LETRS Training Update

First, I have to celebrate because I am officially on summer break! Woohoo! Now, I’ll get down to business. I am at the halfway point in my LETRS training and I wrote previously that I would give you all an update at this point.

I completed the Zoom sessions for the entirety of Book 1, but have not quite finished the online platform portion. That was something I had hoped to complete during the school year, but there just wasn’t enough time. I was lucky to be given 30 minutes once a week to work on it, but each unit takes several hours to complete. I don’t like to do school work during the summer, but will work to get this done before the beginning of next school year because there is a test that covers all of Book 1 at the end of unit 4. I don’t want to forget everything over the summer and then have to take a test as soon as I get back.

I write this to let you know what a huge undertaking this program is. You think, hey, this isn’t so bad. I’ll do a little here and a little there, but then at the end of the year you really see the big picture of where you are at. So, if you are planning to take a college course or two during this time for an advanced degree, I would advise against that. This program takes up a lot of time, however you can get some college credit for completing LETRS. Read my post to learn more about that and the basics of LETRS training here.

Next, make sure you are clear on what your district is expecting of you. We were told at the beginning by admin personnel that we would not have to worry about the portfolio part, but then this changed during the year. I believe this to be due to the fact that it was found that some teachers were skipping through the videos to get done faster. Now, admin is saying that we must have the portfolios of three students and complete the journal because the district may check before we are approved for the stipend. Needless to say, I will have to go back and work on this as well.

My opinion on the Zoom sessions differ with the facilitators. Some of the facilitators do an excellent job of keeping everyone engaged and sharing some different information that isn’t in the book or on the online platform videos, and for some it is very hard to focus and stay awake. I do like that the facilitators share simple activities you can use in the classroom to teach whatever unit you are on. I, also, like that the facilitators are very mindful of your time and will make sure the session does not run over the allotted 3 hours.

When I wrote the first post about LETRS I was about to start unit 3. Unit 3 discusses orthography (spelling) in detail, a bit about interpreting data, and evaluating reading curriculums that you are currently using or are considering for use in the future. Unit 4 delves into advanced study focusing on syllables, the origins of word parts, fluency, and a little about how to use data to plan your next steps in instruction.

Is LETRS still worth it?

At this halfway point, I’m still of the belief that LETRS training will benefit me as a reading interventionist. I have already used one of the assessments with my students to find their gaps to know where to begin instruction next year. I have, also, been thinking about how to add in some of these new activities with the current curriculums I use with students.

LETRS training would be especially beneficial for the new teacher/coach/interventionist, the veteran teacher who is not up to date on current best practices for teaching reading, and the teachers who teach upper elementary, but whose students have large gaps in their reading skills.

I still have one more year until my LETRS training is complete. At that time, I will share one last update that will include sharing my key takeaways from the program. Be sure to subscribe to teachyday.com, so you never miss a new post!