This engaging session is designed for district and building administrators and instructional coaches who are leading the implementation of evidence-based writing instruction. You will explore how to move beyond fragmented writing practices to create a cohesive, school-wide approach that yields measurable results.
Throughout the session, you will have the opportunity for deep collaboration and discussion with fellow leaders to solve common implementation challenges. You will examine the specific structures and professional learning supports needed to empower your teachers and ensure that high-quality writing instruction becomes a sustainable part of your district’s literacy culture. You will leave with a clearer vision for leadership and a set of practical strategies to monitor and support effective writing instruction across all grade levels.
Dr. Ivetha Witherspoon is a consultant with Keys to Literacy and a distinguished expert in research-based writing instruction. She began her career as a public school educator in elementary education before transitioning to middle school, where she specialized in intensive reading... Read More →
Curriculum decision-makers frequently ask, “Does my curriculum truly align with the Science of Reading?” While many publishers make this claim, determining what constitutes genuine evidence alignment, and how it differs from standards alignment, remains a persistent challenge.
This session introduces the forthcoming 4th Edition of the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines, developed by The Reading League to support schools and districts in making informed, research-based curriculum decisions. With an increased emphasis on oral language and reading comprehension, the updated guidelines reflect the depth and breadth of the current research base on how students learn to read.
Participants will engage with key concepts from the research and learn to identify both evidence-aligned practices and common “red flags” found in instructional materials. The session will also highlight how to use Curriculum Navigation Reports as a practical tool for evaluating the extent to which curricula address each component of evidence-aligned reading instruction. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what true alignment looks like in practice and actionable strategies to ensure that instructional materials support strong, coherent language and literacy development for all students.
What does research tell us about effectively supporting students in grades 4–12, and how does this differ from early literacy instruction? While foundational principles of reading development remain consistent, older striving readers require distinct instructional approaches that address gaps in both foundational skills and language comprehension.
In this session, participants will engage with the research base through the lens of The Reading League’s Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines for Grades K–5 and the Reading Intervention Evaluation Guidelines for Grades 4–12. Together, these tools will be used to examine what works best for older readers who continue to need targeted support. Participants will explore key similarities and differences between early and adolescent literacy instruction and learn to identify high-impact, evidence-aligned practices for intervention.
The session will also provide practical, hands-on strategies to advance morphological and syntactic awareness that can be implemented in both intervention settings and content-area classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on one of the most consistently supported findings in the research: the importance of a coherent, schoolwide approach to literacy that ensures all educators share responsibility for advancing reading outcomes. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies and a clearer understanding of how to support older striving readers through aligned, system-level practices.
