Distinguishing Between Difference, Disorder, and Disadvantage: Cultural Considerations for Diverse Readers

In this PaTTAN Literacy Symposium webinar, Dr. Lakeisha Johnson examines the differences between African-American English and mainstream American English and the relationship between oral language skills and African-American students. She discusses assessment and treatment practices that are culturally responsive. Dr. Johnson outlines the issues with confusing a linguistic difference with a linguistic disorder and provides…

Teaching Spelling: An Opportunity to Unveil the Logic of Language

Moats emphasizes the importance of spelling knowledge and language understanding in literacy development in this article. It highlights that spelling is not just about memorizing letters but involves various language aspects like pronunciation, spelling, meaning, and grammatical structure. Good spellers possess comprehensive mental images of words, while poor spellers may lack accuracy and completeness. Moats…

Syntax: Somewhere Between Words And Text

Emphasis on sentence-level instruction is critical to bridge the word-to-text gap for reading and writing. The PaTTAN webinar focuses on the relationships between words, sentences, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Explicit instruction can capitalize on and foster these relationships through purposeful selection of words, texts, and instructional activities. By utilizing effective instructional practices at the sentence level,…

Intensifying Literacy Instruction: Essential Practices

This document summarizes five key priorities in intensifying literacy practices for students who struggle: knowledge and use of a learning progression, designing and using an evidence-based intervention platform, ongoing data-based decision-making, adapting to increase the intensity of intervention, and infrastructures (systems) to support students with severe and persistent literacy needs.

Literacy for All: Instructional Considerations for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Literacy is a set of skills that opens a world of possibilities for all students, including students with significant cognitive exceptionalities.  This PaTTAN webinar begins the discussion about what literacy instruction looks like for this group of students by discussing the definition of literacy, examining the research literature, and providing questions to help guide the…

Evidence-Based Assessment in the Science of Reading

This article is a starting point for understanding how assessment for learning plays a critical role in informing and driving instruction in literacy. This read provides information about evidence-based assessment practices, including screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring. This article will help develop an understanding of a comprehensive assessment system and how educators can use the data…