literacy & dyslexiA

Teacher Preparation

The UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Learning is focused on issues critically important to the field of teacher education:

• Access to quality literacy instruction for all students
• Preparation of teacher candidates in evidence-based and culturally sustaining literacy pedagogies
• The need for teacher preparation curricula to incorporate recent reading research findings, connecting the science of reading to classroom instructional practices

Literacy Program Standards

Significant to California’s teacher educators are Literacy Program Standards and Teaching Performance Expectations (CTC, 2022) that specifically require preparation programs to incorporate the following elements:

• Principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Multi-tiered system of support
• An expanded view of foundational skills that includes not only phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency, but also, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and morphology
• California Dyslexia Guidelines
• Integrated and designated English Language Development

Efforts of the UC|CSU Collaborative contributed to the development of California’s new Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for All Students. For example, aspects of our own work on an expanded understanding of foundational skills are incorporated into this standard.

E-Learning Modules

In support of the implementation of Standard 7, the UC|CSU Collaborative is developing a series of E-Learning modules.

The modules are designed primarily, but not exclusively, for use in teacher preparation programs and are aligned with the California Dyslexia Guidelines.

The series addresses multiple topics related to literacy and dyslexia, including:

• Past definition of dyslexia and current work to incorporate newer research
• Dyslexia and the brain
• Language processes and English Learners
• Screening and assessment
• Instruction and intervention
• Early childhood

Teams of UC and CSU researchers in the neurosciences and teacher educators from general, special, and bilingual education are working together in the development of module content.

Research and Resources

Osipova, A., Sears, S., Goodwin, V., Greene, K., Porter, S., Thornton, B., Ziolkowska, R., & Gottlieb, R. (2022). UC/CSU California Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning: Teaching about dyslexia through use of online learning modules. Fall 2022 Research Monograph, California Council on Teacher Education.

Osipova, A., Sears, S., Rhinehart, L., Greene, K., & Ziolkowska, R. (2020). UC/CSU California Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning: Creating different models for including neurodiversity and learning in teacher education programs. Fall 2020 Research Monograph, California Council on Teacher Education.

Sears, S., Osipova, A., Greene, K., Ziolkowska, R., Goodwin, V., Porter, S., & Alpert, H. (2021). UC/CSU California Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning: The intersectionality of literacy and equity. Fall 2021 Research Monograph, California Council on Teacher Education.