educators
Presented by Ryan Lee-James

Access to language, both oral and written, is a powerful tool for children to live life on their terms and make the greatest difference in the lives of others. In fact, in modern society, access to oral and written language is defining and predictive of long-term health and economic outcomes. Oral and written language are reciprocal processes, and understanding their interconnectedness can support early identification and intervention for children suspected of having a delay or disorder. The connection between oral and written language is important for educators to understand and subsequently, for that understanding to be reflected in classroom practices, for the benefit of all children. The session objectives are as follows: 1. Review the components of oral and written language. 2. Review processes of oral and written language acquisition. 3. Examine formal and informal assessment techniques to survey children’s language in the classroom. 4. Examine incidental and direct language teaching approaches. 5. Introduce Evidence-Based Practice as a process framework educators and leaders can use to support decision-making for all children.

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Presented by Maryanne Wolf
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Word Connections: Intervention to Support Word-Level Reading Skills for Students in the Intermediate Grades
Presented by Jessica Toste

As students move into the upper elementary grades, they face a greater amount of text with more complex words, yet many lack a systematic approach for decoding these words. These reading demands continue to increase dramatically as students transition from middle to high school and, at the same time, formal literacy instruction largely disappears. Students with reading disabilities, even those who have attained foundational reading skills, often experience substantial difficulty with multisyllabic words. In this session, Dr. Toste will provide an overview of processes involved in multisyllabic word reading and instructional routines to support students’ acquisition of word-level reading skills. She will describe the research-based instructional practices that comprise the Word Connections program, a targeted reading intervention program focused on multisyllabic word reading fluency. Several experimental studies of the Word Connections program have been conducted, and students who participated in the intervention showed greater gains in word reading skills. Dr. Toste will demonstrate the instructional routines used for each of the seven components of Word Connections and discuss considerations for effective implementation.

Bilingual Literacy Instruction: Leveraging Linguistic Assets with Contrastive Analysis
Presented by Kari Kurto

When students learn to read, they draw upon their entire linguistic repertoire as a foundation for skilled reading. When a student’s home language differs from the language of instruction, elements from their home language can support their English literacy development. When teachers understand the phonology, morphology, grammar, and syntax of the student’s home language, they can make informed educational decisions regarding assessment, instruction, and intervention. The literature strongly supports the idea that shared syntactic features across languages can facilitate language and literacy development in both languages (Hartsuiker, Pickering & Veltkamp, 2004; Vasilyeva et al., 2010). Similarly, native language phonological and morphological awareness skills have been found to positively affect decoding in a second language (Kim, 2009; Sun et al., 2022). Understanding such shared features across languages can help teachers leverage linguistic assets in one language to facilitate language and literacy development in the other language. Participants will: Understand components and skills necessary for proficient literacy development, including the difference between oral and written language. Differentiate between language and literacy needs of monolingual students and English learner/emergent bilingual students. Describe how the sound systems of a bilingual student’s two languages can influence each other in spoken and written language. Explain how contrastive analyses of language can predict patterns in bilingual students’ spoken and written language, using the skills of one language as an asset to facilitate reading skills in a second language. Leverage contrastive analysis resources to strengthen evidence-based.

Bridging the Gap: Engaging Pediatricians and Parents to Foster Early Literacy Development
Presented by Robert Rogers, Eiman Abdulrahman, Brett Tingley and Beth Rivera

Early literacy is foundational to a child’s academic success and overall development. Pediatricians and parents play a critical role in shaping children’s reading skills from infancy through the early school years. This session will explore strategies for engaging pediatricians in promoting early literacy and empowering parents to support their children’s reading development at home. Participants will learn about practical tools for pediatricians to use during well-child visits and strategies for fostering a partnership between healthcare providers and families. The session will also highlight strategies to involve parents in daily reading activities, helping to create a supportive learning environment that encourages a love for reading and lifelong learning.Coming Soon

Leveraging Multilingual Learners’ Assets for Effective Foundational Skills Instruction
Presented by Francesca Smith and Claire Gunner

In this session, research-practitioners and former first-grade teachers Dr. Claire Gunner and Dr. Francesca Smith share innovative strategies for teaching foundational literacy skills to multilingual learners that they have applied in their own classrooms and research. As communities across the country become increasingly multilingual, it is essential to honor the linguistic and cultural assets of children by designing inclusive reading instruction that leads to biliteracy and beyond. We will explore how to leverage students’ home language assets and cultural funds of knowledge across each of the key foundational literacy components—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. We will provide practical, classroom-tested examples of instruction that center both student identities and best practices for structured, skill-based reading instruction in the early grades. We will also discuss methods of adapting curricular materials such as decodable texts in order to make them more linguistically and culturally responsive to our students. Attendees will gain actionable tools for enhancing foundational literacy instruction in their classrooms. In this interactive session, participants will learn practical strategies for using translanguaging techniques, preparing culturally relevant materials, and fostering a classroom culture where multilingualism is affirmed as an invaluable asset.

