Registration for the Kentucky Reading Academies: Cohort 4 of LETRS Professional Learning OPENS MAY 1!
Registration for the fourth Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) cohort of the Kentucky Reading Academies will be open from May 1, 2025, through August 29, 2025.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will continue the exciting partnership that brings the 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. More than 6,000 Kentucky educators and administrators have participated or are currently participating in the LETRS professional learning opportunity.
Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators. Descriptions of each are following:
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LETRS for Educators Cohort 4: This course is recommended for K-5 teachers, interventionists, reading specialists, instructional coaches and anyone providing reading instruction or intervention supports to early readers.
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LETRS for Administrators Cohort 4: This course is recommended for instructional coaches who have completed LETRS for Educators, district leaders and building administrators.
Interested educators and administrators can register on the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage beginning May 1. Registrants will indicate which course they are enrolling in when completing the registration form.
PLEASE NOTE: Limited licenses are available for Cohort 4. Registration will be first come, first served. Once we reach capacity, registrants will be placed on a waitlist and invited as licenses become available. Registration does not guarantee enrollment into the professional learning.
Also of note: Cohort 3 participants will not need to register for Cohort 4 as they are already enrolled in the professional learning.
Find out more about the Kentucky Reading Academies on the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage.
For questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.
Bright Spot: Greenup County Kindergarten Teacher Finds Success Through Internalization of High-Quality Instructional Resources
 Kindergarten teacher Cassie Thompson at Argillite Elementary in Greenup County faced a unique challenge this year: Implementing two new high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs), Magnetic Reading Foundations and Wit and Wisdom, for the first time. With eight years of teaching experience and a strong dedication to student success, Thompson approached this year with a growth mindset and a clear goal: To deeply understand and internalize both programs to better support her students.
Cassie fully embraced the unit internalization process, participating in regular grade-level PLCs and individual coaching cycles to unpack each unit, lesson and learning objective. She shared, “I can tell it has helped me grow so much as a teacher! This has been one of the best years of my teaching career. I can see it in myself and my kiddos.” This level of preparation has not only increased her confidence but has also led to more targeted and responsive teaching practices.
The impact on her students is clear. Engagement has significantly increased, with students responding well to the structured routines and consistent expectations that emerged from Cassie’s thoughtful lesson preparation. She has seen growth in foundational reading skills and, notably, in comprehension. Her young learners are beginning to write about texts, using evidence to support their thinking and even participate in Socratic Seminars, a practice that encourages students to build on each other’s ideas through respectful, text-based discussion.
Cassie’s work demonstrates the power of strong instructional materials paired with intentional unit internalization work. Her classroom is now a place where kindergarteners are building knowledge, engaging in rich conversations, and growing as readers, writers and thinkers.
Register Now for Kentucky’s Read to Succeed Summer Conference
 The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) Division of Early Literacy invites you to join the 1,100 others who have registered for the second annual Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 13, 2025, at The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky and register today.
Keynote speaker and educational consultant to state departments and school districts on explicit instruction and literacy, Dr. Anita Archer has presented in all 50 states, all US territories, and many countries, including Australia and Canada, and has received ten awards honoring her educational contributions. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of three universities, including the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and San Diego State University. She is nationally known for her professional learning, and she has co-authored numerous curriculum materials and a best-selling textbook addressing reading and writing.
The conference, which will require registration but will be FREE to Kentucky K-12 public educators, will offer focused learning pathways to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. Attendees will learn from KDE Office of Teaching and Learning consultants and partners about:
- Evidence-based instructional shifts for literacy;
- The benefits of structured literacy;
- Why high-quality instructional resources matter; and
- Available resources for implementing the Read to Succeed Act.
Mark your calendar for this June 13 event!
UNCOVERING THE TRUTHS THAT DRIVE THE “KEY ACTIONS”
Common Misconception: In grades K-3, phonics needs to be the focus.
For some, hearing educators talk about the importance of teaching phonics has led to the belief that phonics should be the sole focus of a child’s reading instruction. This is not the case. While explicit phonics instruction is essential, equally important are the opportunities to build knowledge, grow vocabulary, and strengthen language comprehension through rich texts and meaningful conversations.
The truth is, to become successful readers, students must develop fluent word recognition and language comprehension abilities throughout grades K-3. Thus, students need daily, systematic and explicit instruction in foundational skills, including phonological awareness, phonics and fluency (Moats & Brady, 2020; Moats & Tolman, 2009). Concurrently, they also enhance their comprehension abilities through ongoing and daily engagement in knowledge-building resources with strong vocabulary instruction grounded in rich complex texts, opportunities to develop oral language and explicit instruction in writing (Wexler, 2019).
To learn about other common misconceptions that may have led to ineffective literacy practices and how to shift to evidence-based structured literacy practices, see Key Actions for Meeting the Needs of ALL K-3 Readers and Writers.
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