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Literacy & Learning Educator Conference
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2025 Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Reid Lyon
Neuroscientist and Specialist in Learning Disorders
Dr. Reid Lyon, is a neuroscientist and specialist in learning disorders. He received his Ph.D. In neuroscience and learning disorders from the University of Mexico in 1978. He joined the faculty of Communication Science and Disorders at Northwestern University in 1980 where he also directed the neuropsychology laboratory. From 1992 to 2005, Dr. Lyon served as a research neuropsychologist and the chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the NICHD at the National Institutes of Health; in this role he developed and oversaw research programs in cognitive neuroscience, learning and reading development and disorders, behavioral pediatrics, cognitive and affective development, School Readiness, and the Spanish to English Reading Research program. He designed, developed and directed the 44-site NICHD Reading Research Network. After leaving the NIH, Dr. Lyon held tenured distinguished scientist and distinguished professorships at the University of Texas, Dallas Center for Brain Health (neuroscience) and Southern Methodist University (educational
leadership and associate dean, Simmons College of Education and Human Development). Dr. Lyon is the author and co-author of over 130 peer reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters addressing developmental neuroscience, learning and reading disorders/dyslexia, and the translation of science into practice and policy. He also co-authored the definition of dyslexia used at the NIH and worldwide. Dr. Lyon received the NIH Director’s Award twice. Once for his contributions to the neuroscience of learning and learning disorders and once for his development and implementation of the 44-site NICHD Reading Research Network.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Stollar
Professor at Mount St. Joseph University
Keynote Session
Tier 1 Instruction is Risk Reduction
In the wake of well-intentioned laws requiring dyslexia screening, many educators are exhausted by trying to provide intervention to all of the students who score below expectation on universal screening. This session will explore the use of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) focused on analyzing and improving classroom reading instruction (Tier 1) as the best opportunity to reduce the number of students who need intervention.
Dr. Stephanie Stollar has dedicated over 30 years to improving literacy outcomes through evidence-based practices. She believes that by supporting all educators, high achievement is possible for every student.
In 2020, Dr. Stollar founded Reading Science Academy, an online community where thousands of educators support each other to improve results in their classrooms. She also advises the next generation of education policy leaders in her role as an assistant professor at Mount St. Joseph University.
In addition, Dr. Stollar serves as a Board Member of the Innovations in Education Consortium, sits on the Executive Team at the Evidence Advocacy Center, and is a co-founder of a national alliance for supporting reading science in higher education.
Previously, she served as Vice President of Professional Learning at Acadience Learning, as an MTSS trainer and consultant for hundreds of school districts, as an Assistant Professor of School Psychology, and as a School Psychologist.
Through her ongoing educational workshops and extensive publications, Dr. Stollar continues to build the capacity of educators and education systems worldwide so every student can be lifted through literacy.
Dr. Renata Archie
Contributing Faculty Member at Mount St. Joseph University
Breakout Session
Teaching Beginning Writers: Evidence-Based Writing Instruction for K-2
Are you a K-2 teacher feeling overwhelmed by the task of teaching effective writing skills? Do you find yourself searching for resources to help you implement evidence-based writing instruction; if so, this session is for you! Written expression is one of the most complex academic tasks to learn and to teach. Early writing skills are crucial for future academic success, but often receive less emphasis in the classroom. Join us for a session that examines the research-based instructional recommendations for early writing instruction. Discover how writing develops in young children, explore effective approaches to explicit handwriting and spelling instruction, and learn the essential elements of basic composition instruction. Leave with practical strategies to inspire your young students to become enthusiastic and confident writers.
Renata Archie, Ed.D., is a district-level literacy specialist supporting a portfolio of NYC public schools with evidence-based practices, assessment, and data-based decision-making. She teaches in the Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University and supports doctoral students through their dissertation journey. Dr. Archie has contributed to the early childhood PBS/Thirteen show “Let’s Learn NYC”, was featured on the IDA Reading Road Trip podcast and on the Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children website. With a background in early childhood, her research interests lie at the intersection of MTSS, literacy, self-efficacy, and school leadership. A graduate of UC Berkeley and New York University, she holds a doctorate in Reading Science from Mount St. Joseph University. Dr. Archie lives in Brooklyn, NY but is a native of the California Bay Area.