How Do I Know if The Reading Intervention Actually Aligns with the Science of Reading?
Presented by Matthew Burns

Teachers and reading professionals are almost constantly bombarded with a new intervention approach for which someone has (a) promised amazing results, and (b) assured them that it aligns with the science of reading. Saying something aligns with the science should mean that the intervention is consistent with research. Given that it is unrealistic for practitioners to be familiar enough with research to evaluate how well the intervention aligns with the science, we have prepared a rubric that can be used to evaluate components within any intervention. This interactive session will review the research used to identify the five most important components of any effective intervention and will demonstrate how to use a rubric that examines those five components to evaluate new interventions. Upon completion of the session, participants will be able to: Discuss the five core elements of an effective intervention that were identified from research. Use a rubric to evaluate how well an intervention aligns with the science. Select interventions with a higher likelihood for success.

Developing a District Language and Literacy Instructional Strategy Framework
Presented by Ben Zulauf and Martin Mireles

This session introduces participants to a structured literacy approach within a district-wide instructional framework, integrating research-based language and literacy strategies. Designed to scaffold language development while deepening content knowledge, this framework equips educators with explicit instructional practices that enhance reading comprehension of complex texts and strengthen students’ proficiency in academic language use.

Reading Fluency: It’s All About Comprehension—and Motivation!
Presented by Jan Hasbrouck

Helping students read fluently is a focus of the efforts of many teachers and specialists. And that’s a good thing, because we know from the National Reading Panel Report that fluency is “a critical component of skilled reading” and fluency standards have been included in an essential foundation skill in most state reading standards. But…do we really understand what fluency is? Do we understand how to determine which students are sufficiently fluent and which need more help? And what kind of support do our students need to become fluent? Let’s revisit this topic with an emphasis on the purpose of fluent reading: Comprehension and motivation!

Leveraging Grade-Level Teams Within MTSS for School-Wide Reading Improvement
Presented by Stephanie Stollar and Sarah Brown

An MTSS, including effective grade-level teams, is the engine that drives sustainable, school-wide reading improvement, yet many schools struggle to maximize MTSS and team impact. This session provides insights on practical ways to improve reading outcomes by focusing on system-level data within school-based teams. Join us to explore transforming PLCs and/or grade-level teams into dynamic, action-oriented teams focused on reading improvement. Participants will explore MTSS and the essential components of high-functioning teams, including strategic membership, team agendas and data-driven protocols, and structured decision-making processes. Learn practical strategies that can be implemented by all team members to address common barriers to effective teaming, including scheduling constraints, maintaining administrative engagement, and coaching collaborative practices. Special attention will be given to the building leader’s role in setting direction, supporting facilitators, and ensuring follow-up on action items. Leave with concrete tools including meeting protocols, action plan templates, and coaching strategies that can be implemented immediately to enhance reading outcomes across all tiers of support.

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Presented by Michelle Storie and Sheila Clonan
Description: Coming Soon

Implement Two Evidence-Based Vocabulary Instructional Routines with Learning Science
Presented by Ellen Kappus

Participants learn two vocabulary instruction routines from the Vocabulary and Language Enhancement (VALE) research studies through gradual release and classroom videos. Retrieval practice, feedback-driven metacognition, spacing, and engagement strategies are used to teach the participants the Word Flood and 7-Step Vocabulary instructional routines from the VALE research. Participants leave with evidence-based tools to increase word learning for students of every age to implement in your district, school, and classroom.

From Policy to Practice: Maryland’s Lessons in Implementing the Science of Reading
Presented by Simone Gibson and DJ Bolger

The implementation of the Science of Reading in Maryland has offered critical insights into the challenges and opportunities of statewide literacy reform. This session brings together a diverse panel of stakeholders—state-level policymakers, school system administrators, teachers and teacher candidates, teacher educators, and parents—to share lessons learned and strategies for success.

Educator Preparation: Navigating the Complexities of Science of Reading Reform
Presented by Melissa Jones Bromenshenkel, Cara McDermott-Fasy and Doreen Mazzye

Reform continues to be necessary in educator preparation for alignment with the science of reading and Structured Literacy; however, the landscape is beginning to shift. In this evolving context, this presentation will share innovative practices and tools that initiate and sustain the analysis and refinement of educator preparation in states with varying levels of implementation initiatives. A case study will illustrate the recursive and expanding nature of this work. This presentation will describe how The Reading League’s Syllabi Refinement Consultation service is poised to build and sustain the movement towards continued reform through an innovative systematized process that builds momentum both vertically (individual institutions) and horizontally (collaboration across institutions).

Collaborative Solutions in Special Education Law: Advancing Reading Services Together
Presented by Laura Heneghan

An attorney’s involvement in the special education process doesn’t necessarily make it more complex or adversarial—although this is often the perception and, at times, the experience. Special education laws are designed not only to safeguard the rights of students and their parents but also to provide clear guidelines for schools, creating a framework that protects both sides. These laws apply regardless of whether disagreements arise, but this session will focus on addressing conflicts effectively and, hopefully, collaboratively and finding resolutions. We will explore key legal frameworks governing special education, with a particular emphasis on reading services, and highlight how a collaborative model can lead to effective outcomes for all parties. The process starts even before a student qualifies for special education, so we will also discuss SRBI/RTI practices and determining eligibility for services. A brief overview of the foundational federal laws will set the stage, followed by a deeper dive into the current legal standards for IEPs, including goals and objectives. Additional topics will cover navigating team disagreements, understanding parental rights and remedies, and the legal protections in place for educators who advocate for their students. This session is designed to provide practical insights and tools for navigating the special education process within a collaborative framework.