The Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency is guiding educators through the intricacies of effective reading with its team of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling trainers.
According to a news release, the team is on a mission to empower educators with the science of reading through Volume 1, Volume 2, and Early Childhood education. Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, is a nationally acclaimed professional development program that focuses on equipping educators with the essential skills to teach reading and spelling effectively. Prairie Lakes AEA has invested in LETRS learning while developing a robust team of trainers capable of delivering end-of-unit sessions. The sessions are available regionally for small teams or individual educators seeking to enhance literacy instruction.
Prairie Lake AEA also offers the end-of-unit sessions in-district during district professional learning days for districts with a sufficient number of participants. Overall during the 2022-2023 school year, the Prairie Lakes AEA LETRS team trained about 400 participants. During the current school year, 14 districts are engaging in LETRS during professional development days. Prairie Lakes AEA also has eight regional sessions scheduled, and will be adding more in June.
The Prairie Lakes AEA provides various services to school districts in counties including Buena Vista, Sac, Calhoun, Clay, and Pocahontas.
