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LETRS Registration Closes on Thursday
Registration for the second LETRS cohort of the Kentucky Reading Academies will be open until Aug. 31. If you haven’t done so yet, please register now! And if you’ve already registered, please forward this email to five colleagues or friends you think would benefit from participating.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has an exciting partnership that brings the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning to educators across the Commonwealth, called the Kentucky Reading Academies. This course of study was chosen because of its demonstrated success on a national scale in bringing significant increases in literacy achievement.
The Kentucky Reading Academies is a comprehensive no-cost professional learning opportunity open to all K-5 public school educators.
Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators. Interested educators can join the Kentucky Reading Academies by registering for the course that pertains to their role:
More than 1,800 Kentucky educators and administrators are completing the LETRS professional learning in Phase 1. On a survey of Phase 1 participants, 433 responded, and 95% noted that the information they are learning through the LETRS professional learning is new information. A further 95% stated the learning is relevant to their role, and 93% of the respondents said the learning has helped them to better meet the diverse reading needs of their students.
NOTE: Phase 1 participants will not need to register for Phase 2, as they are already enrolled in the professional learning.
For questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.
The Essential Components of Universal Tier 1 Reading Instruction
In its seminal report, the National Reading Panel (2000), concluded that comprehensive reading programs should include five essential components. The five components, which are integrated into the most effective approaches for teaching reading to both proficient and struggling readers, are:
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Phonemic awareness: The ability to distinguish, produce, remember and manipulate spoken words' individual sounds (phonemes).
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Phonics: Knowledge of the predictable correspondences between phonemes and graphemes (the letters or letter combinations representing phonemes) and correspondences between larger blocks of letters and syllables or meaningful word parts (morphemes).
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Reading fluency: The ability to read text with sufficient speed and accuracy to support comprehension.
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Vocabulary: Knowledge of the individual word meanings in a text and the concepts that those words convey.
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Reading comprehension: The complex process of understanding and making sense of written text through decoding, background knowledge and verbal reasoning, all of which are utilized by good readers to understand, remember and communicate what has been read (Montgomery et al., 2013).
Fluency, vocabulary and comprehension should emphasize knowledge-building and access for ALL to complex grade-level text.
How Does Structured Literacy Support Universal Tier 1 Reading Instruction?
The Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing work with structured literacy practices to ensure vibrant student experiences in literacy. Structured literacy is particularly beneficial for all students in universal Tier 1 instruction, which refers to the general education classroom where most students receive their grade-level reading instruction.
Through structured literacy instruction, emphasis is placed on systematic and explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness. Additionally, it uses modeling and guided practice for each skill or strategy taught in tandem with vocabulary development to build background knowledge. Further, reading fluency and comprehension instruction are integral parts of structured literacy that provide students with a strong foundation in decoding, phonics and vocabulary (Foorman et al., 2016).
Substantial evidence (Every Student Succeeds Act Level I) supports student instruction in phonemic awareness, decoding and phonics for developing awareness of segmenting sounds in speech and the ability to decode words and analyze word parts (Foorman et al., 2016). Structured literacy instruction prepares students to engage in higher-level reading tasks, such as understanding and analyzing texts, making inferences and synthesizing information (Foorman, et al., 2016) (ESSA Levels I and II).
By implementing structured literacy practices in Tier 1 instruction, schools can ensure that all students receive comprehensive and effective literacy instruction. This approach benefits struggling readers by addressing their specific needs, and it also supports the overall literacy development of all students, preparing them for success in reading and beyond (Cunningham & Rose, 2013; Lexia, 2022; NRP, 2000; Montgomery et al., 2013).
How Does Structured Literacy Support Reading Interventions in Grades 4-9?
Understanding that some students may need individual literacy support beyond grades K-3, the importance of reading interventions in grades 4 and beyond must be considered.
The 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that over one-third of 4th-grade students and a quarter of 8th-grade students read at a level below NAEP Basic. Low reading scores in these grade levels are particularly troublesome when considering that so much of the curriculum in grades 4-9 (and beyond) requires the ability to read and understand increasingly complex texts. To understand the content taught in subject-area classes, students need to engage with and gain information from complex texts (Vaughn et al., 2022).
Recent research has demonstrated success in improving the reading level of students in grades 4-9 with reading difficulties. Reading interventions include both supplemental programs provided in addition to regular classroom literacy instruction as part of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). Through a five-year longitudinal study, literacy researchers have identified four recommendations for providing students in grades 4-9 with effective reading interventions. These recommendations and implications for teacher use can be found at Educator’s Practice Guide for Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (Vaughn et al., 2022).
For more information about KyMTSS, please visit KyMTSS.org.
More information about structured literacy can be found on the KDE Early Literacy webpage.
Please reach out to Ashley Hill, assistant director of early literacy, with any questions.
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