Level Up With Literacy

Drs. Meredith Wellman and Barbara Boone have done a lot of work through the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center to support Ohio districts to build positive family and community partnerships in the service of students. In a recent webinar, "Engaging Families in Child and Adolescent Literacy," they shared research-based strategies for engaging families in support of language and literacy development, from preschool through adolescence. There were also resources to use with families and schools to build stronger partnerships for literacy, including new resources related to dyslexia and adolescent literacy.

The webinar can be accessed with this link: Webinar: Engaging Families in Child and Adolescent Literacy Development - YouTube

The slide deck with hyperlinked resources can be accessed with this link: PowerPoint Presentation (osu.edu)

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center offers a hub for free professional learning resources for schools on family engagement in education. Among the resources available include online courses, recorded videos, podcasts, news & guidance, research, and upcoming conferences/workshops/events. These resources can be found with this link: Professional Learning - Ohio's Statewide Family Engagement Center (osu.edu)

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center partnered with ODE, Ohio families, and educators to develop sample communication tools and guidance for schools related to Ohio's Dyslexia Laws. These resources are aligned with Ohio's Dyslexia Guidebook for schools, and can be copied/adapted for local use. If you would like to request additional communication tools or have questions about the existing resources, please email Dr. Meredith Wellman at wellman.87@osu.edu. These resources can be found with this link: Dyslexia Communication Tools for Schools - Ohio's Statewide Family Engagement Center (osu.edu)

The summer months are a time to slow down, recharge, and enjoy yourself. While we encourage you to spend that time with family and friends, summer can also be a time when you pursue new techniques, different ideas, and ways to improve your craft. Here are just a few of the many resources out there meant to build the collective capacity of educators in literacy instruction.

Literacy Academy On-Demand offers short, easily-accessible courses on literacy for grades K-12. Each course is centered around a brief video of an expert in literacy instruction, along with resources, reflection questions and articles. These courses should take 30-60 minutes to complete. The goal of each course is to provide teachers, coaches and administrators with quick overviews of topics, along with tangible steps that they can take in their classrooms, coaching sessions or team meetings to improve literacy instruction. Link: Literacy Academy on Demand | Ohio Department of Education

Science of Reading: The Podcast delivers the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Each episode takes a conversational approach and explores a timely topic related to the Science of Reading. Link: Science of Reading the Podcast | Amplify

Dr. Tim Shanahan, one of the world's premier literacy educators, has created a website that provides various resources that addresses almost any topic specific to literacy instruction. Whether it be by following his blog posts, streaming an instructional video, reading through a research paper, listening to his new podcast, or connecting with other professionals in the field, you are able to learn more about your passions as a teacher and leader. Link: Literacy Education | Shanahan on Literacy

Toledo Public Schools has seen great success as the district continues to work to align research, practice, and Ohio’s focus on structured literacy through Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement. With the support of a Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Grant, new curricula and intervention programs are aligned with the Science of Reading. This programming provides teachers with high-quality instructional materials that reflect the latest research on how our brains learn to read. Additionally, grantees have seen impactful gains in literacy achievement thanks to the dedication of literacy coaches that have provided ongoing support to administration, teachers, students, and parents. Riverside Elementary is one of five sites experiencing the fruits of support with the CLSD grant as well as the important work of the teachers, staff, and students there. The future looks bright for Riverside Elementary and Toledo Public Schools. See video here: https://vimeo.com/821415326/fe23e897da?share=copy

On March 23, 2023, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2023-07D, a measure to create the Governor's Literacy Challenge to improve reading proficiency for all Ohio children. DeWine's proposed budget includes a $162 million science of reading proposal that includes $64 million for the science of reading curricula, $43 Million each year for the next two years to offer the science of reading instruction for educators, and $12 million to support 100 literacy coaches in schools and districts. The Executive Order can be found HERE

Our goal for supporting the region is consistent alignment between your needs and our services. Please take a few moments complete this survey, which can provide general feedback on our Literacy Leaders Network as well as our Level Up With Literacy newsletter. Additionally, we encourage you to select the topic(s) you anticipate as high priority for you in the upcoming 2023-24 school year. Thank you in advnace! The survey can be accessed by this link: https://bit.ly/sst1survey

Phonics Rule Update - There has been a revised phonics rule passed on December 29, 2022 and will be in place for the next five years. The ruling can be accessed here.

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Manual Update - There has been some updates to the guidance manual. Notable changes include students with disabilities. Access the updated manual here.

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This document was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, (Award #H173A200119, CFDA 84.173A, awarded to the Ohio Department of Education). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and no official endorsement by the Department should be inferred.