Literacy Resources

​​​​​​​This page includes Literacy instructional resources for general education teachers, special education teachers and district staff to assist in the instruction of students with disabilities.​​​​

• ​Kentucky Foundational Literacy Toolkit to Support Students with Disabilities:​ a tool to assist districts and schools in improving literacy outcomes for students with disabilities by supporting the implementation of key foundational literacy practices. The KFLPP focuses on foundational literacy skills; skills that are the building blocks of early reading and writing and promote students' success in literacy, and is not specific to any grade level, learning environment, curriculum or program. As the KFLPP was developed through an extensive look at evidence and research-based instructional practices, it can be utilized with any literacy innovation (program or practice).​​​​
  
• Effective Literacy Strategies for Students with Disabilities Video Series​: This four-part video series serves as a companion to the Foundational Literacy Toolkit​ and is designed to help educators strengthen foundational reading skills for students with disabilities. Each video is under 15 minutes and provides clear, classroom-based demonstrations focused on key components of early literacy: language comprehension, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and alphabetical principle. These videos are ideal for professional learning, reflection, and collaborative planning. 
• ​Strategy 1: Language Comprehension​: provides evidence-based strategies for teaching language comprehension to students with disabilities using visual supports, structured routines, and interactive activities that promote understanding and engagement.​
• ​Strategy 2: Phonological Awareness​: demonstrates how to teach phonological awareness to students with disabilities using multi-sensory techniques, visual cues, and scaffolded instruction to support sound recognition, blending, and segmentation.​
• Strategy 3: Phonemic Awareness​: offers strategies for teaching phonemic awareness to students with disabilities using engaging, multi-sensory activities that support isolation, blending, and manipulation in a structured and accessible way.​
  
• Strategy 4: Alphabetical Principle​: establishes methods for teaching the alphabetical principle to students with disabilities using explicit instruction, visual supports, and multi-sensory activities that connect letters to sounds in meaningful and accessible ways.​
  
• ​​Kentucky Reading Research Center​​: Serves as a statewide resource hub and research clearinghouse dedicated to improving literacy outcomes across the Commonwealth. KRRC connects educators, administrators, policymakers, and families with current, evidence‑based reading research and practical resources to support effective literacy instruction for all learners. Through curated materials, research‑to‑practice tools, and collaborative partnerships, KRRC supports a shared commitment to closing literacy gaps and ensuring every Kentucky learner develops strong reading skills for lifelong success.​
  
• The IRIS C​enter - Developed in collaboration with nationally recognized researchers and education experts, the Center's resources about evidence-based instructional and intervention practices—modules, case study units, activities and others (including a number of web-based tools)—are specifically created for use in college instruction, professional ​development activities and independent learning opportunities for practicing educators.
  
• CSR: A Reading Comprehension Strategy: This module outlines Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), a strategy for helping students to improve their reading comprehension skills. In CSR, students work together in small groups to apply comprehension strategies as they read text from a content area, such as social studies or science.
• Improving Writing Performance​: This module highlights the differences between students who write well and those who struggle. Elements of the writing process are discussed, as are the prerequisite skills students need to write good papers. The module outlines and describes the process for teaching students the POW+TREE strategy, a writing strategy to help students produce better persuasive essays.​
  

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