Listen in to “Leading Literacy” – LACOE’s Exciting Podcast!

 

Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) launched its very own podcast in 2020 for the purpose of engaging in literacy conversations that both inspire and instruct. In the first eleven episodes, experts from the field of reading and dyslexia, including Maryanne Wolf, Louisa Moats, Elizabeth Jimenez Salinas, Emily Hanford, and others joined co-hosts Leslie Zoroya, Coordinator of Reading Language Arts, and Mara Shinn Smith, Senior Program Specialist for LACOE. 

DDCA Co-Directors Lori DePole and Megan Potente and Assistant Director Rachel Hurd recently met with Leslie Zoroya to talk about the podcasts and the exciting professional development her team is offering to Los Angeles County school districts on the topic of evidence-based instruction, which benefits all and is crucial for students with dyslexia. Included in their offerings is a “Getting Reading Right” consortium that provides ongoing training to teachers on how to bring the science of reading into their classrooms. LACOE hopes to be able to expand this consortium to all interested County Offices of Education in the near future.

Listen in to Leading Literacy, a learning community dedicated to advancing literacy in Los Angeles and the world!

“The research is very clear on what reading teachers should be addressing and we know that teaching explicit, systematic, and direct instruction in early foundational reading skills is crucial. It’s really an equity issue-when a student can’t read or read well, we know this can hinder a child’s success for a lifetime. Our goal is to build teacher knowledge in the science of reading so every teacher is equipped to provide this kind of instruction and can ensure that reading difficulties are diagnosed early and appropriate interventions enacted. We really do believe that it is possible to get reading right and are committed to doing all we can to support teachers in this effort.”

-Leslie Zoroya, RLA Coordinator, Los Angeles County Office of Education

You Asked! – Question 27

Is your school teaching phonics effectively? This month the International Literacy Association (ILA) issued a brief on “Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction” stating the need for systematic and explicit instruction in phonics as one critical component in overall reading instruction. While all students benefit from systematic and explicit instruction in phonics, students with dyslexia likely won’t achieve literacy without it.

ILA is a large organization with over 300,000 members and its most recent position on the phonics debate most closely aligns with the CA Education Code, the CA Dyslexia Guidelines and the International Dyslexia Association’s definition of Structured Literacy (with respect to phonics instruction). As more and more organizations are in agreement on the most effective way to teach phonics, we must determine if our schools are adhering to these practices.  Sadly, many “balanced literacy” programs used in our California classrooms do not teach systematic and explicit phonics that will benefit all students, particularly our students with dyslexia.

To learn more, please read our latest “You Asked Q27