Embracing Literacy 2024

Attending this event?

Embracing Literacy 2024

We’re thrilled to have you join us for this fantastic conference on the transformative power of evidence-based literacy instruction. Get ready to be inspired by our impressive lineup of speakers who are experts in revolutionizing literacy education for all children!

Throughout this conference, we’ll explore the remarkable impact of evidence-based literacy instruction and collaborate on ways to ensure that every student has access to the best education possible. Our speakers will share their vast knowledge, cutting-edge research, and practical strategies to help you overcome any challenge that comes your way. Jump into conversations, engage with our speakers, and connect with fellow attendees. Together, we can build a powerful network of educators, researchers, and advocates committed to making a lasting impact on our students’ lives!

Once again, we extend our warmest welcome to each and every one of you. Let’s seize this opportunity to learn, grow, and work towards a future where every student can reach their full potential through the power of evidence-based literacy instruction!

TBA

Zoom Links At-A-Glance

Tuesday June 25, 2024 TBA

Virtual Zoom Links At-A-Glance

Tuesday June 25, 2024 TBA
Zoom Room

8:15am MDT

Keynote: Fact Not Fiction: The Science of Reading Includes Comprehension Instruction | Nancy Hennessy

Tuesday June 25, 2024 8:15am - 9:15am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 779958

Speakers

Nancy Hennessy

Literacy Consultant, The Consulting Network

Nancy Hennessy, literacy consultant and past president of the International Dyslexia Association, is an experienced educator. While in public schools, she provided leadership in the development of professional learning systems and innovative programming for special needs students... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 8:15am - 9:15am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Blending Routines and How To Scaffold | Kathi Tiefenthaler | STRIVE

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 075535

Blending Routines

Handout

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

How Brain Science Informs Effective Reading Instruction | Sarah DeCotis and Rachel Hursh | Age of Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Description:
Zoom Link Passcode: 823482
In this interactive webinar, the presenters delve into the intersection of neuroscience research and reading instruction and how educators can apply this knowledge to enhance teaching practices.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Understand the neurological processes involved in learning to read and how the brain adapts during the reading journey.
Explore the latest research findings on the Science of Reading and its implications for educators.
Uncover effective methods to personalize instruction and optimize learning outcomes.

Credit/Reflection Questions
1. Learning to speak is just as natural as learning to read.

a. True
b. False

2. The brain’s letterbox is ___________________________.

a. a small region of the human brain that systematically processes sound and meaning
b. a small region of the human visual system that systematically activates whenever we read.
c. a small region of the brain that collects “sound statistics” when we are infants
d. a small region of the brain that is only activated when reading written words in English.

3. Skilled readers use the __________________ part of their brain when reading words.

a. back left
b. front right
c. back right
d. front left

Speakers

Sarah DeCotis

National Literacy Director, Age of Learning

Sarah is an accomplished educator and district leader with over 15 years of experience in Broward County Public Schools, the sixth largest district in the nation. Throughout her tenure she has held various roles, including general education teacher, interventionist, , literacy specialist... Read More →

Rachel Hursh

Age of Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Intervention Games and Activities for Beginning and Struggling Readers | Randall Klein | Early Reading Specialist and Author

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 241402

DESCRIPTION: Early reading specialist Randall Klein will demonstrate intervention games and activities that give beginning and struggling readers a concrete understanding of the alphabetic principle and launch them into strong alphabet knowledge, confident decoding, and proficient word identification. This session is geared toward instruction for beginning and struggling Pre-K & K-2 readers to prevent the risk of reading failure and provide effective intervention activities. These activities align with the principles of the Science of Reading.

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the important roleof phonemic awareness play in the application of the alphabetic principle by beginning and struggling readers.

Credit Reflection Questions:

What specific phonemic awareness skill opens the door to a deeper understanding of the alphabetic principle? Explain one or more ways you can teach this skill.
What specific phonemic awareness skill opens the door to better decoding skills? Explain one way you can teach this skill.
Of the many games and activities that were presented to you, which one did you especially like or especially dislike? Explain your thoughts.

Speakers

Randall Klein

Early Reading Mastery

I earned my advanced degree in early reading instruction from the University of Preschool. The Pre-K, Kindergarten and at-risk first grade children I worked with were my professors. They revealed to me what they needed to learn and when they were ready for it.This product and information... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Leveling the Playing Field: Making Classroom Content Accessible and Comprehensible for all English Language Learners | Caryn Pursley, Educator | Nohemi Perea, Educator

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Description:
Zoom Link Passcode: 869748
This session provides guidance and support for making content in general education classrooms more accessible, comprehensible, and engaging for all levels of English Language Learners. Attendees will gain an understanding for how English Language Proficiency scores can guide instruction by aligning with the WIDA Can Do Descriptors. Ms. Pursley and Mrs. Perea will share their knowledge, experiences and successes with effective collaboration. Additionally, this session will provide an opportunity to select an elementary or secondary focus for effective instructional pratices for supporting ELL students. The session will close with a question and answer forum.

Objectives:

Discover how to Utilize WIDA Can Do Descriptors
Learn non-negotiable practices to collaborate
Make content comprehensible for Elementary and Secondary English Language Learners (break-out sessions)

Credit Reflection Questions:

How can the WIDA Can- Do descriptors be used to engage and assess ELL students at their current English Proficiency level?
Name an instructional strategy from the Elementary or Secondary break out session that you will use.
Why is collaboration important?

Speakers

Caryn Pursley

Literacy Coach, Rawlins Elementary School

I have been in the field of education for fifteen year in Illinois and Wyoming. I began my journey in grades K-8 and transitioned to ELL in 2018. After five impactful years in ELL, I accepted a position as Literacy Coach where I support staff in advancing literacy knowledge for all... Read More →

Nohemi Perea

ESL Teacher, Carbon County School District 1

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Model, Notice, Imitate, Create: A writing model for all disciplines | Dr. Todd Reynolds and Dr. Leslie Rush | University of Wyoming

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 743335

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Rush

Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education, University of Wyoming

Leslie S. Rush is Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education and professor in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Rush has received the University of Wyoming's John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award and the Promoting Intellectual Engagement... Read More →

Todd Reynolds

Associate Professor, University of Wyoming

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Using Observations and Data to Drive School Change Part 1 | Lindsey Hoy | Vanna O'Conner| Teimosa Martin| Achievement Network (ANet)

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 177237
Description:
How can to strengthen the consistency and quality of instruction through a coherent and strategic approach to observation and feedback? By participating in this session, you will have the opportunity to reflect on your current approach to walkthroughs and practices with walkthrough tools supportive of the Common Core literacy shifts: academic language, complex text and use of textual evidence. Participants will practice observing and providing teachers with feedback through by oberving actual lessons.