Dr. Sara Hart
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Developmental Science and Professor of Psychology
Breakout Session
The Science of Reading from a Whole Child Approach
This session will summarize Dr. Hart’s work on understanding how genetics, contexts, and psychological risk and protective factors contribute to reading skill development. She’ll discuss how she uses, and hopes to use, what she has found in her research, to inform the everyday practice of education, as well as screen for and treat learning disabilities. Dr. Hart will describe two current projects. One is using a twin study to understand how genetics and context work together to influence reading development, broadly and in the context of COVID-19. The second project leverages a large randomized control trial of first graders, 50% of who are English learners, to study how genetics, contexts, and psychological factors increase our prediction of student achievement, learning disability classification, and response to intervention.
Sara A. Hart is the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Developmental Science and Professor of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Broadly, her substantive research relates to understanding how and why people differ in their cognitive development, particularly focused on reading and math development. Most of her work to date has focused on using twin and genomic methods to understand the “nature” and “nurture” of child development. She examines the role of an individual’s genetic variants and contexts in predicting school achievement and intervention response.
Dr. Pam Kastner
Contributing Faculty Member, Mount Saint Joseph University
Breakout Session 1: The Power of How: Maximizing Practice through Instructional Routines
This session offers the research that underpins the power of instructional routines to maximize student learning. Using explicit instructional routines empowers teachers in providing a seamless flow in delivering a lesson. Instructional routines embed multiple opportunities for students to respond, engage in guided practice with immediate affirmative feedback or error correction as needed. Instructional routines reduce student cognitive load, allowing them to focus on the content or skill to be learned rather than the task, leading to increased student learning.
Instructional routines related to word recognition with embedded practice opportunities for participants are modeled and practiced in this session. The design and delivery of this session places an emphasis on translating research-to-practice for practitioners.
Participants leave with a toolkit of instructional routines and resources.
Session 2: Enhancing Word Reading Through Integrated Word-Meaning Instruction
Integrating word-meaning instruction within word-reading instruction turns words into powerful tools for comprehension. Teaching language skills in tandem, rather than isolation, is an effective approach to helping students enhance both their reading fluency and understanding of complex text. This presentation examines the research supporting this approach and highlights how it can impact academic success in content-area classes. The focus of this session is translating research-to-practice. It offers specific instructional routines and tools, which will be modeled followed by guided practice for participants, to facilitate applying this comprehensive literacy practice to the classroom, where word reading and word meaning unite to unlock the full potential of every reader.
Pam Kastner, Ed.D., is an educational consultant and the former state lead for literacy in Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) Harrisburg.
During her tenure as state lead Dr. Kastner and the PaTTAN Literacy team provided the literacy training, technical assistance, coaching, and consultation for the school research sites for Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia pilot, extension, and expansion.
Dr. Kastner along with the PaTTAN literacy team lead state-wide literacy initiatives which included professional learning in the science of reading and structured literacy; onsite training, coaching, and consultation; a virtual literacy resource hub; and an international literacy conference.
Currently, Dr. Kastner is honored to serve as an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Joseph University in the Reading Science Program where she teaches in the Masters’ and Doctoral Program and was honored as the Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2023.
Dr. Kastner has presented widely across the United States and Internationally. She partners with State Departments of Education and school districts throughout the nation to provide on-site technical assistance, consultation and coaching.
Dr. Kastner serves on the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition and has the honor of serving as the President of The Reading League Pennsylvania, The Reading League Journal’s Practitioner Editorial Board, and is a member of The Science of Reading: A Defining Movement coalition
Dr. Theresa Pham
Postdoctoral Researcher & SLP, Western University
Breakout Session
Promoting Oral Language and Participation in Class with Talk Moves
Beyond decoding/phonics instructions, oral language is an essential component of literacy skills, language development, and learning. Educators can support oral language in the classroom through classroom talk. But ‘just getting kids to talk’ can be challenging. One way to promote rich classroom talk is through the use of Talk Moves. Talk moves are conversational tools (sentences starters and gestures) that students can use to speak, listen, reason, and think with others (e.g., Add On talk move: “I want to add that…”). We created the Talk Moves Professional Development Series to help educators and other professional implement talk moves in the classroom. If you feel like your discussions follow a Q & A format, then use Talk Moves to engage students in collaborative discussions.
