About WORDS in Illinois
WORDS in Illinois — Workshops on Reading Development Strategies — is a research-driven professional development program designed to support the state’s efforts to improve early literacy skills among pre-K to third grade students.
WORDS addresses this need by providing effective, practice-based support and professional development to build capacity and prepare teachers to deliver high-quality reading instruction and assessment in districts across the state.
This work builds on the success of WORDS in Nebraska.
How it Works
WORDS has five integrated components:
1. Teacher Professional Development Opportunities
WORDS provides teachers with flexible and ongoing professional development opportunities to help them confidently deliver effective reading instruction. The program offers year-round instructional support through in-person workshops and coaching.
2. One-on-One Coaching
A WORDS-trained coach helps teachers apply what they learned in the PD sessions to their classroom instruction. Coaching also includes support to help teachers make instructional decisions based on their data.
3. Assessment Training & Support for Schools
WORDS provides professional development and training on how to administer, analyze and interpret reading assessment data, and to reliably identify students who need extra reading support. Training includes practice activities and examples for scoring and interpretation of approved assessments.
4. Reading Leadership Training
WORDS builds capacity among local leadership to implement the professional development in schools and districts statewide. Through training activities, Literacy Leaders gain expertise in reading laws, policies and approved practices that enable them to train others in future years.
5. Reading Tutoring Program
WORDS offers a no-cost, after-school reading tutoring program for students with reading difficulties. Teachers can serve as tutors, giving them an opportunity to implement the instructional practices they are learning from the program. WORDS provides stipends to teachers for tutoring.
Project Details
Keys to WORDS Success
- Uses the latest reading science to support effective reading instruction and intervention.
- Helps districts reliably identify students who may need extra reading support.
- Relies on strong two-way partnerships with educators to make a positive impact.
- Promotes self-efficacy among teachers and empowers them with practical strategies to use readily in the classroom.
- Offers differentiated support to meet school, teacher and student needs.
- Builds local leadership capacity in schools and districts to ensure sustainability.
What Topics are Covered?
WORDS covers a variety of topics related to effective reading instruction:
- Science of Reading and Phonemic Awareness
- Data Analysis
- School Characteristics
- Automaticity and Fluency
- Sentence Combining
- Intensifying Tier 1 Instruction
- Deep Dive Data Analysis
- Principal’s Choice
- Reading Comprehension and Writing Strategies
- Building Sustainability