Date: October 8, 2026
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Type: In-Person
Location: WRESA
200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
Asheville, NC 28806
Fee: $25 WRESA Members
$40 Non-members
**NOTE: We have a No Refund policy for our WRESA courses. However, you
are welcome to send a colleague in your place. Contact Richard Gabriel at
rgabriel@wresa.org if you need to change the name of the person attending.
CEUs: 3 Contact Hours
Limit: 45 Participants
Audience: K-2 Teachers, Administrators and Coaches
What to bring?: your own device
Description:
Join us for a transformative session focused on the lower strands of the Reading Rope: word recognition. Participants will unpack the essential components of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition of familiar words—key building blocks for developing proficient readers. Explore how the science of reading informs effective, evidence-based instruction in word recognition.
Gain practical insights into refining instructional approaches to strengthen student performance in nonsense word fluency, phoneme segmentation fluency, and oral reading fluency for our youngest learners. Participants will also take a deep dive into each DIBELS subtest by grade level and leave with a clear, actionable plan to move the needle on student outcomes.
Presenter:
Cynthia Hutchins is a District Title I Literacy Coach with over 15 years of experience in education, specializing in structured literacy and the science of reading. She has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and reading specialist in Buncombe County Schools, where she now leads district wide literacy initiatives across 27 Title I schools. Cynthia is passionate about ensuring all students have access to effective, evidence-based reading instruction and works closely with educators to implement high-impact practices, analyze data, and improve student outcomes. She also designs and facilitates professional development, including Fundations and LETRS-aligned training, and has partnered with nationally recognized literacy experts to support teacher growth and student achievement.
If you have additional questions, contact Candie Sellers at csellers@wresa.org