2025 Literacy Convening

Structural inequities emerge when systems fail to adapt to the needs of their evolving communities. While structured literacy is effective for all, the National Literacy Panel identified two key adjustments—oral language proficiency and cross-language transfers—necessary to accelerate learning among multilingual learners. Carrying out these adjustments requires specialized knowledge, and this session intends to make this work manageable and digestible for educators and leaders alike. Attendees will learn practical strategies for immediate implementation to advance second language and literacy acquisition among MLLs.

This presentation underscores the necessity of incorporating evidence-based literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading to meet the diverse needs of all students, especially those exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia. Addressing these challenges holistically, this approach highlights the critical role of district leaders, administrators, educators, and parents in supporting students with reading difficulties. The focus is on fostering accessible literacy instruction that not only acknowledges the struggles faced by students but also empowers stakeholders to ensure equitable access to effective teaching methods. This inclusive strategy aims to bridge gaps in understanding and support for students with dyslexia by equipping all stakeholders with the essential knowledge and skills to facilitate student success. The presentation will provide insights into professional development and enhanced parent engagement, essential components for creating a supportive educational environment. By emphasizing the importance of collaboration among all parties involved, this session will prepare participants to implement strategies that ensure every learner, regardless of their reading abilities, has the opportunity to thrive.

Being at the forefront of promoting literacy in secondary schools requires school leaders to prioritize literacy. This webinar provides a unique opportunity for leaders to gain insight into leading a mission and vision that ensures all students achieve reading proficiency through strong Implementation Science. Leaders will walk away from this presentation understanding the transformative power of leadership, scientifically aligned systems, and effective instructional literacy practices. They will also comprehend the importance of instructional coaching and a positive school culture, paving the way for a brighter future for all students in our secondary classrooms. We are in this together!

Supporting secondary students in comprehending complex texts requires intentional planning and targeted strategies. This session explores how to help students construct and extract meaning from texts by focusing on key elements like background knowledge, vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and language structures. Participants will learn how to use the Reading Rope model to develop a Mental Model of comprehension and walk away with a practical lesson plan framework and actionable strategies to support diverse learners in any content area.

With the increasing proliferation of Artificial Intelligence tools, teachers have tremendous opportunities to harness the power of AI to enhance, not replace, the cognitive lift and meaningful learning in literacy classrooms. In this session, Student Achievement Partner will collaborate with participants to explore practical strategies for using generative AI to support productive struggle while maintaining the essential cognitive work that drives student growth. Key topics will include strategic AI integration, practical implementation strategies, and student-centered planning. Additionally, we’ll share a guide developed in partnership between Student Achievement Partners and AI for Education, engage teachers in opportunities to explore the guide and AI models, and solicit feedback from educators about use case and opportunities.

This session is focused on utilizing teacher knowledge to impact student outcomes directly. "Informed teachers are our best insurance against reading failure. While programs are very helpful tools, programs don't teach, teachers do." This is the central theme of the case study. The presenters will use data to show how strategic and explicit instruction allowed the student to see significant growth.

According to the Institute for Education Sciences, the most effective evidence-based best practice for teaching writing to secondary students is through the model-practice-reflect cycle and using assessments of student writing to inform instruction and feedback. Formative assessment of writing and increasing writing across content areas will support secondary students’ writing development and increase reading comprehension.

In this webinar, educators will: examine and break down the 6-12th grade writing standards for the production and distribution of writing, explore evidence-based best practices for assessing student writing, and collaborate with other secondary educators to reflect on current teaching practice and how to incorporate their learning into their classrooms.

This session is intended for all 6-12 literacy educators to strengthen their current practices in teaching and assessing the Arizona writing standards. All participants will walk away with strategies and resources to implement in their classrooms right away, including a guide full of evidence-based best practices for teaching secondary writing effectively.

Participants will:
examine and break down the 6-12th grade writing standards for the production and distribution of writing
explore evidence-based best practices for assessing student writing and AZ assessment resources
collaborate with other secondary educators to reflect on current teaching practice and how to incorporate their learning into their classrooms.

Participants will gain access to a digital repository of related resources, and will participate in collegial discussions and reflections about their own current system.

In this engaging and practical session, participants will learn evidence-based strategies for preventing reading difficulties through targeted small-group instruction. This approach focuses on identifying students' specific needs and delivering explicit and systematic intervention. Attendees will learn how to use data to form effective small groups, design instructional plans, and apply techniques that promote reading success for all learners. Whether you're an educator striving to close the achievement gap or a literacy leader aiming to strengthen early interventions, this session equips you with the tools to make a lasting impact.

Comprehension is often overemphasized as a skill that can be both isolated and taught. Instead, comprehension is the goal of our reading instruction. Effective comprehension instruction can support the goal of ensuring students understand any text they read. Providing effective comprehension instruction requires we change our mindset around what comprehension is, why it is both a skill and an outcome, and how to support students in building their understanding of text.

In this session, Student Achievement Partners will review key research that outlines what comprehension is, why comprehension instruction is most effective in the context of complex text, and how we can change practices to ensure any student has the support needed to comprehend any text.

Substantial attention has been placed on supporting foundational reading and writing skills in the early grades, but many students still reach 4th grade and above without such skills securely in place. How do we engage older striving readers in instruction that builds student efficacy, motivation, and sense of self as competent and capable readers?

In this session, Student Achievement Partners will share the research and evidence base that defines efficacy and joy in literacy instruction. We will highlight specific, research-based instructional routines that can be implemented in any class to ensure that all students, especially those who have gaps in their foundational skills, build their competence and confidence as readers.

Strong literacy leadership is the foundation for academic success at the secondary level. In this dynamic session, participants will explore the critical role of leaders in shaping school-wide literacy initiatives, fostering collaboration among educators, and supporting diverse student needs.