Supporting Structured Literacy Instruction Under a Tight Budget
The Science of Reading (SoR) clearly details the importance of explicitly teaching phonological awareness, encoding, decoding, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension to every learner, and especially those learners who struggle to develop fluent and automatic literacy skills. In this session each of these literacy skills will be defined. Next, vetted and valuable technological tools that align with each skill will be demonstrated and explained. Keeping in mind that we want to monitor screen time for our learners, when we do use technology, it needs to be well designed with child development in mind. There also needs to be a clear educational objective. In this session attendees will learn about free tools that provide targeted practice in each of the pillars of the Science of Reading.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the five pillars of the science of reading and how they build upon each other
- Investigate the SETT model to understand how to match the right tools to the right student
- Explore free tools that provide targeted skill practice in the 5 pillars of the SoR
Artificial Intelligence and Dyslexia: Explore the Options!
In this session, attendees will learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Large language and action models will be explained. Working norms and instructional best practices and their roles when using AI will be investigated. The most current research on the efficacy of using AI with students with reading and writing challenges will be explored. Lastly, tools that support decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, writing, and comprehension will be demonstrated.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the history and underpinnings of AI
- Discuss the ethical implications of AI use and how to set teachers and students up for success when embracing these new tools
- Explore the latest tools that leverage AI to support the struggling reader and writer
The Invisible Engine: Where Executive Function Meets Reading Comprehension
Why do some students decode words perfectly but fail to understand the story? Why do others lose the “big picture” halfway through a paragraph? The answer often lies not in their reading level, but in their Executive Function (EF)—the mental management system of the brain.
In this session, we will demystify the deep cognitive overlap between literacy and self-regulation. We’ll explore how core EF skills—working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility—act as the “invisible engine” driving reading comprehension. When this engine stalls, students struggle to track plot lines, make inferences, or monitor their own understanding.
We won’t just discuss the theory; we will dive into the practical toolkit. Attendees will discover how to leverage modern technology to bridge these cognitive gaps, transforming passive readers into active, self-regulated comprehenders.
Key Takeaways
- Understand how working memory holds onto the beginning of a sentence while the brain processes the end.
- Learn how to identify when a student’s executive dysfunction is being misidentified as a lack of reading “ability.”
- Explore specific tools and settings (from digital annotation to text-to-speech and focus modes) that reduce the “cognitive load” on the brain.
- Investigate how to use technology to gradually build a student’s internal ability to plan, prioritize, and focus during complex reading tasks.
Unlocking Access: Navigating Assistive Technology Laws for Parent Advocates
Assistive technology (AT) is more than just a tool—it is a legal right that ensures students with disabilities can access their education on a level playing field. This session provides parents with a clear roadmap to the federal laws governing AT, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Participants will learn how to move from “considering” AT to securing it in a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). We will break down the school’s legal obligations, how to request formal evaluations, and how to advocate for the training and home-use rights that ensure these tools truly work.
Key Takeaways
- Understand your legal right to request an AT evaluation for your student
- Learn how to advocate for an AT evaluation and services
- Create a roadmap that provides clear steps in navigating access to AT services and what to do if the AT tools in place are not effective
Leveling the Literacy Playing Field: A Balanced Approach to Assistive Technology
Description: For a struggling reader, the right technology can be the difference between frustration and breakthrough. This session focuses on the intersection of AT and effective literacy instruction. We will tackle the common misconceptions surrounding technology use in the classroom and show how a balanced approach—combining “tech-heavy” support for content access with “tech-light” support for skill building—can accelerate student growth and close the achievement gap. In a time where we are remembering that the traditional paper pencil methods worked well, let’s explore the balance of high amounts of text balanced with low tech strategies that support literacy skill development.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand the gap that occurs when students cannot independently access grade level content
- Discuss how to balance students’ interactions with grade level text by using discernment and the SETT model
- Create a balanced approach that empowers the student and builds literacy skills
Dot Com vs. Dog-Eared: A Literacy Showdown
What’s the Difference between digital literacy vs. traditional literacy? Are we starting to realize that digital print has its place, and it’s not going anywhere, but that the traditional reading methods are essential to a student’s reading skill progression? Research shows that when we read from a screen, our brain uses different modalities that suggest a shallow comprehension process. Educators need to have a balanced approach to teaching comprehension using traditional print as well as digital print. This session explores the two approaches and then specific strategies to support both options are presented.
Key Takeaways:
- Explore the difference between digital and traditional literacy
- Understand how the human brain processes text in these two different environments
- Discover strategies that support reading comprehension in each environment
Assistive Technologies that Support Literacy Acquisition; What Does the Research Say?
Struggling readers may have deficits in some or all of the following areas: phonological processing, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary skills, written expression, and reading comprehension. There is ample evidence to support that when carefully curated and implemented with purpose, assistive technology provides additional practice for each of these skills allowing for student mastery. Let’s review and discuss the latest research that documents how AT effectively scaffolds and supports literacy skill development.
Key Takeaways:
- Define and understand the skills needed to be a fluid and automatic reader and writer
- Explore the research that documents the effectiveness of the use of AT to support the readers that struggles
The Brain’s Air Traffic Controller: Supporting Writing Through Executive Function
Why do some students have brilliant ideas but struggle to get a single sentence on paper? This talk explores how executive function (EF) skills—like working memory, task initiation, and emotional regulation—act as the “management system” for the writing process. We will discuss why writing is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks a student faces and provide actionable strategies such as graphic organizers, visual checklists, and metacognitive routines to help “unstick” struggling writers.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand the term executive functioning
- Explore the many facets of the writing process
- Discover tools and strategies that will support the writer who has developing EF skills
Assistive Technologies that Support Work Completion
Text to speech, speech to text, word prediction, and AI features are now a part of the technology we use day in and day out. For those who find literacy skills challenging, these technologies provide an onramp to age level content production. While we always want a solid comprehensive plan in place to remediate lagging literacy skills, we also want to make sure each reader has access to grade and life level content.
Key Takeaways:
- Define TTS, SST, WP and AI tools
- Understand how these tools lighten cognitive load
- Learn how to thoughtfully implement them by leveraging the SETT framework