Objectives:

Determine look-fors for quality lessons aligned to the rigor of the standards
Engage in an instructional observation and practice feedback
Reflect on your current approach for observation and feedback and teacher development opportunities

Credit Reflection Questions:

Review the classroom observation instruments that you currently use at your school.

How does the instrument reflect the shifts and expectations in the standards?
How does the instrument focus on what students are doing? What the teacher is doing?
How specific is the language about the expectations for how time is spent? The types of activities that students and teachers do?

Speakers

Teimosa Martin

Executive Director, Achievement Network

I am a lifelong educator, committed to supporting equitable outcomes for all students and to supporting leaders and teachers to maximize the impact of instruction through intentional use of data. I have been committed to this work for 30 years and am deeply honored to have been... Read More →

Lindsey Hoy

Achievement Network (ANet)

Vanna O'Conner

Achievement Network (ANet)

Tuesday June 25, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Leading School Wide Change in Writing Instruction | Dr. Leslie Laud | thinkSRD Director

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Description:
Zoom Link Passcode: 105394
Come learn how to bring your school together using the only evidence-based framework identified in the IES What Works Clearinghouse. Building common language and common understanding, while building teacher efficacy is made simple by adding this framework to any core curriculum. Learn the latest research on an evidenced-based writing instruction framework that is easy to use and leads to powerful ELA proficiency gains. New research outcomes will be shared and discussed with colleagues. Learn about how school wide structures used in SRSD support common language and common understanding that will bring out significant positive literacy outcomes.

Objectives:
• Describe the latest research-validated writing instruction approaches
• Teach all levels of writing from how to read a text to gather key evidence to write about, how to write in an organized way in each genre (opinion, informative, narrative), sentence and word choice
• Explain how students can self-regulate as they write
• Incorporate (then remove) scaffolds that support executive functioning
• Explore ways to monitor the impact of instruction, set goals, and personalize instruction
• Discover how to leverage writing as a way to build core knowledge, advance critical thinking and build social-emotional learning skills
• Establish realistic, time efficient, and manageable ways to monitor student growth
• Adapt these approaches to your unique teaching situations
• Describe key evidence-based approaches that can strengthen a school’s writing (and reading) instruction.

Credit Reflection Questions:

1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice?
2) How could using a POWeR cycle throughout your school increase improved outcomes for your students?
3) What tools are available from thinkSRSD that would help provide clear evidence of improvement of staff and students? How might this help with school wide improvement requirements?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Laud

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Note-taking Combined with Oral Practice of Sentences to Improve Comprehension |Dr. Amy K Peterson | University of Wyoming Division of Communication Disorders

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 583170

Session Objectives: 1) Participants will be able to provide explicit note-taking instruction and facilitate oral practice strategies to help students comprehend grade-level materials. 2) Participants will be able to articulate one way they can incorporate these strategies into reading and writing instruction. 3) Participants will explain why the combination of note-taking and oral practice may be more beneficial for students than one of these strategies alone.
Detailed Description: This presentation will explain a note-taking and oral practice strategy intervention, Sketch and Speak, that has preliminary evidence of effectiveness to improve comprehension of informational texts for students who have language-related learning disabilities in later grades (i.e., grades 4-9). Studies of this intervention have been conducted with speech-language pathologists as the interventionists, primarily in 1-1 settings, though clinically this has been used with small groups of students with positive results. The goal of this session is to provide educators with an alternate strategy intervention for their toolbelt that could be useful for students who are adverse to writing notes in traditional forms. The note-taking strategies include pictography and bulleted note forms to decrease some demands of academic writing for struggling students. The addition of oral generation and practice of complete sentences to note-taking in this intervention also helps students who have difficulty with language to remember important information, including key vocabulary words, main ideas, and supporting details. By the end of this session, attendees will be able to explain the importance of this strategy combination in improving comprehension, implement the strategies on a variety of expository text types after hands-on practice, and apply this strategy intervention across the curriculum.

Reflection Questions: 1) What are the potential benefits of using pictography as a note-taking tool? 2) Why do you think teaching note-taking is hard and how could you enhance your practice with strategies you learned in this session? 3) What is one way you could use note-taking and oral practice together to improve comprehension of material?

Speakers

Amy Peterson

Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming

Amy K. Peterson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming in the Division of Communication Disorders. She is the director of the Adolescent Language Intervention, Applications, and Strategies (ALIAS) Lab. Her research primarily focuses on interventions... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Screening, Diagnosing, Progress Monitoring, Oh, My! | Stephanie Smith | Educator

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 928733
All the screening has been done. Now what? This presentation will answer the why, when, how, and who should be diagnosed and progress monitored to provide the students with strategic, data-driven interventions.

Speakers

Stephanie Smith

Stephanie Smith holds a multifaceted role within Platte County School District #2, serving as the MTSS Director, WYBILT grant manager, and Title interventionist. With a strong background in the science of reading and instruction, she plays a pivotal role as the district's Keys to... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Understanding the power of Professional Learning Communities in Early Childhood | Wendy Daniels and Tammy Macy | Instructional Intensity

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 168669
Participants will gain an understanding of Professional Learning Communities and how they might work in a preschool environment. Also, participants will see and hear how PLCs have impacted educators of early learners, while exploring the potential impact it could have on their own work and in their own professional realm. All those in this session will have guidance around planning for successful PLC rollout, and support thinking through potential “road bumps” and proactive steps that can help with a positive process. Additionally, individual teachers can learn the basic principles of data-based instruction with a focus on learning that impacts the smallest to the largest of providers.

Speakers

Tammy Macy

Tammy Macy, a 27-year educator who began her career teaching Head Start. She has taught first grade, early literacy and served as an early childhood-elementary curriculum specialist that supported teachers through assessments, curriculum implementation, proficiency scales and professional... Read More →

Wendy Daniels

Wendy Daniels, a 21-year educator who has been an early childhood through secondary classroom teacher, technology coach, literacy and math facilitator and intervention expert. She specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in the areas of Science of Reading, PLCs, RTI... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Using Observations and Data to Drive School Change Part 2 | Lindsey Hoy | Vanna O'Conner| Teimosa Martin| Achievement Network (ANet)

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 783078
Description:

How can to strengthen the consistency and quality of instruction through strategic and intentional cycles of continuous improvement that empowers the use of data as a tool for reflection on professional practice? How can we strengthen data analysis so that educators are able to draw meaningful conclusions from academic performance data and promotes change in their approach to instruction in service of student needs? Attendees will identify the key elements of teaching and learning cycles the enables data to be relevant, actionable and impactful. Participants will examine student work to practice data analysis skills so they will take with them, practical tools and skills to strengthen analysis with their own teacher teams.

