National Biliteracy Consultant & Author, Benchmark Education

Silvia Dorta-Duque de Reyes served as an Expert Panel Member for the development of the California ELD Standards and subsequently as a Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee Member for the California State Department of Education.

She is well known for her contributions in the areas of curriculum design, English Language Arts, English Language Development, Spanish Language Arts, staff development, and parent involvement.

Her area of expertise is biliteracy with a focus on academic writing and the organization of instruction for explicit teaching of Spanish to English cross-linguistic transfer.

In collaboration with the CCSSO and the California Department of Education, Silvia coordinated the Spanish translation and linguistic augmentation of the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts and Mathematics.

Silvia is an honored recipient of the prestigious National Association for Bilingual Education Leadership Award.

Engaging lap books support the teaching of letters and sounds through shared reading.

Home Connection exercises extend learning and encourage family involvement.

Teacher’s Handbooks provide intentional, strategic, and systematic cross-linguistic instruction and student engagement activities to promote Biliteracy.

Teaching Routines & Strategies Cards outline key instructional sequences and teacher-student dialogue to introduce sound-spelling cards.

This program includes access to digital support materials on Benchmark Universe, including:

• Articulation Videos
• Sound-Spelling Cards
• Picture Word Cards
• Shared Reading Resources
• Home-School Connection Worksheets
• Teacher Resources
• Assessments