***NEWS RELEASE***
CENTREVILLE, MD – Funding from the Maryland Read & Lead Grant recently supported two literacy-focused professional development opportunities for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) general educators, special educators, and multilingual (ML) teachers.
On October 16, 2025, Reading Specialists and Special Education IEP Chairs participated in Amplify’s mCLASS Training to strengthen their use of DIBELS 8, a reading assessment that measures key literacy skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. The training also focused on implementing Tier 3 intensive reading interventions. Through the grant, QACPS secured a four-year partnership with Amplify to enhance support for striving readers.
On October 17, 2025, third grade general education, special education, and ML teachers as well as the Reading Specialists engaged in professional learning with the 95 Percent Group on the use of a Sound Wall—a tool that organizes the 44 English speech sounds by how they are formed, helping students connect sounds to spelling patterns. Sound Walls were purchased for grades 3–5, with professional development scheduled for fourth grade teachers in 2026–2027 and fifth grade teachers in 2027–2028. Sound Walls are already in use in QACPS primary classrooms.
Bridget Passyn, Supervisor of Reading/English/Language Arts for Grades 3–12, shared: “Thanks to the Read & Lead Grant, we were able to provide evidence-based resources and professional learning that strengthen literacy instruction for all readers—especially our striving readers. The professional learning, especially the teachers’ discussions during the learning, were rooted in the science of reading and reflected our shared commitment to ensuring every student develops strong foundational literacy skills. Both days were very inspiring!”
Download a PDF copy of the news release here.