Dr. Sayeski has graciously supplied her slide deck from her presentation, including the notes and hyperlinks to the resources mentioned in the webinar. 

Dr. Sayeski has also given permission for us to make the webinar publicly available on the IDA-GA YouTube Channel. Watch it HERE. 

In addition, Dr. Sayeski suggests the following resources:

• Elsa Cardenas-Hagan’s book, Literacy Foundations for English Learners. 
• The IES Practice Guide on Literacy and EL 

All registrants can earn a Certificate of Attendance by completing a knowledge check (review)/request for COA form after viewing the webinar. The form and link to the recording will be emailed by Sunday at 11: 59 pm ET. Please submit this form by April 7 to receive the COA on April 8, 11:59 pm ET. 

Structured means “arranged…according to a plan to elicit a desired response or outcome; not haphazard.” In this 3rd webinar in the IDA-GA / TRL-GA Spotlight Series, Dr. Sayeski will present a framework for understanding how structured literacy can be used to systematically build students’ knowledge and skills to access and produce written text. As such, structured literacy is a way to prevent reading difficulty and provide intervention support for students experiencing persistent difficulty with reading. Participants will learn how structured literacy combines explicit, code-based instruction with rich word and world knowledge. Additionally, participants will learn why structured literacy is incompatible with balanced literacy yet how children’s literature and complex texts can and should be part of a structured literacy approach. Dr. Sayeski is the author of Unraveling Dyslexia: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (2024), a book that translates research into practical guidance for educators and families. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia, where she co-founded and directs the Dyslexia Endorsement and Certificate program. Dr. Sayeski’s research and writing focus on identifying effective practices for teacher preparation. Additionally, she shares her expertise through open-access instructional videos on YouTube. In 2023, she received the Leadership in Literacy Award from IDA-GA for her outstanding contributions to teacher training and professional development.

Information about the Spotlight on Structured Literacy Series: https://ga.dyslexiaida.org/2025-spotlight-on-structured-literacy-webinar-series/