Far North Literacy Development Consortium

Welcome to Year 3 of the FNLDC!

The Far North Literacy Development Consortium (FNLDC) focuses on using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to build teacher capacity for literacy instruction across disciplines. The FNLDC uses UDL to “establish a shared set of expectations, experiences, and a common language for molding and shaping an instructional approach.”  Learn more about our work.

Fall 2023 Kick-Off Event 

The Far North Literacy Development Consortium and Butte County Office of Education were thrilled to host a successful kick-off event for the 2023-2024 school year! On a beautiful fall evening, Butte County welcomed the Far North participants to the Canyon Oaks Country Club in Chico, CA for an evening of socializing, dinner, as well as an inspirational keynote from renowned author and inclusion advocate, Jonathan Mooney. Jonathan Mooney’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, HBO, NPR, ABC News, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. A nationally recognized advocate for neurological and physical diversity, he’s been speaking across the nation about neurological and physical diversity for two decades, inspiring those who live with differences and calling for change. He has published three books: The Short Bus,  Learning Outside the Lines, and Normal Sucks. His keynote to the FNLDC participants reignited the participants’ collective passion for supporting those learners who have been historically marginalized due to their differences. 

The following morning, the participants regathered on the campus of Chico State University (CSU) to hear from Dr. Catherine Lemmi. Dr. Lemmi, a local educator and professor at CSU, uses interdisciplinary research  to explore the relationships between language, ideology, and teacher practice in content area classrooms, especially in STEM subjects. Dr. Lemni’s expertise on literacy and language helped frame the work for inclusive literacy practices that the grant is dedicated to.

The rest of the day was then devoted to a CAST-facilitated workshop in which participants focused on  UDL’s potential to foster access & agency for all learners. The goals for this time were to practice UDL Design thinking, prepare for sustainability, and design for long-term application of UDL. Given that this school year marks the final year of the grant, it was imperative that all constituents, no matter their role or level of familiarity with UDL, apply UDL to begin designing a plan for sustainability. That way, the work of implementing UDL across the Far North can continue to expand for years to come.