RFI007_K-5_StructuredLiterac ProfessionalLearningOpportunities_Proposal.docx

Connecticut State Department of Education Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success

Charlene M. Russell-Tucker Commissioner of Education

Request for Information

RFI #007

Application Due Date: September 29, 2026

Kindergarten through Grade Five (K–5) Structured Literacy Professional Learning Opportunities

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer The Connecticut State Department of Education is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all qualified persons. The Connecticut Department of Education does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of: race; color; religious creed; age; sex; pregnancy; sexual orientation; workplace hazards to reproductive systems; gender identity or expression; marital status; national origin; ancestry; retaliation for previously opposed discrimination or coercion; intellectual disability; genetic information; learning disability; physical disability (including, but not limited to, blindness); mental disability (past/present history thereof); military or veteran status; status as a victim of domestic violence; or criminal record in state employment, in accordance with applicable statutes, unless there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in any of the aforementioned protected classes. Inquiries regarding the Connecticut State Department of Education’s nondiscrimination policies should be directed to: Attorney Louis Todisco, Connecticut State Department of Education, by mail 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 605, Hartford, CT 06103-1841; or by telephone 860-713-6594; or by email louis.todisco@ct.gov.

Contents

Part I. Background One of the four strategic priorities in the Connecticut State Board of Education (Board) Every Student Prepared for Learning, Life, and Work Beyond School: The Comprehensive Plan for Education 2023-2028 includes all learners having equitable access to highly skilled teachers and leaders. Therefore, the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success (Center) and the Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities (ODRD) at the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), are disseminating this Request For Information (RFI) to assist Connecticut (CT) Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and CT educators in choosing evidence-aligned structured literacy professional learning opportunities for Kindergarten through Grade 5 (K–5) educators. Throughout this RFI proposal, certain key terms are italicized as they are defined in Part II. Definitions.

Part II. Definitions

Connecticut Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia: The Connecticut Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia (Competencies) address the essential knowledge and instructional practices all educators should know and be able to do to effectively teach students at risk for and with dyslexia or other reading difficulties. The Competencies reflect best practice in literacy instruction for all students. The Competencies are organized into two components: Core Foundational Knowledge and Structured Literacy Practices. Core Foundational Knowledge addresses the knowledge necessary for educators to understand both typical and atypical student literacy development. Structured literacy Practices address the knowledge necessary for educators to design and deliver literacy instruction that reflects the principles and practices of structured literacy.

Dyslexia: Dyslexia (as defined by the CSDE Working Definition of Specific Learning Disability/Dyslexia) means a specific learning disability that impacts reading, specifically decoding and accurate and/or fluent word recognition and spelling. It is neurobiological in origin and is unexpected and/or inconsistent with a student’s other abilities often despite the provision of appropriate instruction. Dyslexia usually results from a significant deficit in phonological processing (i.e., a persistent difficulty in the awareness of and ability to manipulate the individual sounds of spoken language). Typically, students with dyslexia have strengths in areas such as reasoning, critical thinking, concept formation, problem solving, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and social communication (e.g., conversation). Early identification and appropriate instruction targeting the underlying phonological, word reading, and spelling processing deficits that characterize dyslexia may minimize its educational impact.

Educator: Educator (as defined by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, United States Department of Education) means an individual who is an early learning educator, teacher, superintendent or other district leader, principal or other school leader, specialized instructional support personnel (e.g., school psychologist, counselor, school social worker, early intervention service personnel, paraprofessional, or faculty).

English Learner/Multilingual Learner (EL/ML): English and multilingual learners (ELs/MLs) are a diverse, highly mobile, and expanding student population representing a wide array of languages, cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. ELs/MLs are not a monolithic group. Rather, this population of students includes children born in the United States who speak a language other than English at home, recent immigrants to the country, and any students in the process of acquiring English proficiency. ELs/MLs may be students who enter U.S. schools with a strong academic background in their native language, students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), long-term ELs/MLs who have been identified as ELs/MLs for more than five years, late arrival ELs/MLs who have begun their schooling in the United States at the secondary level, adult education program participants, dually identified students who also receive special education services, and others. The federal definition of an English Learner (EL) is outlined in 20 United States Code (USC) §7801(20) as an individual:

(A) who is aged 3 through 21;

(B) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;

(C) (i) who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English; (ii) (I) who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and (II) who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or (iii) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and

(D) whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—(i) the ability to meet the challenging State academic standards; (ii) the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or (iii) the opportunity to participate fully in society.

