November 2022
ORTIi News & Updates
horizontal_seamless.jpg
We have a lot to be grateful for at ORTIi this fall.

  • We have been able to have our first live (though hybrid) training in over a year for current districts. Thanks to everyone for getting back to the work!
  • We have been able to get back into schools to see the great instruction happening.
  • We have a tremendous line-up of presenters for our Reading Symposium. Thanks to all of these experts for making time to share their knowledge with us and our participants.
  • AND, we have a new administrative assistant! We are excited to welcome Cassandra Arguello Mendoza to the ORTIi team.


The ORTIi team,

Beth, Nicole, Lisa, Ryan, Jon and Cassie
Digital Program Now Available!

Please join us for the 2nd Annual
ORTIi Reading Symposium

You can still register for our free, virtual half day event on December 8th, 2022 from 8:00-12:15 PT. We hope you will be able to attend live, but if that does not work for your situation, all sessions will be recorded and available on our website within days of the conference.

Although we do have a registration link HERE, it is not essential that you register if you do not plan to attend live. The registration information just helps us know if we need bigger Zoom licenses for the live event. If your plans change that day, you don't need to let us know - just join us if you can or wait a few days for the recordings.

Curious about the content?
Check out the digital program HERE.

The Annual Conference
is BACK!

ORTIi is partnering with NWPBIS for a combined spring conference to meet all your MTSS needs: Building Equitable MTSS, Social Emotional and Mental Health, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and of course, READING. The conference will be held at the Hilton Portland Downtown, April 27-28, 2023. The pre-conference is on April 26th with 3 hour workshop sessions.

Click here to access the conference information page, including registration information. Look for more information about presenters in January. We can't wait to see you all!
A New Podcast Series by
Emily Hanford
(Audience: ALL)

Have you been listening to Sold A Story? It is very interesting, infuriating, and important. And it can also be inspiring. We know what it takes to teach children to read and many of you are learning all you can to make your instruction effective for all of your students. This podcast makes us even more excited to hear from Emily Hanford at our Reading Symposium!
Science or Snake Oil?
How to Tell the Difference
(Audience: ALL)

Holly Lane, another one of our upcoming Reading Symposium presenters, held a webinar last week to talk about what really is meant by the term The Science of Reading. As this term has taken off over the past few years, many programs and practices claim to be based in The Science of Reading, but their practices may or may not be actually align with what research says about how to best teach students how to read. How do you know who and what programs to trust? This important webinar can help you be a critical consumer of information from publishers and/or social media.

Reading Rockets:
Diverse Books For Children
(Audience: Elementary staff and Parents)

This resource from Reading Rockets is a great website for conversations about WHY it is important to have books representing the diversity of humanity in our classrooms and homes. It also has links to lists of great books you may want to check out. There are so many beautiful titles!
The Reading League's
Defining Guide Video Series: Experts Explain
(Audience: ALL)

By now you have probably read The Reading League's Defining Guide. There is now a new series of short videos with experts explaining potions of the guide. Additionally, since the Defining Guide has a Call to Action section, the video series also includes clips from community partners, parent groups, physicians, elementary and middle school educators and other advocates for effective reading instruction. These videos would be great additions to any staff PD or district reading websites.

Science of Reading: The Podcast
Leading with the head and the heart: Enacting lasting literacy change with Mitchell Brookins
(Audience: District and School Leaders)

If you are a principal, this is an episode for you during your commute or walk. Mitchell Brookins describes his Science of Reading journey as a teacher and then a principal. He talks about the need for instructional leaders to be highly knowledgable about effective reading instruction. It was very inspiring!
ORTIi Resources
For Your Professional Learning Needs
Science of Reading Professional Learning

Have you been asked to present some introductory information to your staff about the Science of Reading and don't know where to start? Here are some slide decks you can use to start to build understanding about what science tells us about how we learn to read and how that science informs what and how we should teach reading and writing. These are not videos, so you will need to lead the sessions yourself and can customize them for your setting, but everything you need to get started is here.

The topics include:
  • What is the Science of Reading Anyway?
  • Word Recognition
  • Language Comprehension
  • Explicit and Systematic Instruction
  • Reading Assessment
MTSS Components

Does your PD plan for the year include staff training on the components of MTSS? We've got you covered! We now have a facilitation guide for the Overview and Tier 1 Modules. Look for facilitation guides for Tiers 2 and 3 coming this winter.

If you are in an Oregon school district, you can schedule a Facilitated Team Time with an ORTIi coach to ask questions and/or discuss any action plan your team creates after watching the modules.

Email us at [email protected] to schedule a session.


Other Professional Learning Resources

Need some high quality professional learning? ORTIi's has resources! Just visit our Video Recordings and Modules page. These videos give you access to an amazing array of experts in the fields of reading and MTSS.