The Literacy Squared® Cohort is a free professional learning opportunity sponsored by the Multilingual/Language Development Department for districts that receive Title III Language Instruction Education Program (LIEP) funding. This cohort is designed for K-5 educators and administrators seeking to deepen their understanding of biliteracy instruction while building the knowledge and capacity to lead and sustain Literacy Squared® implementation in their schools and districts.
Literacy Squared® is a comprehensive instructional framework designed to develop biliteracy for students in Spanish–English bilingual education programs, including dual language programs, in grades K–5. The research-based and research-tested framework includes methods, strategies, and assessment tools to support the development of language and literacy across both languages.
Grounded in more than 20 years of research in bilingual classrooms, Literacy Squared® supports the integrated development of reading, writing, oral language, and metalanguage through paired literacy, purposeful and ongoing cross-language connections, and holistic assessment practices.
For more information about Literacy Squared®, please visit:
http://literacysquared.org/
2026-2027 Literacy Squared Cohort Schedule
Literacy Squared Cohort 12 will meet for 10 sessions during the 2026-2027 school year, followed by 2 additional Learning Lab sessions during the 2027-2028 school year. If you are interested in participating in Literacy Squared Cohort 12, please complete the 2026-27 School Year Literacy Squared Cohort 12 application and return it to
multilingual@isbe.net.
List of the finalized dates and tentative topics.
| Dates |
Topics |
October 1 – October 2, 2026
In-Person
8:30 am – 3:00 pm |
October 1:
• Core Principles of Literacy Squared: Understanding Holistic Biliteracy
• Literacy Squared® Holistic Biliteracy Framework
October 2:
• Building Biliteracy Through Oracy
• Oracy and Writing Connections |
November 5 – November 6, 2026
In-Person
8:30 am – 3:00 pm |
November 5:
• Analyzing Reading Through a Holistic Lens: Biliterate Reading Trajectories
• The Lotta Lara Strategy
November 6:
• Connecting Language Environments
• Demonstration: Paired Literacy Unit in Practice |
January 28 – January 29, 2027
Virtual
8:30 am – 12:30 pm |
January 28:
• theDictado Strategy – Part 1
January 29:
• theDictado in Kindergarten
• Designing Powerful and Purposeful Dictados |
March 4 – March 5, 2027
In-Person
8:30 am – 3:00 pm |
March 4:
• Foundational Skills Through the Lens of Biliteracy
• Scaffolding for Biliteracy Development
March 5:
• Demonstration: Paired Literacy with Embedded Teaching Approaches, Metalanguage, and Así se dice |
April 22 – April 23, 2027
In-Person
8:30 am – 3:00 pm |
April 22:
• Analyzing Student Writing Through a Holistic Lens: The Literacy Squared Writing Rubric
April 23:
• Guided Paired Literacy Planning
• Implementation and Leadership of Literacy Squared
• Synthesizing and Celebrating the Year's Learning |
2027-2028
(2 Sessions– Dates TBD) |
Learning Labs: Classroom-Based Observation, Feedback, and Coaching
|