Evidence-aligned: Instructional practices that are "evidence-aligned" are those informed by rigorous research and grounded in scientific evidence about how learning occurs. These practices reflect alignment with established theories and empirical studies that demonstrate their effectiveness in improving student outcomes. While every evidence-aligned practice may not have direct experimental validation in every context, they adhere to principles and methods widely supported by research and professional consensus, ensuring their potential to meet diverse learning needs.

Evidence-based: Instructional practices that are "evidence-based" have been directly validated by one or more rigorous research studies, such as randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, or other high-quality empirical investigations. These practices demonstrate a clear and measurable positive impact on student outcomes across diverse contexts and populations. The designation "evidence-based" indicates a strong level of scientific support, ensuring that the practice reliably produces intended results when implemented as designed.

Instructional Practices: Instructional practices refer to the routines and strategies that educators use to deliver content, engage students, and facilitate learning in the classroom. Effective instructional practices are grounded in educational research and best practices, and they aim to support student learning and achievement. Educator preparation providers often focus on equipping pre-service teachers with a repertoire of these practices, while in-service teachers continually refine and adapt their practices based on experience and ongoing professional learning. Instructional practices can include teaching methods, lesson planning, student engagement, differentiation, assessment and feedback.

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS): MTSS (as defined in Connecticut's K–12 Literacy Strategy) means a framework that includes a range of scientifically based, evidence-based supports, programs, and practices, such as data-based individualization (DBI), scientific research-based interventions (SRBI), and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), to address the needs of all students based on a systemwide approach. MTSS integrates academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports to maximize student achievement and improve behavioral outcomes. Essential components of MTSS include screening, progress monitoring, high-quality instruction and intervention, and data-driven decision making to drive teaching and learning.

Science of Reading: Science of reading (as defined by Hanover, 2022; Moats, 2022) means the extensive evidence garnered from multidisciplinary research (e.g., education, cognitive science, neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology) pertaining to reading development and reading instruction found to be most effective for the largest number of students. The science of reading highlights the importance of teaching students the following multifaceted reading components:

· phonemic awareness;

· phonics;

· reading fluency;

· vocabulary development;

· reading comprehension; and

· language comprehension (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics).

Structured Literacy: Structured literacy (as defined by the ODRD) follows an explicit, systematic, diagnostic, and sequential method. It is highly effective in teaching all students to read and is essential for students at risk for and with dyslexia and students who experience difficulty learning to read. This instructional methodology, supported by scientific, evidence-based research, also known as the “science of reading,” aligns with how students best learn to read and write. It integrates listening, speaking, reading and writing and emphasizes the structure of language across the speech sound system (phonology), the writing system (orthography), the structure of sentences (syntax), the meaningful parts of words (morphology), the relationship among words (semantics), and the organization of spoken and written discourse.

Underserved Student: Underserved student (as defined by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, United States Department of Education) means a student (which may include children in early learning environments and students in K–12 programs, as appropriate) in one or more of the following subgroups:

a. a student who is living in poverty or is served by schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty;

b. a student of color;

c. a student who is a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe;

d. an English learner;

e. a child or student with a disability;

f. a disconnected youth;

g. a migrant student;

h. a student experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity;

i. a student who is in foster care;

j. a student without documentation of immigration status;

k. a pregnant, parenting, or caregiving student;

l. a student impacted by the justice system, including a formerly incarcerated student;

m. a student performing significantly below grade level; or

n. a military- or veteran- connected student.

Part III. Request for Information (RFI) In this RFI, the CSDE invites providers to submit information about products or services they offer to allow LEAs and educators to learn about the possible solutions that the provider can offer for the scope of work as indicated in the request for information.

