The Reading League's 2-for-1 November Live Event!

This bundle provides full access to both pre-recorded events and attached resources with no time restrictions. The pre-recorded sessions will be available on-demand beginning on November 19, 2022, at 9 AM EST.

SESSION ONE: Culturally Relevant Literacy – The Human Right of the 21st Century by Tracy Weeden

In a knowledge economy, the human right of the 21st Century is literacy. Is it culturally responsive to teach the structure of the English Language explicitly to students from historically marginalized groups? What is a balanced and honorable approach as educators serve what will be an increasingly diverse student demographic? What are the considerations for acknowledging the dialect and language of origin in the process of scaling evidence-based practices responsibly?

About the Presenter:

Dr. Tracy Weeden is a seasoned and passionate leader dedicated to advancing literacy and academic excellence for children and adults. With an educational leadership doctorate, Dr. Weeden has spent her career creating and building innovative programs, systems, and teams focused on providing enhanced learning opportunities and exceptional outcomes for students.

Dr. Weeden’s professional journey includes teaching, campus leadership, and serving as the Coordinator of Personnel Development & Recruitment for the Katy Independent School District. Weeden also served as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment for the Houston Independent District. Her experience broadened to working on a national level for Scholastic as the Director of Academic Planning & Learning Support. Her innovative style of leadership, combined with her compassionate and engaging nature, enables her to successfully manage change and growth across a diverse constituent base including boards of trustees, donors, staff, parents, educators, partners, and students.

In her current role as President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center, she provides leadership and support in the areas of financial management, recruitment and development of staff, fundraising initiatives, initiating and furthering relationships with Neuhaus’ partners, and guidance of professional and public relations. Dr. Weeden’s innovative thinking is furthering Neuhaus’ mission to promote reading success by providing evidence-based professional learning to educators, information and resources to families, and direct services to adult learners.

SESSION TWO: What’s All the Rush? The Science of Oral Reading Fluency by Stephanie Stollar

Reading fluency has been described as the bridge between word recognition and reading comprehension. Although Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessments can reliably measure reading fluency and can accurately predict reading comprehension, this efficient and elegant measure is often misunderstood. This workshop will provide clarity on the value of ORF data for decision-making in elementary classrooms. Participants will gain information on the research on ORF as an indicator of overall reading competence, explore the relationship between ORF and RAN, learn to interpret ORF scores, and be equipped with instructional approaches to improve the passage reading fluency of their students

About the Presenter:

Dr. Stephanie Stollar is the founder of Stephanie Stollar Consulting LLC and the creator of The Reading Science Academy. Dr. Stollar is a part-time assistant professor in the online reading science program at Mount St. Joseph University and a founding member of a national alliance supporting reading science in higher education. As a board member for the Innovations in Education Consortium, she collaboratively plans the annual MTSS Innovations in Education Conference. Dr. Stollar has worked as a school psychologist, an educational consultant, and as Vice President for Professional Learning for Acadience Learning Inc. She has provided professional development, conducted research, and published in the areas of assessment, early intervention, and collaborative problem-solving. She is passionate about improving educator knowledge and aligning school systems to prevent reading failure.  

Questions? Please email events@thereadingleague.org.