The Science of Word Recognition: From Research to Responsive Practice
Presented by: Sara Jozwik, Ed. D., Governors State University

Strong word recognition is the foundation of skilled reading, yet effective instruction requires more than simply teaching phonics. This session examines the science underlying phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and orthographic mapping while emphasizing responsive instructional practices for culturally and linguistically diverse learners with disabilities. Participants will explore how to design explicit, systematic, and inclusive instruction that accelerates word recognition while honoring students' linguistic assets and instructional needs.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the developmental progression of foundational word recognition skills.
2. Evaluate instructional practices that align with current reading research.
3. Implement evidence-based strategies to improve decoding accuracy, fluency, and automatic word recognition for diverse learners in multilingual, inclusive contexts.

Building Language Comprehension: Leveraging Students' Strengths and Assets
Presented by: Endia J. Lindo, Ph.D., Texas Christian University, & Camille O'Quin, Ph.D.

Reading comprehension depends on far more than decoding. Students develop a deep understanding when educators intentionally strengthen oral language, vocabulary, background knowledge, discourse practices, and comprehension while leveraging the cultural and linguistic assets students bring to the classroom. Grounded in the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021) and the Culturally Informed Model of Reading Comprehension (CIMRC, Lindo, 2026), this interactive workshop explores how language comprehension develops and how educators can design instruction that honors students' identities, languages, dialects, and lived experiences.

Participants will examine practical approaches for supporting bilingual, multilingual, and bidialectal learners through culturally responsive comprehension instruction, translanguaging practices, explicit vocabulary and discourse instruction, and knowledge-building experiences. Throughout the session, educators will engage in collaborative activities that move beyond deficit perspectives toward strengths-based instructional planning to improve comprehension outcomes for all students.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the major components of the Active View of Reading and describe how language comprehension contributes to reading comprehension.
2. Describe how vocabulary, oral language, background knowledge, discourse practices, and cultural knowledge influence students' ability to construct meaning from text.
3. Recognize the cultural and linguistic assets bilingual, multilingual, and bidialectal learners bring to reading comprehension.
4. Identify instructional opportunities to implement translanguaging and linguistic bridging strategies that promote comprehension.
5. Apply the Culturally Informed Model of Reading Comprehension (CIMRC) and the POEMS Framework to modify comprehension lessons using a strengths-based, culturally responsive lens.

Bridging Processes: Building Fluency and Leveraging the Linguistic Knowledge Learners Bring to Reading and Writing
Presented by: Concepción Moncada-Cummings, Ph.D., Southern Methodist University

Understanding and composing text relies on critical bridging processes—including fluency, vocabulary, and conventions (e.g., print concepts and syntax). Students can connect meaningfully to text and more readily express their ideas when educators intentionally connect learning to their students’ lived experiences. Building on the last session of leveraging students’ assets and following the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021), this hands-on workshop guides educators in designing fluency, vocabulary, and writing instruction that honors students’ identities, languages, dialects, and lived experiences.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe how fluency at every level supports reading comprehension.
2. Describe how knowledge of conventions and vocabulary supports students’ ability to understand and compose text.
3. Recognize the knowledge of conventions and vocabulary that multilingual learners bring to reading and writing.
4. Understand how to implement evidence- and research-based strategies that further develop multilingual learners’ (a) fluency and (b) knowledge of conventions and vocabulary.
5. Identify instructional opportunities to implement translanguaging and linguistic bridging strategies that support reading comprehension and writing.

A Recipe for Equitable Implementation: Addressing Barriers and Activating Levers for Reading Success
Presented by: Concepción Moncada-Cummings, Ph.D., Southern Methodist University; Sara Jozwik, Ed. D., Governors State University; Endia J. Lindo, Ph.D., Texas Christian University; Camille O'Quin, Ph.D., Governors State University; and Kelley A. Taksier, Ph.D UF Lastinger Center for Learning

Drawing on the Active View of Reading, this session highlights the often-underemphasized "active self-regulation" components that support long-term reading success: motivation, engagement, executive functioning, strategic behavior, and self-monitoring. Participants will explore how these instructional levers interact with word recognition, language comprehension, and bridging processes to support students' reading development across diverse educational settings.

Rather than viewing reading success solely as a function of cognitive skills, this session examines how students' identities, experiences, emotions, and learning opportunities influence literacy outcomes. Through a combination of expert presentations, facilitated roundtable discussions, and collaborative synthesis, participants will identify practical strategies to remove barriers and strengthen supports that foster resilient, motivated, and self-directed readers.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how motivation, engagement, executive functioning, strategy use, and self-monitoring contribute to reading success within the Active View of Reading.
2. Describe how trauma-informed, restorative, and culturally responsive practices support students' emotional well-being, engagement, and literacy development.
3. Identify instructional practices that strengthen executive functioning, metacognitive strategy use, and learner self-regulation across developmental levels.
4. Apply evidence-based implementation strategies to support diverse learners, including multilingual students, students with dyslexia, and students requiring intensive intervention.
5. Evaluate how high-quality, culturally meaningful instructional materials can increase student motivation, engagement, and opportunities for equitable literacy learning.
6. Develop context-specific action steps for addressing implementation barriers and leveraging student strengths to improve reading outcomes in participants' own educational settings.