MESD Early Literacy

MESD Early Literacy is focusing this newsletter on what MESD's Early Literacy supports have looked like over the past 5 years and what educators can look forward to in the 26-27SY. This month marks the completion of my first 5 years 🎉 as the MESD Early Literacy Specialist!! My work continues to focus on being responsive to the literacy needs of the districts MESD serves, and to provide technical supports in-line with state level initiatives (ie. grants, literacy frameworks, assessment, and High Quality Instructional Materials). The future is bright at MESD, as Briana Nease, the new Secondary Literacy Specialist, and I work with our MESD team and our districts to build comprehensive K-12 literacy support for the region.

Looking back...

• My first four years (2021-25) at MESD focused largely on Science of Reading (SoR) training - building a foundation of ODE Dyslexia-trained educators across our 8 component districts (MESD will continue to offer an ODE Dyslexia-approved training option)
  
• This past year (2025-26) continued SoR support, but added professional learning (PL) focused on the Science of Writing. Intentional integration of Social Science content and meeting the writing needs of learners was central to this work. The Science of Writing PL will continue in 26-27 SY with district-specific PL and asynchronous writing content available on PDNetworks beginning July 1st.

• Literacy network plans for the 26-27 SY are still being built out as Briana Nease, MESD's newly hired Secondary Literacy Specialist, and I are working to reimagine K-12 literacy services based on the staffing and specific needs of our districts' staff and students. Details will be released at the start of the school year.

Foundational skills focused on multisyllabic word reading, morphology, Greek and Latin roots in 4th-8th

Summer reading - check out the new foundational skills added to 4th-8th grade!

MESD will be offering a K-12 ELA book study during the 26-27 SY focused on building the knowledge needed to implement the newly added foundational skills. Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why it Matters by Sue Scibetta Hegland (2021) focuses on the teacher knowledge needed to understand the structure of the English language, multisyllabic words, morphology, Greek, and Latin roots. See MESD offerings below for more book study details.

Participants will grow their knowledge about writing at an asynchronous pace that works for them. Participants will earn 12 PDUs through PDNetworks upon completion.

Writing examples throughout the course utilize Oregon's Tribal History Shared History content. This course focuses on the pedagogy needed to meet the writing needs of all learners with an intentional focus on multilingual learners and students experiencing disabilities.

Science of Writing Series Content:

Transcription and Spelling
The first set of modules covers transcription, handwriting, typing, and spelling.

Writing at the Sentence Level
The second set of modules covers sentence writing: simple, expanded, compound, and complex. Paragraph writing will be addressed in both session two and session three.

The Writing Process
The third set of modules covers the writing process (planning, composing/drafting, revising, and editing) across different types of writing (informational/expository, narrative, and opinion/argumentative).

Writing to Learn
The fourth set of modules focuses on writing to learn and the intersections between the science of reading and the science of writing.

Click here to join the waitlist today, which will reserve your seat. When registration opens at the start of the 26-27 SY, Sherrie will email you with the cohort details and formal registration.

This book club option: Small Groups, Big Results will be customized to whatever your building-level or district book club needs it to look like. Participants will learn how to intensify instruction in tier 1, and how to refine small group interventions based on student data and evidence-based best practices.

If you would like to lead this book club in your setting during the 26-27 SY, click here to sign up as a leader. At the start of the school year, MESD will supply up to 10 books per book club while supplies last. Sherrie will meet with the book club leaders, supply them with a book club discussion guide, and offer any other needed supports.

For Summer listening, explore this podcast with Julia Lindsey to learn more about their book, Small Groups, Big Results!

This K-12 book club's format is still under construction, but details will be available at the start of the school year.

If you are interested in participating in this book study during the 26-27 SY, click here to fill out the interest form. Sherrie or Briana will email you at the start of the school year with the book club details and they will mail out books to those who commit.

For summer reading and listening, explore the author's website and conference talks.

I have received many emails asking about handwriting interventions. Explore resources in this link for helpful tips, webinars, and handwriting interventions.

The goal of this network is to help you stay up to date on the vast body of research contributing to the science of reading and writing without needing to add another meeting to your calendar. All newsletter contents are shared to generate awareness of resources, local opportunities, and provide professional learning. Archived newsletters are available on the MESD Early Literacy Webpage. If you know someone who would like to be added to this quarterly newsletter have them subscribe here!

Email: skendall@mesd.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.multnomahesd.org/school-improvement.html
Location: 11611 Northeast Ainsworth Circle, Portland, OR, USA