Literacy Now

LeVar Burton, Rick Riordan, and Mo Willems are just a few of the education luminaries speaking at the International Reading Association (IRA) 58th Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, from April 19 to 22, 2013.

Rick Riordan


LeVar Burton


Mo Willems

The opening general session on Saturday, April 20, features San Antonio’s own Rick Riordan, author of the bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and experienced English teacher. Riordan will discuss what he’s learned from his students, his readers, and his own sons about turning kids into avid book lovers.

Actor and producer LeVar Burton’s career in entertainment includes roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Roots, but perhaps he is best known as the host and executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning PBS children's series Reading Rainbow. Burton recently launched an interactive Reading Rainbow App for the iPad which became the No. 1 educational app in the iTunes store within the first 36 hours. A staunch advocate for children's literacy, Burton says he's most proud of Reading Rainbow's ability to use the medium of television to help create "human beings who are passionate about literature." Burton gives the general session keynote on Sunday, April 21.

Author Mo Willems, the April 22 closing general session keynote speaker, is the winner of the Caldecott Honor, Geisel Medal, Geisel Honor, and Carnegie Medal. He has written and illustrated a multitude of picture books and early readers to great acclaim. Willems’ latest books include Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book! and That Is Not a Good Idea! 

The new annual convention website at www.iraconvention.org offers information on these keynote speakers as well as the popular Teaching Edge series with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, Richard Allington, and Ellin Oliver Keene; invited speakers Ruth Culham, Greg Tang, Steven Layne, Danny Brassell, Debbie Diller, Cris Tovani, Lucy Calkins, Stephanie Harvey, and Kelly Gallagher; featured IRA authors Regie Routman, Maureen McLaughlin, Brenda J. Overturf, Linda Kucan, Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar, and Lori D. Oczkus; and luncheon speakers Jane O'Connor, Joan Bauer, and Chris Soentpiet. Details on full-day, preconference institutes on April 19 will be added to the website soon. IRA is still accepting exhibitors and sponsors for this event that draws upwards of 10,000 literacy professionals.

Once more program information is added, the website will allow users to use research presentation topics and develop convention schedules using the online itinerary planner. Online registration will open in early December. The IRA Annual Convention also has its own Twitter hashtag, #IRA2013, as well as its own Facebook page.

IRA Annual Convention Schedule at a Glance

Annual Convention Housing and Travel

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA) William S. Gray Citation of Merit is awarded to a nationally or internationally known person who has made significant contributions to the field of reading at various academic levels. The application deadline is November 15.

To be considered an eligible recipient, there are a number of criteria that must be met. The nominee should have made outstanding contributions to a leadership role in the field of reading and original contributions in the field of reading theory or methods. The original ideas must have been developed past the point of suggestion and implemented with successful results.

The candidate is also expected to have designed and implemented various reading courses for students and outstanding lectures for other professionals. These courses and lectures should have had a substantial impact on their recipients and the field of reading. 

Selfless dedication and tireless efforts in furthering the field of reading are also required from the nominee. Their unassuming devotion is expected to be visible at a number of different levels including teacher, scholar, researcher, linguist, and so on.

The application should include a detailed rationale for recommending the nominee including a description of the candidate’s contributions to reading theory, reading practice, publications, service to the profession, and service to IRA. The candidate’s professional vita should also be submitted with the application.

Dr. Brian Cambourne, the 2012 recipient, started teaching in 1956 at the age of 19. After completing his doctoral studies in 1972, Brian began researching literacy learning. In 1998, Brian became the second Australian to become inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame. Most recently, Brian, along with Dr. Gary Kilarr and Dr. Ann Alexander, have been presenting Lifting Evidentiary Standards For the Twenty First Century: What Reading Education Can Learn From Forensic Science at national and international conferences.

More information about the application process can be found at the International Reading Association’s website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA)/ Weekly Reader Eleanor M. Johnson Award is given to an elementary classroom teacher who exhibits outstanding dedication to reading and language arts. It is given in memory of Eleanor M. Johnson, the founder and editor of Weekly Reader. The award is a US$1,000 grant supported by Weekly Reader Corporation.

The deadline to submit an application for the award is November 15.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must be current IRA members, have taught at least five years in the classroom, and be nominated by at least four people. These four nomination letters must come from each of the following: a supervisor/evaluator, one other administrator, a fellow teacher, and one from another teacher, the parent of a student, or a student. Specific content guidelines for the letters can be found on the award’s online application form.

Along with the application and nomination letters, nominees are expected to include a personal statement regarding their beliefs about education. While the application will include factual data and specific examples, IRA asks that no pictures or scrapbooks be included. Instead, nominees will be asked to release information from their personal files to support the assertions of their applications.

A winner will be announced by March 1 and asked to attend the IRA Annual Convention to receive recognition for their accomplishments. This year the convention will be held in San Antonio, Texas from April 19-22.

Gary Wellbrock, the 2012 recipient, teaches deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students at a dual language elementary school in New York City. He earned his master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University.  He is also a licensed reading specialist partly as a result of his efforts with the Hello Friend/ Ennis William Cosby Foundation.

More information about the award application process can be found at the International Reading Association’s website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The IRA Special Service Award is given for exceptional and distinguished service to the International Reading Association. Recipients go above and beyond to ensure that the IRA continues to successful. The deadline for submission is November 15.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must have shown admirable service to the IRA in a specific capacity that requires special skills, knowledge, and creative effort. The results of these services should have results that support the IRA in some discernible way. Finally, recipients have typically shown a generous and tireless contribution of their time and talent as committee members at various levels.

Nominators are asked to provide their rationale behind the nomination, the educational background of the nominee, and at least three letters of recommendation that cite the nominee’s generous contributions to the IRA.

Rita M. Bean, emeritus professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh, was the last recipient of the Special Service Award. Bean has been a member of the IRA for more than 40 years and was a member of the board of directors from 2002-2006. She was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2009 and is well known for her numerous publications on teaching literacy.

More information about the application process can be found at the International Reading Association’s website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) recently convened two advisory committees to address the needs of English language learners (ELL) and students with disabilities. Comprised of national experts in student assessment, accommodations strategies, language acquisition, and learning disabilities, these panels provide feedback to Smarter Balanced staff, work groups, and contractors to ensure that the assessments provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of student achievement and growth toward college and career readiness.

Richard Durán


Bridget Dalton


Barbara Ehren

International Reading Association (IRA) member Richard Durán, PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara was selected for the English Language Learners Advisory Committee.

IRA members Bridget Dalton, EdD from the University of Colorado at Boulder; Barbara Ehren, EdD from the University of Central Florida; and Martha L. Thurlow from the University of Minnesota sit on the Students with Disabilities Advisory Committee. Ehren contributed to an article in Reading Today and on Reading Today Online entitled "Marinak and Ehren Discuss Shared Responsibility for Literacy Aquisition."

A full list of committee members is available on the Smarter Balanced website.

The committees met for day-long sessions in Denver and Chicago to discuss the Consortium’s approach to item development, accommodations and accessibility review, validity, and translation. The advisory committees will continue to collaborate with Smarter Balanced through the end of 2012 supported by grant funding provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Smarter Balanced is also coordinating with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) on issues involving English language learners.

In addition to the advisory committees, a state-led Accessibility and Accommodations Work Group focuses on ensuring the assessments are designed to meet the needs of special student populations. As part of the development of accessibility and accommodations policies, Smarter Balanced commissioned two literature reviews of existing research on assessing English language learners and students with disabilities. These documents are available on a new webpage devoted to under-represented students.