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«Back to all edWebinarsDispelling Tier 1 Misconceptions: Why We Need Differentiated Literacy Instruction
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST
Presented by Dr. Stephanie Stollar, Founder, Reading Science Academy; Linda Diamond, Executive Director, Evidence Advocacy Center; and Dr. Marisa Ramirez Stukey, Senior Director of Research and Engagement, Collaborative Classroom
Sponsored by Collaborative Classroom
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Students enter school with diverse literacy backgrounds and varying levels of literacy knowledge including letters and sounds. How can educators effectively address the individual instructional needs of each student to accelerate their progress and foster fluency and independence in reading?
Join literacy experts Dr. Stephanie Stollar and Linda Diamond as they examine and correct common misconceptions about differentiating the word recognition portion of Tier 1 instruction. They will provide guidance on research-based instructional decision making that ensures effective elementary reading instruction within a Multi-Tiered System of Support.
This edWebinar will explore key aspects of effective literacy instruction, including the importance of differentiating small-group instruction from the very beginning. Additionally, the session will highlight the critical role of data in supporting teachers with group formation and ongoing refinement. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies and insights for delivering effective foundational skills instruction, including:
- Shifting whole-group instruction for word recognition
- Implementing mastery-based instruction
- Observing, assessing, and responding to students’ needs
- Making informed decisions regarding student placement
This session will equip elementary educators, reading specialists and coaches, and school and district leaders with the tools needed to ensure that all students receive the targeted support necessary to develop as fluent readers. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
About the Presenters
Dr. Stephanie Stollar is passionate about using MTSS as the framework for helping all students become skilled readers. She’s the founder of the Reading Science Academy, an online community where over a thousand educators support each other to improve results in their schools. Dr. Stollar also advises the next generation of educational policy leaders in her role as an Assistant Professor at Mount St. Joseph University. She served as a Vice President at Acadience Learning, provided training and consulting to hundreds of school districts, and worked as an assistant professor of school psychology and as a school psychologist. Dr. Stollar believes that by supporting all educators, high achievement is possible for every student.
Linda Diamond has dedicated her career to teaching children to read, particularly those with word reading difficulties like dyslexia. Linda co-founded CORE Learning alongside former California Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig in 1995. After serving as CORE’s President for 26 years, Linda stepped down from that role in December 2020 but continues to serve on CORE’s Advisory Board. Linda has also worked as a public school teacher, principal, director of curriculum and instruction for a K–12 school district, and senior policy analyst with an emphasis on school to career, charter schools, and school reform. Linda is the co-author of the textbooks Teaching Reading Sourcebook, Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures, and Vocabulary Handbook.
Dr. Marisa Ramirez Stukey is the Senior Director of Research and Engagement with Collaborative Classroom. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in teacher education and professional learning and a master’s degree in reading education, both from the University of Florida. Dr. Ramirez Stukey is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 15 years’ experience teaching in both elementary and higher education contexts, instructional coaching, and professional learning systems development. Her research interests focus on reading comprehension instruction and designing literacy professional learning. She has consulted with numerous school districts in developing change models and collaborative professional learning structures, particularly to shift literacy instruction. She lives in Gainesville, Florida with her husband and young daughter.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. Collaborative Classroom recently merged with FluentSeeds to serve educators and other adults responsible for nurturing children’s language, literacy, and social and emotional learning from birth through grade 8.
FluentSeeds provides the SEEDS of Learning™ professional learning framework designed for all adults who serve children ages 3–5, including educators, tutors, caregivers, site leaders, and coaches. Using a unique combination of training, coaching, and professional learning communities, SEEDS of Learning empowers adults with the knowledge to develop oral language, emergent literacy, and social and emotional skills in all three- to five-year-olds, setting them up for success in kindergarten and beyond. With flexible in-person, virtual, and e-learning training options, SEEDS meets the varying needs of adult learning communities and works with any early childhood program.
