Close the Literacy Gap by Accelerating Literacy Instruction 

Presented by Hilary Price, M.Ed., Professional Learning Literacy Advisor, Learning Without Tears; and Sam Deffes, M.Ed., Professional Learning Literacy Advisor, Learning Without Tears

Sponsored by Learning Without Tears

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Based on the current National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, students have recently experienced the largest decline in reading performance in 30 years. Without foundational literacy skills, student performance may be affected for years to come. The gap that has always existed between top- and low-performing students has grown starkly wider, putting the most at-risk students in an even worse position. The drop in reading skills needs to be addressed effectively.

In this interactive and engaging edWebinar, kindergarten through third-grade educators learn effective strategies that can be immediately implemented to begin closing the literacy gap through the explicit instruction and integration of key skills. Viewers are able to:

• Scaffold literacy instruction to meet the varying needs of today’s learners
• Consolidate and integrate key fundamental literacy skills, including handwriting, throughout the school day
• Leverage assessment data to effectively monitor progress and adjust instruction to accelerate student learning
• Explicitly teach and model literacy skills to help foster literacy abilities in all students, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and advanced learners

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-3 teachers and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

Hilary Price received her Bachelor of Arts in education as well as her Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University in Chicago. She has been in the education field for 20 years, beginning as a classroom teacher in bilingual Spanish classrooms as well as English-speaking classrooms in neighborhood and charter schools in both Illinois and Colorado. Hilary has been with Learning Without Tears since 2021, first as a national presenter and now as a professional learning literacy advisor.

Sam Deffes has been an educator for over 16 years. She began her career at Smart Pope Livingston Elementary in Duval County and taught grades K-4 where she led the MTSS team. She has also served Duval County as a reading coach and district literacy specialist. Sam is an accomplished professional development facilitator, coach, and content developer. She received her master’s degree from the University of Florida with a focus on curriculum and instruction in reading. She is currently a professional learning literacy advisor for Learning Without Tears.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Building Blocks for PreK–5 community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Learning Without Tears’ mission in today’s changing learning landscape is to ensure that the path to student success remains simple and fun. We provide child-friendly, hands-on, innovative instruction for early learning, handwriting, keyboarding, and writing strategies, and our programs reach more than 31 million students in Pre-K through fifth grade.