Beyond decoding/phonics instructions, oral language is an essential component of literacy skills, language development, and learning. Educators can support oral language in the classroom through classroom talk. But ‘just getting kids to talk’ can be challenging. One way to promote rich classroom talk is through the use of Talk Moves. Talk moves are conversational tools (sentences starters and gestures) that students can use to speak, listen, reason, and think with others (e.g., Add On talk move: “I want to add that…”). We created the Talk Moves Professional Development Series to help educators and other professional implement talk moves in the classroom. If you feel like your discussions follow a Q & A format, then use Talk Moves to engage students in collaborative discussions.
Melissa Smith
Grade 1 Teacher and Curriculum Support Team
Breakout Session
Harnessing the Power of Interactive Read-Alouds the in Primary Grades
In this breakout session on Interactive Read-Alouds, participants will explore the power of read-alouds as a dynamic teaching tool that fosters deep comprehension, critical thinking, and student engagement. Attendees will learn how to strategically integrate questioning, explicit vocabulary instruction, and purposeful discussion, during multi-day read-aloud sessions to actively involve students in the text. Educators will gain practical strategies to facilitate meaningful interactions that promote vocabulary development, fluency, and developing a deep understanding of the content areas through curated text sets. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with the skills to make read-alouds more interactive, purposeful, and impactful in their classrooms as well as confidence in using a variety of tools and resources such as as ONlit.org to support their students.
Melissa Monette Smith is a long time teacher in her 18th year of education. Having spent her career in YRDSB, Melissa has taught every grade From K-8 including core French, Special Education, and regional literacy. She currently teaches grade 1 and is enjoying setting the foundation for literacy with her students. When working in the Student Support Centre, Melissa realized that her understanding of reading acquisition was not rooted in evidence and decided to retrain herself, taking courses in Orion-Gillingham, morphology, Self-Regulated Strategy Development, and many more. In addition to teaching Grade 1, Melissa is a proud member of the ONlit team, supporting educators from across the province by answering their questions and providing professional development.
Dr. Kim St. Martin
Director, MiMTSS
Breakout Session
Intensifying Literacy Instruction: Essential Components
Data, systems, and effective practices are needed for schools to ensure learners access and benefit from intervention support. Common misrules and ways to prevent stagnant literacy acceleration will be discussed. Participants will understand the core components of a quality intervention structure. Examples and resources will be shared to support participants in generalizing the information to their context.
Data, systems, and effective practices are needed for schools to ensure learners access and benefit from intervention support. Common misrules and ways to prevent stagnant literacy acceleration will be discussed. Participants will understand the core components of a quality intervention structure. Examples and resources will be shared to support participants in generalizing the information to their context.
Nellie Caruso
Elementary French Immersion Teacher
Leigh Fettes
Elementary French Immersion Teacher
Kate Winn
Elementary Teacher
Breakout Session:
Data-Driven Success: Leveraging Screening to Boost Reading Achievement
Wondering what to do next once you have screening data in hand? In this session that bridges knowledge to practice, Nellie, Leigh and Kate will offer background on the four types of assessment and where screening fits into the big picture. They will also share ideas for using your screening results to inform whole and small group instruction. With personal experience making decisions based on data from kindergarten through Grade 8, the presenters will use both research and firsthand knowledge to guide you through your next steps, including progress monitoring. They will also clear up some of the many misconceptions about reading screening!
Nellie Caruso is a French Immersion educator who also served as a literacy coach for several years. With a Masters degree in French and Structured Literacy Classroom Teacher certification, Nellie is passionate about the intersection of reading science and FSL instruction. She has completed both Orton-Gillingham (Classroom Educator) and LETRS training. Nellie is actively focused on disseminating knowledge and building teacher capacity. She is an Acadience Mentor, trained to administer and interpret data from Acadience K-6 measures. Nellie has delivered numerous presentations and she is a proud member of the ONlit team supporting educators via content creation and professional development.
