Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction & Assessment, Pre-K-6

About the Author

Martha Hougen, Ph.D. As a general and special education teacher, public school administrator, and university faculty member, Dr. Hougen has dedicated her work to improve the achievement of students who struggle with learning. She supports teacher educators, teacher candidates, classroom teachers, and specialists to implement the science of literacy.While working at the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin College of Education, Dr. Hougen led the Higher Education Collaborative (HEC). The HEC provided collaborative and professional development opportunities for teacher educators in literacy throughout Texas. She continued this work on a national scale with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR Center) at the University of Florida, working with state departments, institutes of higher education, and school districts.Currently, Dr. Hougen is a national consultant collaborating with state departments and institutes of higher education to improve educator preparation. She also serves on the board of The Center for Effective Reading Instruction.Dr. Hougen has contributed to numerous professional publications on literacy and teacher education, including two textbooks: The Fundamentals of Literacy Assessment & Instruction, Pre-K-6, 1st and 2nd editions (2012 and 2020) and The Fundamentals of Literacy Assessment & Instruction, 6-12 (2014). Susan M. Smartt, Ph.D. As a senior research associate at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Smartt engaged in research, writing, and teaching focused on improving teacher preparation in reading. Previously, she was a national literacy consultant with state departments, teacher preparation programs, and local school districts. Her work focused on facilitating school reform, implementing, reading intervention for low-performing schools, using data to inform practice, developing Response to Intervention initiatives, and implementing scientifically based literacy programs.Dr. Smartt owned and directed a reading clinic for more than 20 years in which she provided comprehensive psychoeducational assessments, dyslexia evaluations, and tutoring services. She has been a classroom teacher, a reading coach, a reading specialist, and a principal. She was an early contributor to the development of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) (Moats & Tolman, 2017) and past president of the Tennessee branch of the International Dyslexia Association. Her publications include journal articles, edited volumes, and books on research-based reading intervention and policy initiatives, including Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction: Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions (Smartt & Glaser, 2010). Currently, Dr. Smartt tutors and provides advocacy services for students with dyslexia. Stephanie Al Otaiba, Ph.D., is a professor of teaching and learning at Southern Methodist University. A former special education teacher, her research focuses on early literacy interventions for students with or at-risk for disabilities, Response to Intervention (RTI), and teacher training. She is the author or coauthor of more than 130 articles and chapters. Dr. Al Otaiba is serves on the executive board of the International Dyslexia Association and is the Editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities.. Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech and language pathologist, a certified teacher, dyslexia therapist, certified academic language therapist and a qualified instructor. She is the President of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas and works with the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston. Elsa has spent the last 2 decades working with national research teams designing assessments and interventions for English learners who struggle with learning to read. She has a passion for ensuring that every child in schools across the world has access to a highly qualified educator who can implement effective language and literacy instruction to diverse populations. Elsa has also dedicated her time and expertise to many organizations. She serves as the Chairperson of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, she is a Past-Vice- Chairperson of the International Dyslexia Association, Past Chairperson of the Texas State Board for Speech Pathology and Audiology and Past Chairperson of the Texas State Dyslexia Advisory Board. She has also served as a board member of the Academic Language Therapy Association, Southwest Regional Education Laboratory and Texas Comprehensive Center at the American Institutes for Research. Elsa has served her local community as Co-Founder of Brownsville READS! She is recognized for her reading reform efforts at the local, state, national and international levels. Elsa has written many scholarly articles, curricular programs, and book chapters related to language and literacy development among English learners. It is her hope that pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to learn evidence-based practices for teaching literacy to all students, including those who are English learners and struggle with learning to read. Elsa has been recognized for her dedication to persons with dyslexia. She is the recipient of the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Dyslexia Association, the Dr. Luke Waites Award of Service to persons with Dyslexia by the Academic Language Therapy Association and the Champion of Dyslexia Award by the Texas Education Agency. Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D., CALT-QI, joined Lexia Learning in 2015 as Principal Educational Content Lead, where she spearheaded the curriculum design of a groundbreaking reading program for struggling adolescent readers. Her career includes 28 years at Neuhaus Education Center, a nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas. She co-edited the fourth edition of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2018) with Judith Birsh. In 2018, Dr. Carreker was the recipient of the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Dyslexia Association for her commitment to excellence and advocacy for people with dyslexia. Christie Cavanaugh, Ph.D., is a clinical faculty member in the department of Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and serves as the edTPA Coordinator for all programs offering initial teaching licensure. Her areas of expertise are grounded in special education, reading instruction, and oral language development. She has worked with reading research centers and supported schools, districts, and state departments of education to implement practices and develop professional development materials for enhancing reading instruction and intervention at the elementary levels and language development for early childhood and elementary grades. Dr. Cavanaugh has published and presented nationally and internationally on language, reading, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. She also serves as an educational services consultant in literacy for CORE (Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education). Dr. Cheesman, who has worked in the field of dyslexia education since 1990, earned credentials as a Qualified Instructor of Academic Language Therapists at Columbia University and is certified as a Dyslexia Therapist by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). She has presented lectures and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and Kuwait. An active member of the Global Partners of IDA, Dr. Cheesman received a Fulbright Specialist Grant to develop Institutional Accreditation Standards for dyslexia organizations worldwide. Stephen Ciullo, Ph.D., . Dr. Ciullo is an associate professor of special education at Texas State University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on improving writing and reading outcomes for students with learning disabilities. Dr. Ciullo also conducts research to support the content-area literacy instruction of educators who teach students with learning disabilities. He was previously a special education teacher in New York. Sally Valentino Drew, Ph.D., Dr. Drew is an associate professor of Special Education and Interventions at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Her research examines writing instruction, disciplinary literacy, and professional development and serves as a bridge to connect general and special educators in supporting struggling learners. The goal of her research is to support teachers in improving studentsâ (TM) writing outcomes through professional development and intervention research, specifically writing to learn and writing within the disciplines. Dr. Drew served as a literacy consultant for many districts including Boston Public Schools and Providence Public School District. Prior to joining CCSU, she taught middle school social studies and language arts in Massachusetts and has additional teaching experience at the preschool, elementary, and high school levels. Darcy Dycha, M.Ed., began her teaching career in an inner city school in Canada. Working for a large school district, she established herself as a leader in literacy instruction with funding from the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. After moving to the United States, Ms. Dycha worked at the state level for Texas Reading First and then for the Texas Literacy Initiative. Currently, Ms. Dycha works for the Childrenâ (TM)s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as a senior project manager where she researches, develops, and provides professional development for educators working with children from birth to grade 12. Susan M. Ebbers, M.S., taught middle and elementary grades for 15 years before moving into administration, curriculum writing, and research. Her doctoral studies focused on vocabulary development, morphological awareness, and the development of literacy. Her curricular materials are published by Voyager Sopris Learning. Her childrenâ (TM)s literature is published by Rowe Publishing. Vicki Gibson, Ph.D., is a national educational consultant, author, and speaker specializing in differentiating instruction, classroom management, early childhood education, and emergent reading and writing instruction. She taught in public schools for 10 years and at Texas A&M University as an adjunct professor while owning and directing three private schools that served students ages 2â "12 years. Dr. Gibson is the CEO of a consulting group that provides professional development for educators. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the TAMU Collaborative Learning Center for children ages 2â "12 years beginning August 2019. Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D., is a leading researcher, educational consultant, and author who works with schools in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Hasbrouck worked as a reading specialist and coach for 15 years and later became a professor. Her research in reading fluency, academic assessment and interventions, and instructional coaching has been widely published. She is the author and coauthor of several books, curriculum materials, and assessment tools. She continues to collaborate with researchers on projects related to reading assessment and intervention. Heather Haynes Smith, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Trinity University in the Department of Education. She earned her doctorate in special education from the University of Kansas. She teaches courses on reading, learning disabilities and behavior disorders, and special education. Dr. Smith previously worked in education as an elementary teacher, Kâ "12 literacy coach, state and national technical assistance provider, and program coordinator on research and dissemination grants. Her research interests include inclusion, integrating academic and behavior supports and social/emotional learning for students with learning disabilities, and practices to improve courses and teacher preparation. Kristie Hotchkiss, M.S., has 32 years of teaching experience with at-risk populations as a reading specialist. At the University of Texas at Austin she worked as the project coordinator for the College & Career Readiness Initiative and at the Vaughn Gross Center on the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies project., Susanne James, Ph.D., was a classroom teacher of students with disabilities for 13 years in instructional and inclusion settings in Kansas and Missouri. She has also been an instructional coach and educational consultant to school districts on coteaching, differentiated instruction, strategic instruction, and effective practices. Dr. Jamesâ (TM)s research interests include virtual learning, coteaching, teacher preparation, and strategic instruction. Natalie G. Olinghouse, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Educational Psychology Department and a research scientist in the Center for Behavioral Education and Research at the University of Connecticut. She has written publications for research and practitioner audiences on writing instruction and assessment, reading and writing connections, individual differences in writing, and the role of vocabulary in written composition. She is particularly interested in developing reliable and valid writing assessment and scoring methods. Dr. Olinghouse teaches graduate courses in the areas of student assessment, writing instruction and assessment, and academic/professional writing. She also provides consultation to states and districts on improving writing instruction and assessment to better meet studentsâ (TM) needs. Dr. Olinghouse has 12 years of special education teaching experience with students with mild to severe disabilities in Michigan and Florida. Miriam Ortiz, Ph.D., received her doctorate in education and human development from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2017 with a focus on special education and Response to Intervention. Prior to completing her doctorate, Dr. Ortiz worked in Tallahassee, Florida, as a Kâ "12 teacher for students with severe behavioral and emotional disabilities. She has worked closely with the researchers at SMU and across the country to improve the reading skills and achievement of struggling students and students with disabilities. Dr. Ortiz currently works as a clinical assistant professor at SMU in the Department of Teaching and Learning teaching courses in the Early Literacy Scholars Program, the Special Education Program, and the Doctoral Program. Dr. Ortiz is also the executive director for the Division for Learning Disabilities (TeachingLD.org) of the Council for Exceptional Children. Deborah K. Reed, Ph.D., is a former English language arts and reading teacher as well as a reading specialist. Since 2003, she has been a researcher and technical assistance provider. Dr. Reed focuses on effective practices for reading instruction, intervention, and assessment. Dr. Reutebuch holds a doctorate in special education with experience directing large-scale intervention, evaluation, and, professional development projects. She has served as a classroom teacher and reading coach before transitioning into higher education. Her areas of research include reading difficulty/disability in children and youth, including those targeting English learners and individuals with autism. Holly Tate Rocha, M.S., began her career as a public school teacher in a Houston-area urban school. During this time, she closely mentored new teachers and worked at the campus and district levels to serve on and lead committees focused on improving outcomes for students. Ms. Rocha is now a senior project manager at the Childrenâ (TM)s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She has supported several state projects, including the Texas Literacy Initiative, and works primarily in training development and delivery, instructional coaching, and leadership support. Carol Tolman, Ph.D., As a national and international presenter, Dr. Tolman draws on her more than 25 years of experience in the public school system, with 13 of those years spent designing and implementing an innovative reading clinic and academic support collaborative for academically challenged high school students. Along with Dr. Louisa Moats, Dr. Tolman is the coauthor of the third edition of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), the gold standard in professional development for educators. It is Dr. Tolmanâ (TM)s goal to spread information about the science of reading to all educators to ensure that students experience high-quality instruction. Joshua Wilson, Ph.D., studies ways to improve the teaching and learning of writing and how automated writing evaluation software programs may be used to achieve those goals. A former special education teacher, Dr. Wilson is particularly interested in improving writing achievement for students with or at risk for learning disabilities. He regularly partners with school districts that are piloting automated writing evaluation, supporting districtsâ (TM) efforts to study the resulting outcomes on writing instruction and learning.