Agenda Item
a. Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling: LETRS – English Language Arts/Reading Initiative (Internal Capacity & Pedagogy Sustainability) – Year 2 of 2 (Not to exceed $397,100)
Summary: Presented by: Ms. Stacy Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum and Instruction
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the second year of the Lexia Learning two-year agreement to offer LETRS professional development as a teacher resource providing the fundamentals of reading instruction - phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language. LETRS is a professional learning course that provides in-depth knowledge and tools that can be used with any reading curriculum program. Additionally, LETRS is a professional learning program rooted in the Science of Reading.
Why: The DeKalb County School District is focused on building teacher capacity to provide strong, aligned reading instruction at the elementary level for kindergarten through grade 3. LETRS supports the District’s instructional framework for deep teaching and learning aligned to the instructional core. The professional development also supports the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB538) which requires districts to require all public-school kindergarten through third grade teachers in Georgia to complete training in the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills.
Details: The Division of Curriculum and Instruction will partner with Lexia to provide LETRS professional development training for the second of two years to elementary educators. The LETRS professional development series will afford teachers with the skills to provide the high-quality literacy interactions that weave cognitive, social-emotional, and literacy and language skill development. Administrators participating in the LETRS professional learning opportunity will be able to create a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and structures to improve literacy instruction.
Deliverables based on agreement:
LETRS Success Partnership Meetings
Manage implementation and support
Manage goal setting
Make effective data-based decisions
Teacher professional development
Unit 1: The Challenge of Learning to Read
Unit 2: The Speech Sounds of English
Unit 3: Teaching Beginning Phonics, Word Recognition, and Spelling
Unit 4: Advanced Decoding, Spelling, and. Word Recognition
Unit 5: The Mighty Wrd: Oral Language and Vocabulary
Unit 6: Digging fr Meaning: Understanding Reading Comprehension
Unit 7: Text-Driven Comprehension Instruction
Unit 8: The Reading-Writing Connection
Financial impact: $397,100.00 ESSER - 448.2213.530000.30521.7210.4190.8010.035.2022
Contact: Ms. Stacy Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0731
Dr. Lenisera Barnes-Bodison, Executive Director, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0137
Dr. Kimberlynn Weston, Director, Department of PreK-12 Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0144
Effective: September 2023 - May 2024
Status: Approved by General Counsel
LETRS UNIT TRAINING SESSIONS
2023-2024
August 2022 Cohort
GROUP DAY DATES & CONTENT TIME
September 19 Unit 5, Part 1 January 16 Unit 7, Part 1
A, B, C, Tuesday October 10 Unit 5, Part 2 February 6 Unit 7, Part 2 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
November 14 Unit 6, Part 1 March 19 Unit 8, Part 1
OR
D, E December 5 Unit 6, Part 2 April 16 Unit 8, Part 2
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
September 21 Unit 5, Part 1 January 18 Unit 7, Part 1
F, G, H, Thursday October 12 Unit 5, Part 2 February 8 Unit 7, Part 2 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
November 9 Unit 6, Part 1 March 21 Unit 8, Part 1
OR
I, J December 7 Unit 6, Part 2 April 18 Unit 8, Part 2
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
September 23 Unit 5, Part 1 January 20 Unit 7, Part 1
K, L, M, Saturday
October 14 Unit 5, Part 2 February 3 Unit 7, Part 2 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
N, O November 11
December 9
Unit 6, Part 1
Unit 6, Part 2
March 23
April 20
Unit 8, Part 1
Unit 8, Part 2
January 2023 Cohort
GROUP DAY DATES & CONTENT TIME
September 19 Unit 3, Part 1 January 16 Unit 5, Part 1
October 10 Unit 3, Part 2 February 6 Unit 5, Part 2
P Tuesday
November 14 Unit 4, Part 1 March 19 Unit 6, Part 1
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
December 5 Unit 4, Part 2 April 16 Unit 6, Part 2
September 21 Unit 3, Part 1 January 18 Unit 5, Part 1
October 12 Unit 3, Part 2 February 8 Unit 5, Part 2
Q Thursday November 9 Unit 4, Part 1 March 21 Unit 6, Part 1
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
December 7 Unit 4, Part 2 April 18 Unit 6, Part 2
September 23 Unit 3, Part 1 January 20 Unit 5, Part 1
October 14 Unit 3, Part 2 February 3 Unit 5, Part 2
R Saturday November 11 Unit 4, Part 1 March 23 Unit 6, Part 1
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
December 9 Unit 4, Part 2 April 20 Unit 6, Part 2
Wednesday
ALL - Thursday
June 5 Unit 7, Parts 1&2 June 6 Unit 8, Parts 1&2 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
September 2023 Cohort
GROUP DAY DATES & CONTENT TIME
September 19 Unit 1, Part 1 January 16 Unit 3, Part 1
October 10 Unit 1, Part 2 February 6 Unit 3, Part 2
S Tuesday November 14 Unit 2, Part 1 March 19 Unit 4, Part 1
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
December 5 Unit 2, Part 2 April 16 Unit 4, Part 2
September 21 Unit 1, Part 1 January 18 Unit 3, Part 1
October 12 Unit 1, Part 2 February 8 Unit 3, Part 2
T Thursday
November 9 Unit 2, Part 1 March 21 Unit 4, Part 1
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
December 7 Unit 2, Part 2 April 18 Unit 4, Part 2
September 23 Unit 1, Part 1 January 20 Unit 3, Part 1
October 14 Unit 1, Part 2 February 3 Unit 3, Part 2
U Saturday November 11 Unit 2, Part 1 March 23 Unit 4, Part 1
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
December 9 Unit 2, Part 2 April 20 Unit 4, Part 2
Monday - June 3 Unit 5, Parts 1&2 June 5 Unit 7, Parts 1&2
ALL Thursday June 4 Unit 6, Parts 1&2 June 6 Unit 8, Parts 1&2 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
All meetings are live/synchronous on Zoom.
Links will be emailed directly to participants 1-2 school days in advance.
Requirements for a stipend include: attendance at trainings (live synchronous and face-to-face as
applicable), reading the text, and a score of 80% or higher on all assigned Unit Assessments.
To be eligible for a stipend, participants must complete and submit all paperwork for units assigned through
April by Friday, May 10, 2023.