Leigh is an elementary French Immersion teacher with TLDSB and lives in Huntsville. She is a part-time MEd student in reading development and instruction and has taken the Orton Gillingham Classroom Educator course, Reading Teacher’s Top Ten Tools (through IDA Ontario), IDA Ontario’s Basics of Decoding and Spelling, LETRS, and ThinkSRSD. She is trained in Acadience and IDAPEL and is an Acadience Mentor. Leigh enjoys supporting fellow educators as they learn about effective, evidence-based literacy instruction for all students and is inspired by them as they shift their practices. She has seen what is possible when students are taught using a Structured Literacy approach and how this can change lives. Leigh would like all educators, including preservice teachers, to be trained in reading science and for all students to have access to teachers with this knowledge.
Kate Winn has been teaching since 2000 with the PVNCCDSB. She is a passionate advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction for all students, and her IDA Ontario webinar “Structured Literacy in Kindergarten: 5 Changes That Made All My Students Readers” has been viewed by more than 14,000 educators worldwide. She is the host and coproducer of IDA Ontario’s hit podcast, Reading Road Trip. Kate has presented to the Minister of Education, OCSOA (Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers Association) and teacher federation representatives, and presented on both Fluency and Vocabulary with Nellie Caruso and Leigh Fettes at past Literacy Learning Conferences. A trained Acadience Reading K-6 Mentor, she was a panelist for the IDA Ontario Literacy Leaders series on assessment. Kate is a Content Lead with ONlit and has facilitated professional development locally, nationally and internationally.
Courtney Berger
Secondary School Teacher
Lisa Rogers
School Based Literacy Facilitator
Kristen Roy
Special Education
Breakout Session:
Raising Reading Outcomes: A Structured Literacy Intervention in Grade 9
Join us for an insightful session designed for intermediate and secondary educators who are seeking to explore structured literacy to support students struggling with reading. Showcasing a grade 9 intervention class, we will share planning, our own learning, student learning and data. The class includes use of REWARDS for decoding, fluency routines, morphology work and some syntax instruction to support moving these students onto a healthy reading trajectory. Data using Acadience Learning Online aimlines and out of grade progress monitoring will be shared to gauge effectiveness of the work so far. Powerful student voice will be gathered and shared about the experience. We will share the way these students saw themselves, how they struggle to shift identities as their skills grow, and some of the difficulties in shedding coping strategies and behaviours.
Courtney Berger is a secondary school teacher deeply committed to enhancing student literacy at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School (AHSS) in South River, Ontario. As the English Program Team Leader at AHSS, she plays a pivotal role in the co-implementation of structured literacy initiatives based on current needs evident in data collection. She has been teaching a very successful reading intervention course for grade 9 and 10 students.
Lisa Rogers is proud to be both a School Based Literacy Facilitator with the Near North District School Board, and a member of the Curriculum Assistance Team at ONlit. Lisa works alongside educators in K-10 classrooms across the NNDSB supporting school communities to continually improve equitable access to learning for all students through structured literacy. Lisa, and a wonderful team of ONlit educators, developed the resources; Fluency in Perspective: Grade 8 – Changemakers and Fluency in Perspective: Grade 7 – Across the Curriculum (to be released in April 2025). These fluency resources have been embraced by educators and are currently being translated into French.
Kristen Roy is an educator with a strong background in Special Education at the Near North District School Board. Kristen is assisting with the implementation of structured literacy support at the high school level, including the implementation of the REWARDS program. She focuses on providing targeted, data-driven support in small group settings, enabling students to develop essential reading skills and boost their confidence.
Erika Chesnick
Elementary Literacy Consultant
Breakout Session
Teaching Writing with Self-Regulated Strategy Development using thinkSRSD
Join us for an informative 70-minute session on Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), a powerful evidenced-based approach that helps students become independent, skilled writers. Discover how thinkSRSD applies this method to guide students in mastering writing through structured, self-regulated strategies. Gain a high-level overview of thinkSRSD, hear about the Limestone District School Board’s current learning journey with this approach, and see real student writing examples from before and during the thinkSRSD implementation. Leave with practical, ready-to-use strategies and frameworks you can implement in your classroom tomorrow to help enhance writing and foster student independence. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how thinkSRSD can impact your teaching and boost your students’ writing success!
