Alignment to Connecticut Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia

Alignment to Connecticut’s Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia

This resource collection is grounded primarily in Foundational Competency 5: Dyslexia, which emphasizes educator knowledge of diverse reading profiles, including dyslexia, and their varied presentations.

The resources specifically connect to the following competencies:

• 5.3K: Reading-Difficulty Profiles: Understand the characteristics of different reading-difficulty profiles. The case studies illustrate how similar reading concerns may appear within very different learner profiles.
• 5.4K: Development and Instruction: Understand that symptoms of reading difficulty may change over time in response to development and instruction. The resources reinforce the importance of considering a learner’s development and educational experiences when understanding reading difficulties.
• 5.5K: Definitions of Dyslexia: Identify the tenets of Connecticut’s definition of dyslexia and current evidence-based definitions. The guidance document establishes Connecticut’s definition as the foundation while also providing additional context from current research.
• 5.6K: Characteristics of Dyslexia: Identify and understand the distinguishing characteristics of dyslexia, including difficulties that may affect decoding, word recognition, spelling, and reading fluency.
• 5.7K: Risk Indicators: Identify risk indicators associated with dyslexia while recognizing that the presence of a characteristic or concern alone does not determine whether a learner has dyslexia.
• 5.8K: Variability in Dyslexia: Explain how dyslexia varies in presentation and degree. This is a central theme across the guidance document, visual, case studies, and webinar.

The case studies also connect to broader competency areas related to language, literacy development, and individual learner factors. Sofia’s profile reinforces the importance of considering multilingual language development and linguistic and literacy experiences when interpreting reading performance. Marcus’s profile highlights the importance of considering individual factors, including attention, alongside literacy data rather than viewing concerns in isolation.

Together, these competency connections reinforce the importance of looking beyond a single score, behavior, or characteristic and considering the learner’s broader profile.