5 DAY TRAINING: September 29; October 1, 6, 8 & 13, 2026. Keys to Adolescent Literacy professional learning is grounded in evidence-based practices and complements Joan Sedita’s new book, The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy: Integrating Evidence-Based Reading & Writing Instruction in Grades 5–12.

HALF DAY TRAINING: Participants explore the frameworks that underpin research-based literacy instruction and address the unique needs of adolescent learners. They learn how to use explicit, structured instruction to teach and integrate reading and writing skills across all subject areas, while recognizing the distinct literacy demands of each discipline. This session provides the foundation for the remaining Keys to Adolescent Literacy sessions and serves as an ideal starting point for schools or districts beginning their work in adolescent literacy instruction.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This interactive session provides research-based recommendations for effective vocabulary instruction that supports both reading comprehension and writing. Participants explore why vocabulary instruction is essential for adolescent learners and learn how to integrate direct and indirect teaching methods to develop both the breadth and depth of word knowledge. The session features practical, easy-to-implement strategies with an emphasis on selecting, previewing, and teaching academic words in meaningful contexts.

HALF DAY TRAINING: Participants explore why students often struggle with complex texts and learn effective strategies for teaching close reading and comprehension monitoring. This interactive session offers research-based approaches to close reading. Practical suggestions are provided for teaching before-, during-, and after-reading comprehension strategies across all subjects, including the use of graphic organizers, summarizing, and generating questions.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session helps teachers of grades 5–12 strengthen students’ reading comprehension and writing skills across all subject areas by making text structures visible in a variety of texts. Participants learn practical strategies for teaching students to recognize text structures while reading and consider text structures when writing. The session addresses multiple levels of text organization, including structures for narrative, informational, and argumentative texts; patterns of organization and corresponding transitions; and paragraph and sentence structures.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session for teachers in grades 5-12 explores the multiple skills and strategies students need to become proficient writers. It also presents effective teaching principles for teaching writing across all subject areas. Practical suggestions are provided for planning and assigning various types of content-area writing tasks. The session highlights the stages of the writing process (think, plan, write, and revise) and offers instructional recommendations and scaffolds to support students at each stage.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session helps educators of grades 5–12 transform classrooms in any subject area into dynamic learning environments where meaningful discussions promote deeper understanding and critical thinking. Participants learn how to shift students from passive learners to active thinkers who can articulate complex ideas drawn from texts and classroom instruction. The session offers research-based strategies for planning and facilitating discussions, including selecting appropriate formats and implementing multiple engaging discussion activities.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session provides grades 5–12 educators with a foundational understanding of how phonics, advanced word study, and fluency contribute to efficient reading comprehension. It also examines why some older students struggle with reading and spelling due to a lack of proficiency in these essential skills. Subject-area teachers learn a consistent, cross-disciplinary word analysis routine that helps students read, spell, and determine the meanings of unfamiliar multisyllabic words across all subjects. The session also addresses the differing needs of fluent and dysfluent readers.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session is especially valuable for intervention educators and literacy leaders working with students in grades 5–12 who struggle with reading and writing. Content-area teachers who have a significant number of students with literacy challenges may also find the session highly relevant. Participants explore the underlying reasons some students experience literacy difficulties and gain a deeper understanding of how dyslexia and executive function deficits contribute to these challenges, as well as the additional hurdles faced by many older English learners. The session includes a review of research-based intervention practices and offers practical strategies for improving vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, fluency, and writing skills.

HALF DAY TRAINING: This session is particularly valuable for intervention educators and literacy leaders who seek a foundational understanding of literacy assessment in grades 5–12. It is also appropriate for Grades 5 and 6 classroom teachers who administer and analyze literacy assessment data. Participants learn about the different types of assessment (screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, and summative), along with a model for using progress monitoring assessments throughout the school year for students receiving intervention instruction. Additionally, the session will cover how to utilize reading assessment data to inform instructional decisions at the student, classroom, grade, and school levels.

2 FULL DAYS: October 20-21. This virtual professional development presents evidence-based instructional practices for teaching comprehension strategies in any content area. Participants learn how to teach a set of strategies that students can apply to support reading comprehension. When used across multiple grade levels, students benefit from a consistent approach to comprehension instruction as they move from grade to grade and subject to subject.