FULCRUM Holds 2025 Bay Area Educator Prep Program Convening
Event: 2025 Bay Area Educator Preparation Program Convening
Date: 03/13/2025
Location: Oakland, CA
Audience: Educator preparation programs and supporting organizations
Last month, FULCRUM held the 2025 Bay Area Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Convening, bringing together representatives from nine EPPs and six supporting organizations, many participants returning from 2024. This annual event is designed to help programs better prepare teachers by supporting greater alignment of their coursework and fieldwork with structured literacy practices. This year’s convening focused on the Literacy Performance Assessment (LPA), a new measure that will evaluate California teacher candidates and their skills in literacy instruction beginning July 1, 2025. The evening allowed participants to connect with fellow EPPs, strengthen teacher training coursework, and ensure the next generation of educators is well-prepared to advance literacy outcomes for all students.
Why EPPs?
Inadequate teacher preparation is a key contributing factor to the literacy crisis. Thousands of educators enter the workforce each year without the knowledge and skills to teach children to read. They are graduating from programs that insist on maintaining disproven teaching methods and refuse to align their coursework with current research. Illiteracy will persist as long as this cycle continues.
FULCRUM helps EPPs make pivotal shifts in their teacher preparation coursework and fieldwork, advising programs and supporting their efforts to better align with the science of reading. This work addresses the problem at ground zero and is pivotal to turning the tide. While many states have enacted policies aimed at improving teacher training, it is frequently unclear how EPPs are expected to implement these changes. Events like FULCRUM’s annual convening create shared accountability amongst programs and offer a rare opportunity for faculty, educational leaders, and system-level stakeholders to discuss the change process and explore both the “what” and the “how” in a collaborative space. This directly supports EPP success and maximizes the number of teachers graduating with adequate preparation to teach reading.
Navigating the LPA to Strengthen Educator Preparation
This July, the LPA will replace the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA), in accordance with new literacy standards outlined in Senate Bill 488. The purpose of the LPA is to assess competency in literacy instruction, and all California teacher candidates will need to submit and pass the LPA to be eligible for a preliminary teaching credential. To achieve this, candidates must demonstrate their skills through video clips as well as verbal and written commentary, assessing their ability to plan, teach, and evaluate student learning.
This year’s convening focused on exploring the LPA and featured three speakers, each uniquely poised to drive the following learning objectives:
Deepen Understanding of the LPA
Explore the structure, requirements, and implications of the LPA, ensuring educator preparation programs align coursework and fieldwork to support pre-service teacher success.Strengthen Coursework & Fieldwork Integration
Collaboratively refine educator preparation programs by analyzing exemplars, sharing best practices, and developing strategies to enhance alignment with new literacy standards and performance expectations to support this change effort.Cultivate Collaboration & Shared Learning
Create opportunities for educator preparation programs to connect, exchange insights, strengthen partnerships, and develop a network of support for ongoing refinement and implementation.
Dr. Kathy Futterman opened the program with an in-depth exploration of the LPA. She discussed its purpose and structure before introducing ways to revise coursework and fieldwork to integrate key content, including the five themes of the ELA/ELD Framework: foundational reading skills, language development, content knowledge, meaning making, and effective expression. Attendees then brainstormed how they might support teacher candidates preparing for the LPA in their program, discussing ideas with fellow participants.
Dr. Amber Bechard spoke next, sharing how professors at the University of La Verne collaborate to bolster and refine their syllabi to ensure alignment with Program Standard 7/TPE 7. In addition, she walked the group through her personal course syllabi, corresponding assignments, and source texts, providing real-life examples for their benefit.
The convening ended with an energized presentation from The Reading League’s Kari Kurto, who discussed exemplars and models for success when implementing change. She dug into how inter-departmental discussions can identify gaps and redundancies in literacy content and addressed the pitfalls that might arise along the way.
Key Takeaways
Throughout the evening, participants engaged in candid discussions about the change process, sharing their individual experiences and voicing both hopes and concerns about moving forward. Each walked away with access to tools and organizations, including an office hour with Dr. Bechard to deepen faculty knowledge and refine syllabi alignment. These follow-up opportunities will provide the continued support and resources programs need to ensure they successfully align their coursework to current standards and prepare their teacher candidates for the LPA.
When asked, 100% of participants reported that the convening deepened their understanding of structured literacy practices, and the content and structure of the event supported meaningful action toward the goal of integrating and aligning syllabi to Program Standard 7/TPE 7 and preparing their students for the LPA.
More to Come
The annual Bay Area Educator Prep Program Convening is one part of FULCRUM’s broader strategy to sustain long-term advancements in teacher preparation and literacy outcomes. Our partnerships with EPPs, state leaders, and literacy experts are ongoing as we work to maintain the momentum generated by these convenings and transform them into sustained improvements in coursework, fieldwork, and assessment preparation.
Thank you to all of the EPPs and supporting organizations who made this year’s convening such a success—we look forward to seeing you again in 2026!
If you are interested in learning more about future offerings and engagements, please email devika@fulcrumliteracy.org.
2025 Speakers
Amber Bechard, Ed.D.
Associate Professor & Program Chair of Inclusive Education, University of La Verne
Dr. Amber Bechard is an Associate Professor of Education and Chair of the Inclusive Education Program at LaFetra College of Education, University of La Verne. With 28 years of classroom experience, she served as Associate Director of Literacy and Outreach for the Center for Neurodiversity, Learning, and Wellness and co-directed the Dyslexia Training Program. An Orton-Gillingham certified teacher, she has held leadership roles with the International Dyslexia Association. Her work focuses on teacher preparation, inclusive, multicultural education, and evidence-based literacy practices. Dr. Bechard earned her Ed.D. from Aurora University, M.Ed. from National-Louis University, and BA from the University of Redlands.
Kathy Futterman, Ed.D.
Adjunct Faculty, Cal State East Bay
Director of Higher Education, The Reading League CA
Dr. Kathy Futterman has dedicated 30 years to special education, primarily supporting students with language-based learning issues in diverse settings. She currently serves as Director of Higher Education for The Reading League–California and as an Adjunct Faculty member at Cal State East Bay in Educational Psychology. Additionally, she is the Dyslexia & Literacy Education Specialist for Mt. Diablo USD. Appointed by California’s State Board of Education to the Comprehensive Literacy Plan Team and selected for the California Dyslexia Guidelines workgroup, Dr. Futterman also runs a private practice as a Professional Educational Therapist in Contra Costa County, supporting students and families.
Kari Kurto
National Science of Reading Project Director, The Reading League
Kari Kurto is the National Science of Reading Project Director at The Reading League, overseeing initiatives including Reading League Compass, Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines, Navigation Reports, and Educator Preparation Program Syllabi Refinement Services. She leads efforts supporting English Learners and Emergent Bilinguals and facilitates communities of practice. As a Path Forward advisory group member and adjunct professor at Rhode Island College, she has presented to schools and districts. Previously a Literacy Specialist at the Rhode Island Department of Education and Orton-Gillingham practitioner, she helped implement the Rhode Island Right to Read Act.
