NM PED 2026 Literacy and Humanities Summer Conference

Text complexity remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of literacy instruction, as many educators rely solely on Lexile levels to determine appropriate texts for students. Because this limited approach often restricts access to grade-level content and perpetuates achievement gaps, understanding how to comprehensively evaluate text is essential for college and career readiness.

In this session, Student Achievement Partners will share the research base for text complexity analysis. You will explore the three-dimensional framework that evaluates quantitative measures, qualitative features, and reader and task considerations. Using practical tools and rubrics, you will examine how structure, language, knowledge demands, and meaning interact to create complexity. You will partner with colleagues to practice using qualitative analysis tools on authentic instructional materials and leave with strategies for designing scaffolds that provide all students access to grade-level complex texts. By the end of the session, you will be equipped to build student capacity through the thoughtful selection and support of challenging, high-quality texts.

In this session, you will explore the evolution of digital citizenship and how it must now align with the growing expectations of AI literacy. You will take a deep dive into New Mexico's AI Guidance Document, gaining a clear understanding of the state's framework for responsible and effective AI use in schools.

Throughout the workshop, you will interact with your peers and the presenter to discuss practical ways to integrate AI tools into your core curriculum. You will focus specifically on ensuring these tools are aligned with High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) to maintain academic rigor. You will leave with a modernized perspective on digital citizenship and a strategic plan for using AI to enhance, rather than replace, high-quality teaching and learning in your classroom.

English Learners bring valuable phonological knowledge to early literacy instruction. Research identifies phoneme-grapheme relationships between Spanish and English as fully transferable, partially transferable, or non-transferable, and these connections serve as a critical bridge for reading development. In this session, you will examine how the similarities and differences in Spanish and English phonology impact student reading and spelling in English.

You will be introduced to the Translinguistic Tool for Teachers of English Learners (T³EL), a resource designed to support your understanding of phoneme-grapheme reciprocity across languages. You will explore practical guidance for teaching phonics concepts to English Learners and gain the instructional tools necessary to implement these strategies in your classroom. You will leave with a clear roadmap for using a student’s home language as a powerful foundation for English literacy success.

Phonics Power Hour is an engaging and interactive session designed to strengthen students’ foundational reading skills through explicit, systematic phonics instruction. This presentation highlights how targeted practice with letter–sound relationships, blending, segmenting, and word building helps young learners become confident, fluent readers.

Participants will dive into the mechanics of word recognition, exploring how high-frequency practice and multisensory routines move students from sounding out individual letters to automatic word recognition. The session provides educators with a clear framework for delivering fast-paced, high-impact phonics lessons that maximize student engagement and retention. Attendees will leave with a suite of practical tools and instructional routines that can be implemented immediately to ensure every student masters the code necessary for reading success.

The arts are a natural tool for inquiry, investigation, creativity, community building, and connection to classroom curriculum. This practical, hands-on workshop is grounded in the pedagogy of Harvard Project Zero, including Making Learning Visible and Thinking Routines.

Facilitated by Arts Integration Learning Specialist Michelle Holdt, this session introduces participants to simple yet dynamic arts-integrated strategies that are immediately applicable to lesson plan development and implementation. Educators will leave with actionable techniques to foster deeper student engagement and make thinking visible across all content areas.

Our schools represent a diverse range of cultures, ethnicities, languages, and values. As an educator, it is paramount that you understand the importance of respecting, embracing, and amplifying your students’ unique perspectives and lived experiences. Culturally responsive teaching bridges gaps in understanding, promotes equity, and creates learning environments where all students can thrive. By affirming student identities and fostering meaningful connections between learning and their lives, you can empower your students to succeed both personally and academically.

In this session, you will learn the core principles of culturally responsive teaching and how to integrate them into your daily lessons and routines. You will explore strategies for creating an inclusive and respectful environment where every student feels seen, heard, and valued. You will gain insights into how culture and identity shape the way students learn, communicate, and engage with the world, leaving with a toolkit of practical ways to leverage these insights to enhance learning outcomes for every student in your classroom.

This session dives into the Road to Reading for English Learners model, a framework that treats oral language development and differentiated linguistic scaffolds as fundamental components of instructional design rather than optional add-ons. You will examine the systematic integration of language acquisition and reading strategies to ensure that literacy instruction is both accessible and rigorous.

Throughout the session, you will explore concrete examples of how to improve language and literacy instruction for all students with a specific focus on the unique needs of English Learners. You will learn how to design lessons that prioritize linguistic support without sacrificing grade-level content. You will leave with a clear understanding of the Road to Reading framework and a set of practical tools to help your English Learners thrive as they build both language proficiency and deep reading skills.