Reading Comprehension Is More Than Decoding

Decoding and fluency are essential—but they’re the foundation, not the finish line. True reading comprehension is a rich, multidimensional process, and understanding it changes everything about how we teach. 

We know decoding matters—but a student who reads every word correctly can still understand very little. This 30-minute Leading Together webinar takes educators beyond the “crack the code” view of reading to explore what actually drives comprehension: the rich web of background knowledge, vocabulary, inferencing, and language understanding that readers bring to a text.  

Drawing on the language comprehension strand of Scarborough’s Reading Rope and interactive models of reading, we’ll examine why comprehension is not a single skill but a dynamic process—one where meaning is actively constructed, not simply extracted. Whether you teach kindergartners or high schoolers, this session will reshape how you think about what reading instruction needs to do. 

Who Should Attend?

• District and site leaders 
• Instructional coaches and literacy specialists 
• K–5 classroom teachers 

Session Discussion Topics

• What the Research Tells Us: a brief, accessible look at what decades of reading science says comprehension actually is, including the language comprehension strand and interactive models of reading  
• Background Knowledge and Vocabulary: how what readers already know shapes what they can understand and why building knowledge is reading instruction  
• Inference and Reasoning: how proficient readers constantly read “between the lines” and why this is a teachable, not an innate, skill  
• Language Comprehension in the Classroom: what it looks like when instruction addresses the full complexity of comprehension, with concrete examples across grade levels  
• From Understanding to Action: what shifts when educators see comprehension as multidimensional and the one or two instructional moves participants can take back immediately  

Featured Speakers

Misty Sailors is a former teacher and teacher educator and is an internationally recognized literacy expert and the interim director of Literacy at WestEd. With expertise in structured and disciplinary literacy, she has led K–12 teacher development across the United States and abroad. Sailors has authored more than 80 scholarly works and developed award-winning literacy programs. She leads research and professional development focused on supporting educators in implementing effective reading instruction for diverse learners, including students with dyslexia. 

Annette Gregg brings extensive experience in educational leadership, focusing on enhancing outcomes for English and Multilingual Learners. As the director of the English Learner and Migrant Education Services team, Gregg oversees a comprehensive portfolio of initiatives, including research, technical assistance, and professional learning projects aimed at supporting PK–12 educators and migrant education professionals nationwide.