Ohio Summit on Dyslexia 2025 – Literacy for All

March 8, 2025  8:30am – 4:00pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

This is an in-person event only. Registration is required to attend.

Box lunch is included. Options to select are on registration page.

Morning and Afternoon breakout sessions – options to select are required on registration page. Size is limited for some sessions.

Julie Washington’s Breakout is afternoon only. Eric Tridas’ Breakout is morning only.

Early Bird pricing ends January 19, 2025.

Cost:

$175 Early Bird Non IDA Members   ($205 after January 19, 2025)

$150 Early Bird IDA Members   ($180 after January 19, 2025)

Location: Hilton-Polaris, 8700 Lyra Drive, Columbus, OH 43240

The Polaris Hilton has provided an event link for hotel room booking. The deadline to complete the booking at the discounted rate is February 4th at 11:59 p.m. 

Click Here to Book Hotel and book a room for Friday, March 7th and/or Saturday, March 8th.

Certificate of Attendance for 6 Contact Hours will handed out at the end as you leave the Summit.

Purchase Orders: If your organization would like to pay by PO. Select ‘pay by check’ on the registration page. Please make sure your organization has your name listed on the PO. Have PO’s emailed to treasurer.coh@dyslexiaida.org

For questions please email Diana McGovern at treasurer.coh@dyslexiaida.org

Keynote Speakers:

Julie Washington, Ph.D.

Keynote: “Using Oral Language and Communication to Support Reading in African American Children.”

We all know that Oral Language underpins reading, and strong oral language skills are important for development of strong reading skills. Despite hearing this expressed often, the role of oral language is not well understood beyond discussions of vocabulary. The primary goal of oral language is communication. For African American children who speak dialect the communicative goals of oral language also can influence the development of reading and writing skills. This presentation will focus on the importance of engaging the oral language and communication skills of African American students when teaching reading. 

Bio: Dr. Julie Washington is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of California-Irvine. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing- Association. Dr. Washington directs the California Learning Disabilities Research Innovation Hub at UCI. She is also director of the Language Variation and Academic Success lab. Her research is focused on the intersection of literacy, language variation, and poverty in African American children from preschool through fifth grades. Specifically, she focuses on the role of cultural dialect in assessment outcomes, identification of reading disabilities and reading interventions in school-aged African American children.

Eric Tridas, M.D.

Keynote: The rule of fours and the left model: the WHAT and HOW of a comprehensive SLD evaluation

Description: Evaluating a student with learning difficulties poses a complex challenge, yet there are numerous approaches to address these issues. In this presentation, Dr. Tridas will delve into both WHAT should be assessed and HOW these assessments should be conducted, utilizing the IDA and LDA Assessment Standards as a foundation. This multidisciplinary approach underscores the factors influencing a student’s learning and proposes a model to ensure assessments are conducted in a way that comprehensively addresses the student’s specific needs by focusing in the whole child.  Dr. Tridas will delineate the four components of effective assessment (the HOW) and the various factors that necessitate evaluation (the WHAT). This presentation aims to equip teachers, school psychologists, educational diagnosticians, and other professionals involved in the evaluation process with the necessary tools to identify the factors impacting a student’s learning. This identification is crucial for developing an appropriate, multidisciplinary intervention plan.

BIO: Dr. Eric Tridas is a developmental & behavioral pediatrician. For 37 years he directed The Tridas Center for Child Development in Tampa, Florida. He is a Courtesy Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at the University of South Florida (USF), an International Dyslexia Association (IDA) representative on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disability Association of America (LDA), a member of the Board of Directors of Lectores para el futuro in Puerto Rico and the State Medical Director for Pediatric Health Choice of Florida-Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Facilities (PPEC). Dr. Tridas served as President of IDA from 2014 through 2016. He is coauthor of the Learning Disability Chapter of the fifth edition of the Textbook of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics and the book Assessing Dyslexia: A Teacher’s Guide to Understanding and Evaluating Their Pupils’ Needs. He also edited and co-authored From ABC to ADHD: What Every Parent Should Know About Dyslexia and Attention Problems. 

Breakout Session Speakers:

Eric Tridas    (Morning Breakout Session Only):

“A case study on the WHAT and HOW of a comprehensive SLD evaluation”.