Purpose:

The result of this RFI will be a CT approved list of professional learning providers, from which LEAs and individual educators may independently select providers to further structured literacy professional learning. The K-5 structured literacy professional learning opportunities must:

· address the literacy instructional needs of K–5 students, including historically underserved students;

· increase the statewide use of responsive, evidence-based instructional and assessment structured literacy practices within a Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework; and

· build educator knowledge and skills aligned to the Connecticut Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia (Competencies).

Information provided by RFI Respondents pursuant to this RFI may be included in guidance documents developed by the CSDE for distribution to each LEA and/or posted on the CSDE portal. The CSDE reserves the right to synthesize information provided by Respondents and include or not include information provided pursuant to this Request for Information in the CSDE’s sole discretion. By responding to this RFI, an RFI Respondent grants permission to the CSDE to publish any information provided in guidance documents developed by the CSDE for distribution and/or published on the CSDE portal.

Professional learning providers who submit information in response to this RFI understand that the information will be reviewed by the CSDE and that the CSDE will develop a list of approved professional learning providers from which LEAs and educators may choose to further structured literacy professional learning. Professional learning providers further understand that the CSDE will determine, in its sole discretion, whether a professional learning provider will be included on the list of approved professional learning providers and that they may not be included on the list. The list may be updated periodically and the CSDE, in its sole discretion, may revise the criteria over time as needed. The K-5 structured literacy professional learning approved list will be available to CT LEAs and educators via the CSDE website.

Responses to the RFI:

To be included on the K–5 structured literacy professional learning approved list, each provider must address all elements of this RFI, as delineated below. To ensure alignment with the CSDE purposes stated above, all applications will be evaluated using the rubric found at the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) State Contracting Portal and the CSDE Website. Providers must meet all requirements of the rubric in the Key Elements and Features of Evidence-Aligned Literacy Instruction section. Providers must also meet the minimum score required for each rubric section of the Alignment to Connecticut Educator Competencies for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia and Evidence-Aligned Literacy Content Practice section.

Part III. Informational Documentation Requirements Submission Information:

1. By September 11, 2026, 4:00 p.m. EDT, email the Cody Fusco at cody.fusco@ct.gov your intent to apply. The subject line of the email must be: RFI #007. Include the following information in the email:

· Name of the provider:

· Primary contact's first and last name:

· Primary contact email address:

· Primary contact's phone number:

· Name of the K–5 structured literacy professional learning provider:

2. Once CSDE receives the provider’s letter of intent, the provider will obtain access to a private Microsoft SharePoint. The provider will upload all relevant K-5 structured literacy professional learning materials including, but not limited to hand outs, slide decks, resource links, and any additional supporting materials. The following documents must be included:

a. Completed CSDE Kindergarten through Grade Five Structured Literacy Professional Learning Application

b. completed CSDE Kindergarten through Grade Five Structured Literacy Professional Learning Checklist indicating the location of each element in the professional learning materials;

c. the scope and sequence with learning objectives that is referenced on the application, Section B. Question 1;

d. the blank documentation of successful completion of the structured literacy professional learning that is referenced in Question 15; and

e. staff resumes that include qualifications and experience of key staff involved in the development and delivery of professional learning materials that are referenced in Questions 20 and 21.

3. If a provider responding to this RFI indicates instructional practices that are not aligned with structured literacy, the review process will be stopped, and the provider will be notified that they have not met the required criteria noted above.

Contact Information:

Direct any questions concerning this RFI to CSDE Associate Education Consultant Cody Fusco at cody.fusco@ct.gov.

Schedule:

and the CSDE RFP Page:

2026 RFPs September 9, 2026

Freedom of Information Act:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, Connecticut General Statues (C.G.S.) Sec. 1-210 et seq., all questions and responses to this RFI are considered public records and every person shall have the right to (1) inspect such records promptly during regular office or business hours; (2) copy such records in accordance with C.G.S. Sec. 1-212(g); or (3) receive a copy of such records in accordance with C.G.S. Sec. 1-212.

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