Erika Chesnick is a proud elementary educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. She currently works as the Elementary Literacy Consultant for the Limestone District School Board, and has taught students in every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 8. During her career she was worked as a classroom teacher, Student Support Teacher, Literacy Intervention Teacher and Learning Coach – she even spent 2 years teaching and learning in Milan, Italy. Erika is Empower trained, Orton-Gillingham trained, an Acadience Mentor, and a proud member of the ONlit educator team.
Jordan Ingola has a passion for French as a Second Language education and has worked as an elementary educator in both the French Immersion and Core French programs for the past 10 years. He spent the first six years of his teaching career in Regina, Saskatchewan, where he also evaluated FSL resources for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. He and his family have since relocated to Kingston, Ontario, where he currently works as an Elementary Learning Partner (instructional coach) with the Limestone District School Board.
Melissa Flynn
Executive Director, FNSB
Megan Norris
Lead Literacy Coach, FNSB
Breakout Session:
Nothing Changes Until Something Changes: Yukon First Nation School Board’s Journey Transforming Literacy
The First Nation School Board (FNSB) in the Yukon, was established in February 2022. One of its first priorities was improving literacy outcomes for FNSB learners. Guided by community, the FNSB team created a comprehensive literacy plan, grounded in a culturally inclusive model. Today, members of FNSB will share about their journey so far and their vision for what’s ahead. After only one year of the First Nation School Board’s literacy plan, students’ standardized test results have increased up to 14 standard scores for learners across FNSB schools. Join us today to hear our story and journey we have taken to change the trajectory of our learners’ lives.
Drin Hozo!
Shozre Melissa Flynn, Tr’ondek Hwech’in dich’e. I am a Tr’ondek Hwech’in citizen from the Yukon. I grew up fishing, hunting and berry picking with my parents, grandmother and aunties.
I have worked in Education in the Yukon for the last 14 years as a Han language teacher, Vice Principal and now as the Executive Director of the newly formed First Nation School Board.
I have the honour of working with our Yukon students, families, First Nation Governments and school teams delivering an enriched learning experience that is embedded in local culture and worldview.
Megan was born and raised on Treaty 6 Territory in central Alberta, the traditional lands of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, and Métis peoples. With Dutch, English, and Irish ancestry, she is the great-great-granddaughter of European settlers.
Megan began her career as a teacher and speech-language pathologist in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2021, she moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, on the traditional lands of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation, to work with rural Yukon First Nation communities.
Now serving as the Lead Literacy Coach for the First Nation School Board, Megan supports the implementation of the FNSB Literacy Plan. This plan, guided by the wisdom of Yukon First Nation communities and literacy leaders nationwide, strives to improve literacy outcomes through a culturally responsive approach. Megan is honoured to be part of this meaningful journey!
Near North District School Board Literacy Team: Amy Bartlett Gibson, Steve Krause, Lorianne Haslehurst, Rebekah Felsman, Mike Watson, Lisa Rogers
Breakout Session
Our Perspective on Effective System-Wide Literacy Support and the Reading Specialist Role: Successes, Challenges and What Lies Ahead
How is literacy supported across different levels in your district? What has been your experience with Early Reading Screening implementation? How has the Reading Specialist Role landed in your district? Come join us for an engaging and meaningful conversation around fostering strong professional relationships that support purposeful professional development. We will also explore effective literacy intervention practices and the use of data to drive instruction and programming. You will leave inspired with creative ideas and professional resources to move literacy learning forward.
The Near North District School Board’s Literacy Team is a dedicated group of educators committed to enhancing literacy education across their district. The team includes K-12 Student Achievement and Well-Being Principal Stephen Krause, along with School-based Literacy Facilitators Amy Bartlett Gibson, Rebekah Felsman, Lorianne Haslehurst, Lisa Rogers and the Board’s Student Success Literacy and Numeracy Lead, Michael Watson.
This system team is an extension of those educators who have Reading Specialist allocations in schools across the district. Although all literacy professional learning is supported by this team, the core of their work is alongside individual educators supporting the new Language curriculum, ERS and literacy intervention.
Their efforts have been recognized nationally, as they were awarded the Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Award for their exceptional commitment to supporting students with dyslexia.
Driven by their passionate belief that literacy is a fundamental right, this team approaches their work with enthusiasm as they work towards the goal of all students learning how to read.
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