Outline (60-Minute Interactive Session):
1. Welcome & Context (5 minutes):
a. Hook: Quick live poll on literacy laws in attendee states.
b. Set the stage: Literacy beyond compliance: focusing on student growth, not checkboxes.
c. Engagement: Peer chat in pairs to share one current challenge in literacy growth.
2. Workflow 1: Universal Screening for Identification (10 minutes)
a. Content: Overview of how schools flag struggling readers (screeners, referrals, observations). Emphasis on why early identification matters.
b. Engagement: Small groups using technology for note-taking/sharing: Share the tool or process currently used in their setting. Identify one barrier (time, access, communication). Adapt one idea to make screening more effective or equitable.
3. Workflow 2: Individual Reading Plans & Progress Monitoring (10 minutes)
a. Content: Key elements of a realistic reading plan and why simplified progress monitoring matters. Show examples of student-friendly trackers.
b. Engagement: Small groups: Share how they currently document or track progress. Identify one challenge (overload, unclear metrics, student disengagement). Adapt one simple strategy to make progress more visible to students.
11. Workflow 3: Instructional Adjustments for Interventions (10 minutes)
a. Content: Share Evidence-based best practices and examples for easy solutions and student agency focused on the 5 pillars: (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension strategies).
b. Engagement: Small groups using technology for note-taking/sharing: Share one intervention they use with struggling readers. Identify one challenge (time, grouping, resources, etc.). Adapt one way to connect that intervention more clearly to student goals.
Workflow 4: Family Communication for Action at Home (10 minutes)
a. Content: Share examples of effective family communication strategies that focus on plain language, multilingual supports, and actionable at-home activities.
b. Engagement: Small groups using technology for note-taking/sharing: Share how families currently receive updates. Identify one barrier (truancy, access, translation, etc.). Adapt one idea for accessing parents in a different way.
Workflow 5: Celebration & Growth for Student Agency (10 minutes)
a. Content: Review strategies to build ownership by sharing examples of growth charts, student-led conferences, celebration rituals, and more.
b. Engagement: Small groups using technology for note-taking/sharing: Share how students currently track or celebrate progress. Identify one gap (motivation, visibility, relevance, etc.). Adapt one strategy to increase student agency.
Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes)
a. Groups share their most impactful adaptation.
b. Exit ticket poll: “What’s one change you’ll bring back Monday?”
c. Close: Literacy beyond compliance means focusing on growth, agency, and family partnership. Leave with one strategy you can implement immediately to help every student see themselves as a growing reader.
Engagement Tactics Used Throughout:
Peer-to-peer conversations, quick polls, collaborative digital tools, small-group workflows, and share-outs.
After this session, participants will be able to:
Design practical workflows that connect teachers, schools, and families in support of student literacy growth.
Apply strategies for creating personalized reading plans and progress monitoring systems that make growth visible to students and families.
Develop communication approaches that translate literacy data into clear, family-friendly language and actionable home supports.
Incorporate student agency practices such as reflection tools, trackers, or celebrations that motivate learners to take ownership of their reading progress.
1. “Unlocking the Power of Home for Early Literacy Achievement” by C. Hayes (2025): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-025-01986-9
2.“How School-Family Partnerships Can Boost Early Literacy.” EdSurge (2025): https://www.edsurge.com/news/2025-09-10-how-school-family-partnerships-can-boost-early-literacy
3. National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL). (2024). Family Resources. https://improvingliteracy.org/family
4. "Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement." by J. Hattie (2009). https://visible-learning.org/
5. CAST: Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. (2018) http://udlguidelines.cast.org/
6."Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade." What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: B. Foorman et al. (2016). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguide/21
7. "Reimagining Family Engagement: A Long-Term Strategy for Recovery." NWEA (2025). https://www.nwea.org/blog/2025/reimagining-family-engagement-a-long-term-strategy-for-covid-recovery/
8. Resources on the Science of Reading. The Reading League. (2024). https://www.thereadingleague.org/resources/
9. "Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong." Podcast. E. Hanford (2022). https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
10. "Education Commission of the States.50-State Comparison: K–3 Reading Policies." (2022). https://www.ecs.org/state-information-request-literacy-policies/
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