A moderated dialogue on multilingual literacy, language development, and the science of reading

Abstract

As states and districts increasingly adopt policies aligned with the science of reading, questions persist about how these shifts intersect with the education of multilingual learners. This article presents a moderated dialogue among leaders from WIDA, educators and administrators from Floyd County Schools in Georgia, and a university-based linguist from the University of Georgia, which took place during The Reading League’s Ninth Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. Through structured discussion, participants explored points of alignment and questions related to language development standards, literacy instruction, assessment, and equity. Moderated by Kari Kurto, national director of policy and partnerships at The Reading League, the conversation surfaced shared commitments and suggested future communication, illustrating the complexity—and necessity—of cross-sector collaboration in multilingual literacy.…