Objectives:

Understand the criterion of a strong Teaching and Learning Cycle
Notice how strong data/student work analysis practices drive the Teaching and Learning Cycle
Reflect on the strengths and opportunities of your current teaching and learning cycle

Credit Reflection Questions:

How do you currently approach quantitative and student work analysis?
How does this process elevate student misconceptions, unfinished teacher and learning?
How does teacher practice shift as a result of your data analysis process?

Speakers

Teimosa Martin

Executive Director, Achievement Network

I am a lifelong educator, committed to supporting equitable outcomes for all students and to supporting leaders and teachers to maximize the impact of instruction through intentional use of data. I have been committed to this work for 30 years and am deeply honored to have been... Read More →

Lindsey Hoy

Achievement Network (ANet)

Vanna O'Conner

Achievement Network (ANet)

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

What To Do When They're Not So Little Anymore?: Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers | Tami Bebee-Schwartz and Colleen Davies | Instructional Intensity

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 716731

Speakers

Tami Bebee-Schwartz

Colleen Davies

Tuesday June 25, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Braiding the Reading Rope with Readable Texts | Lauren Moore| Great Minds

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 572198

In this interactive session, participants will participants will deepen their understanding of two models of the science of reading and what students need to become skillful readers. Then, participants will explore a readable text from Geodes and analyze how students build both word recognition and language comprehension through reading the text. The session will close by exploring how teachers can use the suggestions from Inside Geodes to structure effective reading practice for a range of learners.

Learning Outcomes
1. Educators will analyze a readable text for opportunities to practice both word recognition and language comprehension skills.
2. Educators will explore options for structuring effective practice with readable texts that meets the unique needs of their students.

Speakers

Lauren Moore

Great Minds

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Empowering Secondary Students: Fostering Opportunity and Equity through Literacy Instruction | Jody Kammer | Reading Horizons

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 100255

Embark on an enlightening journey with us as we explore the link between literacy and opportunities for secondary students. In this interactive presentation, we'll highlight challenges faced by those dealing with linguistic differences and reading obstacles, and examine how limited access to evidence-based instruction in middle and high schools perpetuates disparities in our broader communities.

Our discussions will delve into the far-reaching impacts of an individual's reading proficiency, touching on mental health, overall well-being, self-esteem, and future employment prospects. Drawing from the latest research, we'll underscore how structured literacy and evidence-based teaching methodologies can be transformative for secondary students. Join us for a session that aims to unlock the potential of literacy as a catalyst for positive change in the classroom and beyond!

Speakers

Jody Kammer

Literacy Consultant, Reading Horizons

Jody Kammer is a dedicated Literacy Consultant and national speaker/trainer at Reading Horizons. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Colorado College, and dual Master's Degrees in Education and Psychology from Pepperdine University. With over 15 years of experience... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Initiating Courageous Conversations to Promote Change | Tami Bebee-Schwartz | Instructional Intensity

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 169191

Initiating and facilitating change can be challenging. Courageous conversations can benefit your staff and ultimately your students. These are not mutually exclusive. In fact, staff and students both need to “win” to create positive learning outcomes. Administrators and instructional coaches attending this session will leave with recommendations to lead conversations that focus on the data rather than people, personalities, or emotions. Presenters will share strategies to determine the root cause of student deficits, as well as discussion starters and protocols to address the facilitate solutions.

Speakers

Tami Bebee-Schwartz

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Striving Writers. Embed vocabulary and writing instruction in the primary and/or secondary classroom setting | Justine Alberts STRIVE Consultant

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 346987
Attendees will participate in an engaging conference session focusing on embedding vocabulary and writing instruction in primary and secondary classroom settings. The session aims to provide practical tools and techniques for educators to enrich their students' language development and writing proficiency across various subjects and activities. The importance of context, relevance in learning, scaffolding, and differentiation will also be emphasized.

Learning Targets:

I know types of vocabulary to consider when planning my instruction
I understand the importance of explicit and systematic literacy instruction, specifically vocabulary
I know strategies to explicitly teach vocabulary

Session Questions:

What is one of the most significant and impactful elements of vocabulary instruction?
In the video we watched, what was a moment that you would like to replicate in your instruction?
What critical components were discussed in terms of vocabulary and writing instructional planning?

Speakers

Justine Alberts

Consultant, STRIVE TLC

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

The Mighty Sentence: A Critical Contributor to Comprehension | Nancy Hennessy | Educator, Author, Consultant

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 921758

Speakers

Nancy Hennessy

Literacy Consultant, The Consulting Network

Nancy Hennessy, literacy consultant and past president of the International Dyslexia Association, is an experienced educator. While in public schools, she provided leadership in the development of professional learning systems and innovative programming for special needs students... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Using Mentor and Juicy Sentences to Address Fluency, Comprehension, and Writing | Amy Rudat and LeAndrea Taylor | UnBoundEd

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 791003
Description:

Learning Objectives:

Credit Reflection Questions:
1.
2.
3.

Speakers

Amy Rudat

Director of ELA Content, UnboundED

I'm the Director of ELA Content for the nonprofit organization UnboundEd, focusing on the selection and curation of high quality, CCSS aligned ELA and Math curriculum for PreK-Grade 12. Our organization believes deeply in ensuring that all students have access to the opportunities... Read More →

Leandrea Taylor

Tuesday June 25, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Blending Routines and How To Scaffold | Kathi Tiefenthaler | STRIVE

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 966126
Session Description:
This session will deepen educators’ understanding of phonics and how to support students without holding them back from doing their best reading. This least restrictive process will immediately impact teaching and learning in your classroom, and you will see students improve their fluency in a short amount of time. This will change how you approach whole-group, small-group, and intervention support in your classroom.
Success Criteria:
To understand and be able to use the least restrictive blendingn routines that meet our studnets' needs when they are practicing words in preparation for reading text.

Lesson Objectives:
1. I know what is meant by "least restrictive" blending.
2. I know the continuum of blending routines.
3. I know how to scaffold isntruction to meet the needs of my students.
4. I know "why" behind the concept of "least restrictive".

Reflective Questions:
1. How does the curriculum you currently use compare to what you have learned about scaffolding blending routines today?
2. What do you need to do as an educator to feel confident in supporting a student with a word they are unfamiliar with at the spur of the moment instead of just giving them the word?
3. Why is it critical for the students to do the work for blending words?

Speakers

Kathi Tiefenthaler

Education/Literacy Consultant, STRIVE

“Life leads us to where we are meant to be.” For Kathi Tiefenthaler, her professional journey included being an instructional aide, a classroom teacher in elementary and middle school, a literacy specialist for the Montana Office of Public Instruction, and currently a national... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Developing Young Writers by Using Evidence Based Practices and Oral Language | Dr. Leslie Laud | thinkSRSD Director

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 644827
Description
Learn an evidenced-based reading, writing and structured discussion instructional framework that is easy to learn and easy to use. This session will focus on the early grades and sentence level writing. The overarching thinkSRSD framework offers a step-by-step guide to help students navigate reading texts and using the writing process. The sub skills taught within this framework, including an emphasis on sentence construction, support the entire writing process from the planning stage of analyzing text and note taking, to sentence development, syntax, and vocabulary enrichment. The hallmark of this approach (thinkSRSD+Sentences) is the focus on teaching students the social and emotional skills needed to undergird the process such as positive self-instruction, goal setting, and self-monitoring. By using these self-regulated strategies, students internalize the method and grow in writing skills to become increasingly independent writers and thinkers. These strategies can be integrated into any curriculum. You will walk away with ideas you can use tomorrow, and when you do, you will see an immediate lift in your students’ writing ability and joy when composing.
Learner Outcome
Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of how to teach writing in ways supported by research. They will learn how to teach all levels of writing from word choice to sentence writing and up through paragraphs and essays.
Credit Reflection Questions:
1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice?
2) How does the POWeR cycle promote Self-Regulation?
3) How does writing a gist statement build students' sentence-level skills and reading comprehension?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Laud

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

How Strong ELA Curricula Build Background Knowledge | Barbara R Davidson | Knowledge Matters Campaign

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 731197

Speakers

Barbara R Davidson

Executive Director, Knowledge Matters Campaign

Barbara Davidson runs StandardsWork (www.standardswork.org) and serves as Executive Director of the Knowledge Matters Campaign (www.knowledgematterscampaign.org). She is a former classroom teacher of learning-disabled students who has worked for the past 35 years to advance three... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Launching Little Learners: Teaching the Alphabetic Principle with a Speech to Print Approach | Crystal Lenhart | LenPo Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 876448

Speakers

Crystal Lenhart

Literacy Consultant, LenPo Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

So Much Data - Where Do I Focus My Attention? | Alisa Dorman, President at Acadience Learning | Dr. Jeffrey C. Wayman, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Acadience Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 627461

Educators have access to more student data than ever before. We all want more knowledge about our students but sometimes the amount of data can be overwhelming. In today’s data-rich environment, how do you know which data are important, useful, and appropriate? In this talk, leaders from Acadience Learning Inc. will discuss strategies and perspectives that can help educators make choices about which data to use in which context, thus helping them to be more effective practitioners.

Speakers

Alisa Dorman

CEO President, Acadience

Jeff Wayman

Vice President of Research and Innovation, Acadience Learning

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Teaching Vocabulary to Secondary Reading Intervention Students | Kelsey Walker | Educator

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 407336
Secondary reading intervention students have problems with reading comprehension, but what can interventionists do to bolster reading outcomes? Explore language comprehension intervention through efficacious vocabulary instruction. Learn how to use targeted categories of vocabulary instruction including specific word instruction, word-learning strategies, and word consciousness to improve student reading comprehension. Participants will engage in vocabulary activities, graphic representations, discourse activities, and games for word play. Walk away with simplified infographics that detail step-by-step guides for vocabulary protocols to incorporate into your reading intervention.

Objectives
Understand overarching language comprehension components.
Learn how to intervene on vocabulary in the areas of specific word instruction, word-learning strategies, and word consciousness.
Engage in and reflect on vocabulary activities, graphic representations, discourse activities, and games for word play.
Incorporate easy-to-use vocabulary protocols into reading intervention.
Reflection Questions
How can specific word instruction be used to intervene on student vocabulary?
How can word-learning strategies be used to intervene on student vocabulary?
How can word consciousness be used to intervene on student vocabulary?

Speakers

Kelsey Walker

Secondary Literacy Coach, Goshen County School District #1

Kelsey Walker a CERI-certified structured literacy dyslexia specialist and a secondary literacy coach at Goshen County School District in Torrington, Wyoming. She has an M.Ed in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in Secondary English from University of Nebraska at Kearney... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

3:30pm MDT

Keynote: Eight Truths about Living in the Trenches | The Transformative Reading Teacher Group

Tuesday June 25, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode: 025480

Speakers

Jeanne Schopf

Independent Consultant, The Transformative Reading Teacher Group

For over three decades, Jeanne Schopf, M.Ed, NBCT, C-SLDI has devoted herself to enriching the lives of children as an educator and a prominent figure in state and national literacy. With a wealth of experience as a K-9 teacher, Literacy Coach, Reading Specialist, and Certified Dyslexia... Read More →

Tuesday June 25, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm MDT
Zoom Room

8:15am MDT

Literacy, Liberation, and Love Dr. Kareem Weaver | Keynote: Dr. Kareem Weaver | FULCRUM

Wednesday June 26, 2024 8:15am - 9:15am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 273267
The education sector is filled with goodwill and the desire to provide education that empowers students. We will examine the inextricable link between love and the development of literacy skills that lead to self-determination.

Speakers

Kareem Weaver

Kareem Weaver is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of FULCRUM, which partners with stakeholders to improve reading results for students. He is the Oakland NAACP's 2nd Vice President and Chair of its Education Committee; his advocacy is featured in the upcoming film The Right to... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 8:15am - 9:15am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Developing a Progress Monitoring Tool for High School Struggling Readers. Cody High School | Dr. Leslie Rush University of Wyoming | Dr. Stephany Anderson Park 6 Secondary Literacy Coach

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 295032
Educators at Cody High School in Cody, Wyoming, have established a Literacy Learning Laboratory that serves as a reading intervention course (RIC) (Scammacca et al, 2016) for 9th and 10th grade students who are struggling with literacy. This RIC is designed around principles of disciplinary literacy (Moje, 2007; Shanahan et al, 2011) as they apply directly to the school’s curriculum focusing on English Language Arts (ELA) and social studies-specific vocabulary and morphology instruction (Rainey, 2016; Reynolds et al, 2022; Wineburg, 1998), discussion (Greenleaf & Valencia, 2017), and other instructional strategies chosen to meet students’ needs. The educators responsible for this work are developing a progress monitoring tool to consistently and accurately track student improvement in these areas over the course of the academic year. In our presentation, we will describe the process of developing the progress monitoring tool and the affordances and constraints it provides for monitoring adolescent learners’ progress in literacy. We will also provide a guided workshop supporting teachers in using our model to create a discipline-specific progress monitoring tool that aligns with the curriculum in their school.

Leslie S. Rush serves as Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education and is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming, where she has also served as an English teacher educator and an administrator. Dr. Rush taught secondary school English for twelve years in a variety of settings. She received a master’s degree in Reading Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and a doctorate in Reading Education from the University of Georgia. Her research includes the study of disciplinary literacy in English/language arts classrooms, as well as the roles played by instructional coaches in secondary school settings. Rush’s work has appeared in Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Journal of College Reading and Learning, English Journal, and Journal of Literacy Research, among other journals. Her co-authored book, Secondary English Education in the United States, was awarded the ELATE Richard A. Meade Award in 2018.
Stephany Anderson taught Language Arts and Social Studies in Cody for 23 years before becoming the district’s Secondary Literacy Coach. In 2010 she earned her National Board Certification and began coaching candidates pursuing certification. This mentoring experience led her to pursue a Master's Certificate in Literacy through UW. A Doctorate in Education culminating with a dissertation on viewing as a literacy strategy in Social Studies was a natural next step. Soon after achieving that degree in 2019, she began sharing her secondary literacy experience at conferences across the state and became an adjunct instructor of graduate students studying curriculum and instruction at Grand Canyon University. She received an Arch Coal Teacher Award in 2012, was a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow in 2014, and the 2021 Gilder Lehrman Wyoming History Teacher of the Year.

3 Questions:

1) What are the benefits of this type of personalized progress monitoring?

2) How can our progress monitoring be improved?

3) What ideas did you take away from this session to improve progress monitoring at the high school level in your district?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Rush

Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education, University of Wyoming

Leslie S. Rush is Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education and professor in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Rush has received the University of Wyoming's John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award and the Promoting Intellectual Engagement... Read More →

Dr. Stephany Anderson

Secondary Literacy Coach, Park 6

Reach out to talk about the following: Disciplinary Literacy and school wide Tier 1 literacy instruction at the middle and high school levels. Reading Intervention at the middle and high school levels. Planning and Implementing effective PD that influences instructional change and... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

How Strong ELA Curricula Build Background Knowledge | Barbara R Davidson | Knowledge Matters Campaign

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 330710

Speakers

Barbara R Davidson

Executive Director, Knowledge Matters Campaign

Barbara Davidson runs StandardsWork (www.standardswork.org) and serves as Executive Director of the Knowledge Matters Campaign (www.knowledgematterscampaign.org). She is a former classroom teacher of learning-disabled students who has worked for the past 35 years to advance three... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Intervention Games and Activities for Beginning and Struggling Readers | Randall Klein | Early Reading Specialist and Author

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 606863
Early reading specialist Randall Klein will demonstrate intervention games and activities that give beginning and struggling readers a concrete understanding of the alphabetic principle and launch them into strong alphabet knowledge, confident decoding, and proficient word identification. This session is geared toward instruction for beginning and struggling Pre-K & K-2 readers to prevent the risk of reading failure and provide effective intervention activities. These activities align with the principles of the Science of Reading.

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the important roleof phonemic awareness play in the application of the alphabetic principle by beginning and struggling readers.

Credit Reflection Questions:

What specific phonemic awareness skill opens the door to a deeper understanding of the alphabetic principle? Explain one or more ways you can teach this skill.
What specific phonemic awareness skill opens the door to better decoding skills? Explain one way you can teach this skill.
Of the many games and activities that were presented to you, which one did you especially like or especially dislike? Explain your thoughts.

Speakers

Randall Klein

Early Reading Mastery

I earned my advanced degree in early reading instruction from the University of Preschool. The Pre-K, Kindergarten and at-risk first grade children I worked with were my professors. They revealed to me what they needed to learn and when they were ready for it.This product and information... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Leveraging Lexile Measures to Enhance Literacy Instruction and Learning Outcomes | Mandie Bechard | MetaMetrics

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 819948

This session delves into the value and utility of the Lexile Framework, including the practical application of its measures for students, educators, and families. Attendees will gain valuable insights into where to locate the measures, how to use them to track growth/progress toward college and career readiness, and how to effectively utilize the measures to drive informed classroom instruction. Participants will learn to navigate the intricacies of multiple measures and experience real-world classroom examples that demonstrate how to incorporate the Lexile Hub tools and resources to enrich teaching strategies and ultimately enhance student outcomes.

Speakers

Mandie Bechard

Sr. Director, State Partnerships, MetaMetrics

I work with state education agencies to help support the utilization of Lexile and Quantile measures at the state, district, and family levels.The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks help state departments track student growth and accelerate learning by matching students to resources using... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

Oral Language and Reading Screenings | Dr. Charles Hulme and Danielle 'Nell' Thompson, PhD CCC-SLP | The Transformative Reading Teacher Group and OxEd

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Speakers

Danielle ‘Nell’ Thompson

President and Founder, The Transformative Reading Teacher Group

Danielle ‘Nell’ Thompson, PhD CCC-SLP, is a coach, influencer, literacy leader, teacher of teachers and, insatiably curious about all things that make people’s lives better. She is an agent of positive change working to help leaders and educators re-think, unlearn, and up-level... Read More →

Dr Charles Hulme

Professor of Psychology and Education, University of Oxford and

Founder and CEO, OxEd and AssessmentCharles is Emeritus Professor of Psychology in Education at the University of Oxford and Professor of Psychology at Oxford Brookes University. Formerly Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Education and William Golding Senior... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

9:30am MDT

The Tier 1 Litmus Test: The Universe of Universal Screening | Megan Hesser | Hesser Literacy Partners

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 221726
Descrption:
Wyoming requires universal screening; learn more about how valuable this process can be to students and districts. Learn how to effectively use the data you collect and the important insights you can gain into your students in the process of screening. When done well, screening can tell you just how healthy your tier 1 instruction is at a classroom, school, or district level. This isn’t just data for your classroom teacher anymore. When educators at all levels know how to use this data MTSS will thrive because everyone can better plan how to best serve all students.

Learning Objectives:
-understand why we assess all students 3 times a year
-what makes a good screener
-understand how to effectively use the data and other insights into their students that can be gained in the process of screening
- understand what screening and assessments say about the reading health of their class, school, or district
-will be able to better plan next steps after screening

Credit Reflection Questions:
1. What is the guiding practice for assessment that can't function without assessment?
2. What do benchmarking levels mean for student success?
3. How do you find instructional level?

Speakers

Megan Hesser

Hesser Literacy Partners, LLC

Wednesday June 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Developing a PD Plan for Your School | Crystal Lenhart | LenPo Learning

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 357823

Speakers

Crystal Lenhart

Literacy Consultant, LenPo Learning

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Enhancing and Sustaining District and School Wide Literacy Systems Through Logic Modeling

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 609082

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The Reading League

Work with the Marzano Research team to create or refine your logic model for supporting literacy
learning in your school or district! Logic modeling allows organizations to clearly identify goals
and outcomes for their initiatives and to establish the connections between the elements of their
implementation and their anticipated outcomes. Having a logic model is essential for regular
monitoring of progress towards literacy outcomes. The presenter will guide attendees through
each step of logic modeling to support the creation of a new logic model or revision of an existing
one.

Speakers

Enid Rosario

Senior Researcher, Marzano Research

Hello! I am a Senior Researcher at Marzano Research. I am very excited about the opportunity to attend this event and learn with and from everyone. As part of my work, I co-lead the evaluation of the WY-BILT grant, which has given me a window into all the great things happening across... Read More →

Caitlin Scott

Director, Marzano Research

I’m Caitlin Scott, a director at Marzano Research. Among my multiple projects, I oversee the evaluation of Wyoming Believing in Literacy Together grant, which is led by my colleague, Enid Rosario-Ramos. I love my job because I get to work with collaborative teams, using research... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Leading School Wide Change in Writing Instruction | Dr. Leslie Laud | thinkSRSD Director

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 485974
Description:

Come learn how to bring your school together using the only evidence-based framework identified in the IES What Works Clearinghouse. Building common language and common understanding, while building teacher efficacy is made simple by adding this framework to any core curriculum. Learn the latest research on an evidenced-based writing instruction framework that is easy to use and leads to powerful ELA proficiency gains. New research outcomes will be shared and discussed with colleagues. Learn about how school wide structures used in SRSD support common language and common understanding that will bring out significant positive literacy outcomes.

Objectives:
• Describe the latest research-validated writing instruction approaches
• Teach all levels of writing from how to read a text to gather key evidence to write about, how to write in an organized way in each genre (opinion, informative, narrative), sentence and word choice
• Explain how students can self-regulate as they write
• Incorporate (then remove) scaffolds that support executive functioning
• Explore ways to monitor the impact of instruction, set goals, and personalize instruction
• Discover how to leverage writing as a way to build core knowledge, advance critical thinking and build social-emotional learning skills
• Establish realistic, time efficient, and manageable ways to monitor student growth
• Adapt these approaches to your unique teaching situations
• Describe key evidence-based approaches that can strengthen a school’s writing (and reading) instruction.

Credit Reflection Questions:

1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice?
2) How could using a POWeR cycle throughout your school increase improved outcomes for your students?
3) What tools are available from thinkSRSD that would help provide clear evidence of improvement of staff and students? How might this help with school wide improvement requirements?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Laud

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

SEL Practices in the ELA Classroom | Kelsey Walker | Educator

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 660827
Mindfulness activities, sensory boxes & feelings charts can make your classroom a place where students grow in their personal learning journeys. Social-emotional learning paired with literacy will help students become authentic learners who can apply ELA lessons to their lives. Learn how to teach SEL skills within the context of the ELA class while accomplishing content standards, making learning relevant and applicable to all students.
Objectives
Understand the five components of social and emotional learning.
Collaborate with practitioners to create self-awareness and self-management strategies for students.
Create an ELA lesson framework to support responsible decision-making that complements classroom text.
Engage in and reflect on social awareness and relationship skills to use with all students in the ELA classroom.
Reflection Questions
What self-awareness and self-management strategies can you use with students?
Create an ELA lesson framework to support responsible decision-making to complement a classroom text.
Describe social awareness and relationship skills that can be used to within an ELA lesson.

Speakers

Kelsey Walker

Secondary Literacy Coach, Goshen County School District #1

Kelsey Walker a CERI-certified structured literacy dyslexia specialist and a secondary literacy coach at Goshen County School District in Torrington, Wyoming. She has an M.Ed in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in Secondary English from University of Nebraska at Kearney... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
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10:45am MDT

Supporting Comprehension in Secondary Education | Dr. TaQuana Williams | TNTP

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 984736
Throughout this session, teachers and coaches will explore the impact of knowledge-building on comprehension. Research supports that students’ prior knowledge about a topic impacts their ability to comprehend texts. Building student knowledge and vocabulary is important to support their future reading. This session will explore research-based strategies for building knowledge and support educators in developing plans to implement strategies in upcoming lessons.

Learner Outcomes:
Explain the importance and impact of knowledge-building on students’ reading, comprehension, and vocabulary development. Experience a lesson where students acquire knowledge and vocabulary on a complex, unfamiliar topic through text. Reflect on knowledge-building and vocabulary development in your own district/classroom materials and plan for implementation.

Session Questions:

Share two key takeaways around best practices in literacy instruction that you learned in this session.
Share one clear next step you plan to take from the learning in this session.
Share more about the learning that you would want or need to advance your practice in literacy instruction.

Speakers

Dr. TaQuana Williams

Director, Academics, TNTP

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

10:45am MDT

Understanding the power of Professional Learning Communities in Early Childhood | Wendy Daniels and Tammy Macy | Instructional Intensity

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 649038
Participants will gain an understanding of Professional Learning Communities and how they might work in a preschool environment. Also, participants will see and hear how PLCs have impacted educators of early learners, while exploring the potential impact it could have on their own work and in their own professional realm. All those in this session will have guidance around planning for successful PLC rollout, and support thinking through potential “road bumps” and proactive steps that can help with a positive process. Additionally, individual teachers can learn the basic principles of data-based instruction with a focus on learning that impacts the smallest to the largest of providers.

Speakers

Tammy Macy

Tammy Macy, a 27-year educator who began her career teaching Head Start. She has taught first grade, early literacy and served as an early childhood-elementary curriculum specialist that supported teachers through assessments, curriculum implementation, proficiency scales and professional... Read More →

Wendy Daniels

Wendy Daniels, a 21-year educator who has been an early childhood through secondary classroom teacher, technology coach, literacy and math facilitator and intervention expert. She specializes in supporting teachers and administrators in the areas of Science of Reading, PLCs, RTI... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Intro to thinkSRSD: Using Evidence-based Writing Instruction K-5 | Dr. Leslie Laud | thinkSRSD Director

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 329696
Description:
Discover easy-to-implement and time-efficient ways to revolutionize how you teach writing, all based in latest empirical studies and brain research. Learn an instructional framework that helps students generate fresh insights when they write about what they learn. Lead discussions in ways that invigorate close reading and deep thinking about texts, the basis of strong writing. Help your students become more strategic, independent and goal-oriented writers, and thinkers. Walk away with simple to use, practical, and powerful strategies with free resources that will help your students become more mindful, engaged and action-oriented writers.

Learner Outcomes:
Understand the evidence-based framework of thinkSRSD. Learn how to use mnemonics and graphic organizers to build a well-structured piece of writing.

Credit Reflection Questions:
1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice?
2) How does the POWeR cycle promote Self-Regulation?
3) How does writing a gist statement build students' literacy skills?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Laud

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Literacy Leadership Expanding Opportunities for All Students | Christina Harris | TNTP

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 699042
Through this session, leaders will briefly explore a range of historical and current approaches to literacy instruction in the US. Although there is a debate about the best ways to teach literacy, there is clear and overwhelming research that supports a few specific best practices that promote equity in literacy outcomes for all students These are: systematic instruction in reading foundational skills, engaging in grade-level complex text, building knowledge through text, and evidence-based discussion and writing. By the end of this two-part session, leaders will be able to identify the four key literacy best practices in classroom instruction, have the beginnings of a vision for strong instruction in ELA and next steps on where to start support growing teacher knowledge.

Learner Outcomes
Explore the historical arc of reading instruction and how it’s led to the current practices and debate. Identify the four research-based best practices in literacy instruction, and how these practices serve the needs of all students.

Learning Questions

Share two key takeaways around best practices in literacy instruction that you learned in this session.
Share one clear next step you plan to take from the learning in this session.
Share more about the learning that you would want or need to advance your practice in literacy instruction.

Speakers

Sarah Ledon

Managing Partner, TNTP

Christina Harris

Director, Ed.D., TNTP

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Partner Reading and Paragraph Shrinking: Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Reading Accuracy and Comprehension | Carrie Cole | Side-by-Side Educational Consulting

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 116611
Being able to craft a summary or "gist" statement while reading is essential for building comprehension. These summary statements help students better understand what they read and remember the most important information in a text. However, summarization can be challenging because it requires deep analysis of the text to synthesize the most important information into a concise overview statement. Explicit routines that break complex tasks into manageable steps can be a powerful tool to support students in mastering complex tasks such as summarization. This session will focus on how to establish clear and consistent routines in partner reading and paragraph shrinking in order to support students' ability to read accurately and summarize key information from a text. Participants will walk away with an evidence-based routine that they can implement immediately with students to enhance overall reading comprehension.

Session Objectives
Define comprehension strategy.
Identify explicit routines for teaching partner reading.
Practice the paragraph shrinking routine for summarization.

3 Questions
Define comprehension strategy.
What routines need to be place in order to incorporate successful partner reading into the classroom?
What are the three steps for paragraph shrinking?

Speakers

Carrie Cole

President, Side-by-Side Educational Consulting

Carrie Cole is president of Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, leading a team of professionals dedicated to working side-by-side with educators to increase literacy outcomes for all students. She is passionate about working with districts, schools, and teachers to successfully... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

So Much Data - Where Do I Focus My Attention? | Alisa Dorman President at Acadience Learning | Dr. Jeffrey C. Wayman Vice President of Research and Innovation at Acadience Learning

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode: 020188

Educators have access to more student data than ever before. We all want more knowledge about our students but sometimes the amount of data can be overwhelming. In today’s data-rich environment, how do you know which data are important, useful, and appropriate? In this talk, leaders from Acadience Learning Inc. will discuss strategies and perspectives that can help educators make choices about which data to use in which context, thus helping them to be more effective practitioners.

Speakers

Alisa Dorman

CEO President, Acadience

Jeff Wayman

Vice President of Research and Innovation, Acadience Learning

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Structured Literacy for Language: A Five-year Longitudinal Study | Dr. Douglas B. Petersen and Alisa Konishi-Therkildsen | University of Wyoming Division of Communication Disorders

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 857195

Speakers

Douglas Petersen

Alisa Konishi-Therkildsen

Speech-Language Pathologist/ Ph.D. Student, University of Wyoming

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

The Tier 1 Litmus Test: The Universe of Universal Screening | Megan Hesser | Hesser Literacy Partners

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 421833
Descrption:
Wyoming requires universal screening; learn more about how valuable this process can be to students and districts. Learn how to effectively use the data you collect and the important insights you can gain into your students in the process of screening. When done well, screening can tell you just how healthy your tier 1 instruction is at a classroom, school, or district level. This isn’t just data for your classroom teacher anymore. When educators at all levels know how to use this data MTSS will thrive because everyone can better plan how to best serve all students.

Learning Objectives:
-understand why we assess all students 3 times a year
-what makes a good screener
-understand how to effectively use the data and other insights into their students that can be gained in the process of screening
- understand what screening and assessments say about the reading health of their class, school, or district
-will be able to better plan next steps after screening

Credit Reflection Questions:
1. What is the guiding practice for assessment that can't function without assessment?
2. What do benchmarking levels mean for student success?
3. How do you find instructional level?

Speakers

Megan Hesser

Hesser Literacy Partners, LLC

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

1:00pm MDT

Three Instructional Shifts to Support Improved Literacy Outcomes for All | Cody Keffer |TNTP

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 985773
This session will begin with Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the big picture of reading acquisition. It will then zoom in to the language comprehension strand of the rope. Educators will review the research that supports three big instructional shifts: daily access to complex text, a focus on building knowledge and vocabulary, and daily integration of discussion and writing grounded in evidence from text. Participants will answer questions to help them assess the extent to which their current materials support these instructional shifts, and they will learn strategies to support all learners to access complex text and ideas, regardless of their current curriculum.

Learner Outcomes
Explain three instructional shifts that support students reading and language comprehension, and the research that supports them. Articulate how the three shifts can support student engagement. Explain how the three shifts support acceleration for traditionally marginalized and/or struggling readers. Determine how their current materials/practices support them to enact the instructional shifts. Integrate the instructional shifts into their own classroom, regardless of current materials.

Learning Questions:

Share two key takeaways around best practices in literacy instruction that you learned in this session.
Share one clear next step you plan to take from the learning in this session.
Share more about the learning that you would want or need to advance your practice in literacy instruction.

Speakers

Cody Keffer

Wednesday June 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Close Reading Before Writing to Texts | Dr. Leslie Laud | thinkSRSD Director

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 001433
***NOTE: Amy Thomas will be standing in for Dr. Leslie Laud on this session.
Description:
Learn easy to apply close reading strategies that help students make deeper meanings of trade books, classics and relevant paired texts so they can generate fresh insights when they write about them. Lead discussions in ways that invigorate deep thinking, the basis of strong writing. Additionally, teach scaffolds and structures for navigating the writing process in collaborative, personalized ways, that won’t curb voice. Help your students become more strategic, empowered, independent and goal-oriented writers. In this session, you will be active learners experiencing a close reading protocol in order to walk away and teach it tomorrow!
Learner Outcomes:
Understand the evidence-based framework of thinkSRSD and how this supports building reading comprehension. Learn how to support students in becoming more independent in how they use the most well-supported reading comprehension practices whenever they read.

Credit Reflection Questions:
1) Why is thinkSRSD considered an evidence-based practice for reading comprehension?
2) How does the POWeR cycle, and the steps for reading it includes, promote Self-Regulation in reading?
3) How does writing a gist statement build students' reading comprehension?

Speakers

Dr. Leslie Laud

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Effective Instructional Feedback-Leadership for improved instruction | Justine Alberts STRIVE Consultant

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

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Zoom Link Passcode 069960
This conference session, titled "Leadership for Effective Instruction," is designed to empower educational leaders with the tools and knowledge to enhance classroom instruction and learning outcomes. Participants will delve into effective Tier 1 instructional strategies that are crucial for setting a strong foundation in educational settings. The session will guide attendees through methods of analyzing data to accurately assess the effectiveness of instructional practices. With a focus on continuous improvement, the session will emphasize the importance of providing targeted, constructive feedback to educators. Through a blend of theoretical insights and practical applications, this session aims to equip leaders with the skills to foster an environment of excellence in instruction, ensuring that all students have access to high-quality learning experiences.

Learning Targets:

I know and understand research-supported instructional strategies (RSIS)
I can recognize RSIS being used during instruction
I can employ methods to effectively collect and analyze instructional data
I can provide targeted feedback for continuous improvement of students and teachers

Questions:

What should be modeled by district and school leadership?
What systems are recommended to build and sustain effective instructional practices?
From the examples shared, what is one system or practice that you had evidence for or are already performing?

Speakers

Justine Alberts

Consultant, STRIVE TLC

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Initiating Courageous Conversations to Promote Change | Tami Bebee-Schwartz | Instructional Intensity

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 646184

Speakers

Tami Bebee-Schwartz

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Leveraging Lexile Measures to Enhance Literacy Instruction and Learning Outcomes | Kyle Gambel | MetaMetrics

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 650549

Speakers

Mandie Bechard

Sr. Director, State Partnerships, MetaMetrics

I work with state education agencies to help support the utilization of Lexile and Quantile measures at the state, district, and family levels.The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks help state departments track student growth and accelerate learning by matching students to resources using... Read More →

Kyle Gamble

Educator Engagement Coordinator MetaMetrics, Inc., MetaMetrics, Inc.

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

The Power of Checklists and Routines: Tools for Effective Delivery of an Explicit Phonics Lesson | Carrie Cole and Kim Wakefield | Side-by-Side Educational Consulting

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 793417
Description:
Teaching reading is a complex task that requires considerable educator knowledge and skill. Checklists can be a powerful tool to support teachers in the management of this complexity. This interactive and fast-paced session will demonstrate the use of a phonics checklist paired with explicit instructional routines--all to ease the burden of lesson planning for teachers and increase effectiveness of lesson delivery. Educators will walk away with a methodology for lesson planning aligned to structured literacy principles that they can immediately implement into their classrooms.

Learning Objectives:
Understand how to use the six-step checklist for building an explicit phonics lesson sequence
Determine use of explicit instructional routines for each step of the six-step sequence
Use the checklist as a lesson-planning tool for phonics and spelling instruction aligned to structured literacy principles

Credit Reflection Questions:
1. Describe how the six steps of a explicit phonics lesson scaffolds towards automaticity and fluency in decoding and encoding.
2. Identify two instructional routines from the session that support implementation of the six-step phonics lesson and describe how you can use them in your classroom.
3. Why is it important that each step of the six-step phonics lesson have a common thread/focus for a specific phoneme/grapheme correspondence?

Speakers

Kim Wakefield

Educational Consultant, Side-by-Side Educational Consulting

Carrie Cole

President, Side-by-Side Educational Consulting

Carrie Cole is president of Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, leading a team of professionals dedicated to working side-by-side with educators to increase literacy outcomes for all students. She is passionate about working with districts, schools, and teachers to successfully... Read More →

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

2:15pm MDT

Using Mentor and Juicy Sentences to Address Fluency, Comprehension, and Writing | Amy Rudat and LeAndrea Taylor | UnBoundEd

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 478506

Speakers

Amy Rudat

Director of ELA Content, UnboundED

I'm the Director of ELA Content for the nonprofit organization UnboundEd, focusing on the selection and curation of high quality, CCSS aligned ELA and Math curriculum for PreK-Grade 12. Our organization believes deeply in ensuring that all students have access to the opportunities... Read More →

Leandrea Taylor

Wednesday June 26, 2024 2:15pm - 3:15pm MDT
Zoom Room

3:30pm MDT

Closing Keynote: State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder

Wednesday June 26, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT

Feedback Survey

Zoom Link Passcode 193701

Speakers

State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wyoming Department of Educatio

Wednesday June 26, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Zoom Room