Description: Dr. Tridas will present a case study using the Rule of Fours and the LEFT Model as the foundation for this presentation. Following his presentation about these models, Dr. Tridas will describe the practical applications of these strategies while conducting an evaluation and discussing the findings and recommendations

Julie Washington   (Afternoon Breakout Session Only):

“Supporting Your Struggling Student: Empowering Parents”

Schools can be a confusing and difficult environment for parents who are trying to navigate the system to support their child(ren) who are struggling with reading and other academic areas. Does my child have dyslexia? How do I find out? How do I get my child tested? What does the special education law say about my rights and the rights of my child? What if my school is not being responsive? These and other questions that parents bring with them will be the focus of this session. So come prepared to engage and learn!

Genevieve Thomas

Session Title: “Stirring the pot: A recipe for content-embedded, evidence-based secondary reading interventions”

Description: Reading intervention in the secondary grades poses unique challenges for educators, yet much is known about the most effective reading intervention approaches for older readers. This interactive, 1-hour session will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to design content-embedded, evidence-based reading interventions for secondary readers. Participants will learn about common profiles of non proficient secondary readers, explore instructional priorities for this population, and engage with an instructional protocol for planning secondary reading interventions.

Bio: Over her 20-year career in education, Genevieve Thomas has served as a special education teacher, a literacy specialist, an instructional coach, a school psychologist, and a special education leader. Currently, Genevieve is the Director of Professional Learning for School Services of Montana and the President of Spark Educational Consulting. She holds graduate degrees in special education and school psychology from Loyola Marymount University, and she is currently a doctoral student within the Reading Science Program at Mount St. Joseph University. Genevieve is the secretary of the Montana chapter of The Reading League.

Carolyn Turner

Session Title: The Science of Early Language and Literacy Development

Description: Emergent literacy is an initial step to later reading achievement. This session will explore the body of evidence on the foundations necessary to develop and foster language and literacy skills in young learners. The presenter will discuss early literacy’s essential components and key variables that predict later reading success. Participants will discuss language, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and print knowledge. Bridging research and practice, session attendees will leave with resources and actionable strategies to nurture proficient readers from an early age.

Bio: Carolyn Turner, M.Ed. 

Carolyn is the Ohio Literacy Lead with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. She works with local, regional, and state-level instructional leaders to build their capacity to implement evidence-based reading instruction within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Carolyn is a doctoral student in the Reading Science program at Mount St. Joseph University and a Dyslexia Interventionist. She advocates for reading science and has extensive knowledge of evidence-based approaches to teaching reading. She ensures that all leaders have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities to sustain change, resulting in improved instruction and successful reading achievement for all learners. 

Jamey Peavler

Session Title: Small-Group Instruction

Description: Instructional time spent in a small-group setting is a precious commodity. We must use it thoughtfully and intentionally because even the most well-designed independent activities are less effective than time with a skilled teacher. Therefore, our first goal is to prevent the number of students that require small-group interventions. We can accomplish this by solidifying our core instruction and rethinking how we deliver targeted interventions. Effective small-group instruction is targeted and data -driven. It is designed to give students additional practice and feedback on a specific skill. It does not replace Tier 2 and 3 interventions but may enhance and reinforce that instruction. We should ask ourselves what a specific student, or group of students, needs that is different from everyone else in the class. That answer sets the purpose for small-group instruction. If each small group receives the same or similar instruction, the instruction is not targeted and does not justify small-group structure.

Objectives:

•      Identify the purpose of universal screeners and diagnostic assessments and how to use this data to understand the scope of instructional needs.

•      Examine the impact of cognitive load on mastery .

•      Describe forms of practice and how each form may be used to accomplish specific instructional goals.

Bio: Assistant Professor, Program Facilitator: Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University; Orton-Gillingham Academy Certified Fellow-in-Training; IDA Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist; National Council for Teacher Quality Reviewer for Textbooks and Teacher-Licensing Exams

Dr. Jamey Peavler is a Co-Director and Assistant Professor in the Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University. Before joining The Mount, Jamey served as the Director of Training for the M.A. Rooney Foundation, providing Orton-Gillingham training for teachers across Indiana. She was an Instructional Coach and classroom teacher for Indianapolis Public Schools for 20 years. Jamey reviews higher-education textbooks and teacher licensure exams for the National Council for Teacher Quality. She is a Certified Fellow-in-Training with the Orton-Gillingham Academy and an International Dyslexia Association Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist. She serves on the board for The Reading League’s Indiana Chapter.

