For the Nevada Community School District, participating in the Iowa Department of Education’s Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning opportunity was a no-brainer.
“We wanted to participate to ensure we are providing best practices in literacy instruction for our students,” said Kody Asmus, associate superintendent for Nevada Community School District. “The LETRS opportunity helps us guarantee that we are doing everything possible to meet the needs of every student in grades PK-8 and beyond by integrating the great things we are already doing with innovative, evidence-based strategies.”
LETRS is an immersive, eight-unit course for educators that provides an intensive look at the Science of Reading. Through LETRS training and the incorporation of evidence-based practices, schools can strengthen literacy instruction, address important achievement gaps and set students up for success. PK-8 teachers, administrators, instructional coaches as well as higher education instructors of teacher preparation programs can take part at no-cost in the Department-sponsored LETRS professional learning.
“With over 6,000 Iowa educators completing the course or currently participating in a cohort, schools across the state are taking advantage of the LETRS opportunity to elevate their teachers and bolster their literacy instruction,” said Wanda Steuri, Department literacy consultant and LETRS coordinator. “LETRS has three specific learning tracks tailored for elementary teachers, administrators and early childhood educators, ensuring high-quality literacy instruction can be applied early in our schools.”
At Nevada, nearly 50 teachers and reading specialists, administrators and early childhood educators have started their respective learning tracks in LETRS over the past two years. Although school officials did not require teachers to participate, many teachers opted in, joining different cohorts as they became available and fit into their schedule. Several teachers have navigated the synchronous online learning session and independent study by collaborating with their grade-level colleagues, which further enhances the course materials. To support their teachers who are participating in LETRS, Nevada has also offered teacher workdays to complete a course unit and compensation for time spent working on LETRS.
“We understand this is a time commitment for our teachers, with most of it completed outside of school time,” Chris deNeui, principal for Nevada Central Elementary School. “Many have found the course beneficial, though, and have implemented some practices right away or have found nuggets of information that have helped them strengthen their classroom instruction. Through LETRS, everyone hears the same information and can have thoughtful discussions as a grade-level team. It has been helpful for a systems-wide approach.”
Providing a consistent learning experience has been one of the main benefits of LETRS training for Nevada, where their elementary school is split into a traditional grade program and a multi-age program with students of different ages in one classroom. With LETRS, Nevada can ensure they are offering the same high-quality literacy instruction in either setting, demonstrating the impact of evidence-based strategies.
“We have a unique set up, having two elementary programs within one building,” Asmus said. “Evidence-based practices help provide consistency across classrooms. They increase the chances for improved instructional strategies and practices and, hopefully, will lead to improved student outcomes and achievement.”
Both Asmus and deNeui have noted that Nevada has taken a blended approach to incorporating LETRS best practices and evidence-based instruction, valuing the individual needs of each student.
“Literacy is not a one-size fits all,” deNeui said. “LETRS and research-based practices provide more tools and resources for teachers to use to engage students in learning.”
Overall, Nevada officials have found LETRS to be a positive experience, and they encourage other schools to consider participating in future opportunities to see the benefits for themselves.
“Ultimately, it improves the teacher’s ability to teach foundational literacy skills,” Asmus said. “It assists with diagnosing reading difficulties and helps to target and structure interventions, which can boost literacy achievement for every reader in the building.”
Additional information can be found on the Iowa LETRS website or the Department’s literacy instruction webpage. Specific questions on about the LETRS professional learning opportunity can be directed to the Iowa LETRS team at ialetrs@iowa.gov.