Dr. Jessica Toste is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin and a fellow of the Reading Institute within The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. She received her PhD in educational psychology from McGill University. She teaches courses on reading instruction, learning disabilities (LD), and disability law. Dr. Toste was named one of the 2017 "Texas Ten," nominated by UT alumni as a professor who inspired them during their time on the Forty Acres. Her research interests are related to students with LD and effective reading interventions, with a particular focus on motivation as a determinant of school success. She has also articles and book chapters on resilience factors related to achievement and psychosocial functioning of youth at-risk. Dr. Toste was trained in reading intervention research as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University (2011-2013) and as a Fulbright scholar/visiting researcher at the Florida Center for Reading Research (2008-2009). She has worked as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In the community, Dr. Toste serves on the Board of Directors and National Advisory Council of GLSEN (www.glsen.org). She is also on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Texas (www.disabilityrightstx.org), federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency (P&A) for people with disabilities in Texas. She also volunteers with CASA Travis County, as a court-appointed special advocate and guardian ad litem for children who have been abused and neglected.
Member, National Board of Directors, GLSEN(2017)
Associate Editor, Assessment for Effective Intervention(2017)
Member, Advisory Board, The University of Texas-University Charter School(2017)
Member, Board of Directors, Disability Rights Texas(2016)
Editorial Review Board, Intervention in School and Clinic(2016)
Chair, GLSEN Austin(2015)
Principle Reviewer, Journal of Educational Psychology(2014)
Toste, J. R.., Capin, P.., Vaughn, S.., Roberts, G. G.. & Kearns, D. K.. (2017). Multisyllabic word reading instruction with and without motivational beliefs training for struggling readers in the upper elementary grades: A pilot investigation. Elementary School Journal, 117(4), 593–615.
Toste, J. R.. & Ciullo, S.. (2017). Reading and writing instruction in the upper elementary grades. Intervention in School and Clinic, 52(5), 259–261.
Toste, J. R.., Williams, K. J.. & Capin, P.. (2017). Reading big words: Instructional practices to promote multisyllabic word reading fluency. Intervention in School and Clinic, 52(5), 270–278.
Wehmeyer, M. L.., Shogren, K. A.., Toste, J. R.. & Mahall, S.. (2017). Self-determined learning to motivate struggling learners in reading and writing. Intervention in School and Clinic, 52(5), 295–303.
Michaud, M.., Dion, E.., Barrette, A.., Dupere, V.. & Toste, J. R.. (2017). Does knowing what a word means influence how easily its decoding is learned?. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 33, 82–96.
McLean, L.., Sparapani, N.., Toste, J. R.., Day, S.. & Connor, C. M.. (2016). Classroom quality as a predictor of student time in non-instructional activities and literacy achievement in first grade. Journal of School Psychology, 56, 45–58.
Emery, A. A.., Toste, J. R.. & Heath, N. L.. (2015). The balance of intrinsic need satisfaction across contexts as a predictor of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Motivation and Emotion, 39, 753–765.
Rogers, M.., Belanger-Lejars, V.., Toste, J. R.. & Heath, N. L.. (2015). Mismatched: An investigation of ADHD and the teacher-student relationship. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 20(4), 333–348.
Toste, J. R.., Heath, N. L.., Connor, C. M.. & Peng, P.. (2015). Reconceptualizing teacher-student relationships: Applicability of the working alliance within classroom contexts. The Elementary School Journal, 116, 30–48.
Miller, A. C.., Davis, N.., Gilbert, J. K.., Cho, S. J.., Toste, J. R.., Street, J.. & Cutting, L. E.. (2014). Novel approaches to examine passage, student, and question effects on reading comprehension. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 29(1), 25–35.
Toste, J. R.., Bloom, E. L.. & Heath, N. L.. (2014). The differential role of classroom working alliance in predicting school-related outcomes for students with and without high-incidence disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 48(2), 135–148.
Toste, J. R.., Compton, D. L.., Fuchs, D.., Fuchs, L. S.., Gilbert, J. K.., Cho, E.., Barquero, L. A.. & Bouton, B. D.. (2014). Understanding unresponsiveness to Tier 2 reading intervention: Exploring the classification and profiles of adequate and inadequate responders. Learning Disability Quarterly, 37(4), 192–203.
Texas Ten, The Alcade | University of Texas (2017)
G. M. Dunlop Distinguished Contribution Award, Canadian Association of Educational Psychology (2012)
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2011 - 2013)
Pat Clifford Ward for Early Career Research in Education, Canadian Education Asssociation (2011)
Governor General's Gold Medal, McGill University (2011)
Student Research Award, Fulbright Foundation - Canada/U.S. