DESE ELA Updates

LETRS

All public school educators are invited to sign up for LETRS Volumes I and II. As you enroll, please select the dropdown that best describes your position. If your grade or job title is not shown please select “Other”. You use the following link to pre-register for the 2024-25 school year: Read, Lead, Exceed LETRS Volumes I and II.  All Pre-K public school educators are invited to sign up for Early Childhood LETRS. Kindergarten teachers may choose this option if they have completed Volume 1 and 2 of LETRS. Kindergarten teachers will need to show proof of completion before acceptance into the Early Childhood LETRS. Please use the following link to pre-register for the 2024-25 school year: Read, Lead, Exceed Early Childhood LETRS. *Once pre-registration is complete, the Northwest Regional Professional Development Center will contact you to schedule your training / cohort dates. Register by May 1, 2024 for any cohort that launches in the summer and continues during the school year.   Register by May 30. 2024 for any cohorts beginning in the fall in order to receive your online access and books prior to your first fall sessions.

Reimbursements

DESE has reopened the application for the Evidence-Based Reading Instruction Program (EBRIP). Reimbursements can be used for… Instructional Materials - used in the 2023-2024 school year, with no purchases made before July 1, 2022 State approved Reading assessment Teacher stipends for completion of LETRS with 80% accuracy or above Substitute expenses LETRS Training materials FLeX funds  This new application window will allow local education agencies (LEAs) to request reimbursement of expenses for resources and programs implemented in the 2023-24 school year LEAs can request reimbursements each month or quarter, if needed - Do not have to wait until the end of the year. Schools may access this link to request funds as often as they desire without submitting the same requests. More information regarding specifics can be found here, on the DESE website. For general information about the grant program, please contact Heather Knight, Coordinator of Literacy, at Literacy@dese.mo.gov

Assessment and Reporting

End-of-Year (EOY) K-3 Foundational Reading Assessment Schedule The EOY K-3 Foundational Reading Assessments must be administered within the last 30 days of the school year. The administration window for these assessments will be from April 1 to May 31, 2024. Contact your state-approved vendor if you need support or have questions about required components of the assessment.   Reading Success Plan (RSP) Reporting Requirements - June Update LEAs will be required to report updated RSP data in MOSIS during the June reporting cycle. The report will include an update of "Yes/No" that indicates a change for any student since the initial February reporting.

Northwest RPDC Updates

Be on the lookout for information regarding next year’s network opportunities! This is an opportunity for teachers to come together with other educators to collaborate, learn, and grow together. We meet a total of four times throughout the year.  We will continue to host networks for  Title 1 Teachers LETRS, Now What? *Continued LETRS connection* S.O.R. for Administrators ELA 6-12 Teachers Enrollment for our summer offerings is now open! Choose two days of learning (consecutively or one day paired with another) to receive graduate credit. See the sessions being offered below!

ELA SUmmer Learning Opportunities

Kindergarten Writing Teachers, This One is for You! • July 25 This professional development opportunity is designed for kindergarten educators committed to enhancing their instructional practices and equipping young learners with foundational writing skills. You will leave feeling empowered to create an engaging and effective writing program in your kindergarten classroom. Audience: Kindergarten Educators, Title I, Special Education REGISTER HERE! Optimizing Learning: Harnessing the Power of Data and Small Groups in Your Classroom June 20-21 This hands-on workshop aims to empower educators to leverage literacy data effectively and implement targeted instruction through small groups and stations. Educators will be equipped with a toolkit of strategies to enhance literacy instruction, use data effectively, and create a dynamic learning environment.  Audience: K-3 Literacy Educators REGISTER HERE! Why Can't My Students Comprehend? • July 15-16 How do I support the different needs of my students? Participants will dive into 'why' students can't comprehend and develop strategies to 'make learning stick'. From fostering word curiosity to implementing effective, evidence-based instruction, this training will empower educators with the tools and knowledge needed to create meaningful retention of learning. Some elements included will be: structuring your literacy block, using data to target instruction, vocabulary, morphology and other empowering strategies. Audience: Upper Elementary, Middle School & High School ELA/Literacy Teachers REGISTER HERE! RSP Information Overview • July 26 This session is a repeat for those who could not attend last year's sessions in Writing Individual Reading Success Plans. Participants will examine: what Senate Bill 681 is requiring us to do in reference to stronger literacy development DESE guidance on overall development of individual student plans steps needed to ensure the correct skills needed for targeting instruction sample plans related to special education and ELL students Audience: Literacy educators and/or school leaders responsible for development and implementation of Reading Success Plans (RSPs) REGISTER HERE!

Strategy Showcase

Dictation What? “Dictation is the process of writing down what someone else has said. Dictation provides a chance for an adult to model many writing behaviors including handwriting, matching sounds-to-letters to spell words, and sentence formation.” *quoted from ReadingRockets.org * How? Have students focus on writing a word, phrase, or sentence dictated to them. Modeling first how to attach sound to letters for word(s) in an example. This gives students practice in attaching graphemes to sounds, while also applying learned phonics patterns, and practicing letter formation/handwriting.  Learn more or see this practice in action at https://www.readingrockets.org/

Home Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding. Read more www.readingrockets.org

LETRS Celebrations

Check out our recent LETRS “graduates”. These educators have completed one or both volumes of LETRS! Congratulations on your accomplishment!

Literacy Coaches and Consultants

Christie Jackson cjackson@nwmissouri.edu Jane Jackson jjackso@nwmissouri.edu   Morgan Skaith mskaith@nwmissouri.edu Erin Smith erins@nwmissouri.edu