Amanda Nickerson

Session Title: The Science of Reading is for All Learners: Supporting High-Ability Students Within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Description: High-ability students deserve more than one-size-fits-some enrichment—they need targeted, intentional support to thrive. In this session, we’ll redefine what it means to be a high-ability learner and explore how the science of reading can unlock their full potential within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Learn why advanced learners, including twice-exceptional students, must be part of a comprehensive MTSS framework and discover practical strategies to intensify instruction. Walk away with tools to challenge and empower high-ability students while ensuring all learners grow and succeed!

Bio: Amanda Nickerson, Ed.D, serves as the Ohio K-12 Literacy Technical Assistance Specialist on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and State Support Team 9. She is responsible for creating aligned supports for the development of implementation sites and providing technical assistance for schools and districts. As part of her role, she also collaborates with state literacy specialists to design and facilitate statewide literacy professional learning opportunities. Amanda has previous experience working as a literacy consultant, teacher, Title I specialist, gifted intervention specialist, peer coach, and as an adjunct instructor. A recent graduate of Mount St. Joseph University, Amanda’s research interests lie at the intersection of MTSS, the science of reading, and gifted education.

Nicole Florez

Session Title: Translanguaging: Unlocking the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’

Description: Translanguaging is a superpower that breaks traditional language boundaries. Throughout the day, multilinguals are constantly toggling between languages, and this toggling should not stop when students enter the classroom! A translanguaging-forward approach encourages multilinguals to use all of these linguistic assets, all of the time. As educators, we can encourage and promote translanguaging to ensure our multilingual students are seen as the experts they are, and not as students who “don’t have” or “can’t do”. By creating a translanguaging-safe environment, multilinguals can safely bring their full selves to the classroom each and every day as they read, write, think, and learn. 

In this session, participants will leave with practical information and resources to help them create a translanguaging-safe environment. Join us as we unlock what translanguaging is, why it’s important, and how to incorporate it into your daily routines. 

BIO: Nicole is a Literacy Specialist at the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). She has 25+ years of experience in the elementary school setting, including teaching internationally in Spain and Argentina. Nicole has been a K-3 classroom teacher, a Kindergarten Dual-Language Teacher, a K-5 Spanish as a Second Language teacher, a Pre-K-5 Gifted Teacher, a K-5 Reading Interventionist, as well as a site-level Administrator. Nicole is a co-founder of the Bridge Literacy New Mexico program, a structured literacy summer intensive serving children in grades 1-5. She is also a founding board member of The Reading League New Mexico Chapter, a former board member of the International Dyslexia Association’s Southwest branch, and a current doctoral student in Mount St. Joseph University’s Reading Science program.

Michelle Elia

Session Title: Mitigating the Matthew Effect for Struggling Adolescent Readers

Description: Ameliorating the impact of poor literacy skills at the adolescent level (middle school and high school) is no easy task. It requires systemic changes at the district and building level as well as instructional changes at the classroom level. This session will provide straightforward guidance on how to plan for the implementation of MTSS at the adolescent level, with recommendations for both systems-level and grade-level changes in tier one and with interventions.  

Objectives:

• Participants will identify systemic changes necessary to improve reading outcomes for struggling adolescent readers. 
• Participants will learn instructional approaches and strategies for core instruction and interventions to benefit adolescent readers.

Bio: As an assistant professor at Marietta College, Michelle Elia helps prepare pre-service teachers to teach reading using evidence-based language and literacy practices. Elia’s previous role was Ohio Literacy Lead, which allowed her to train district administrators, teachers, and regional consultants across Ohio in the science of reading. Elia is a nationally recognized literacy professional development provider, training educators in literacy instruction and assessment within an MTSS framework grounded in reading science. She serves as a school board member of her local district and president of The Reading League Ohio. A lifelong learner, Elia is pursuing her doctorate in Reading Science at Mount St. Joseph University. Michelle is passionate about ensuring all students learn to read using evidence-based literacy practices that are inclusive of all students. When she is not talking about reading, her favorite job is being a mom to her three not-so-small children.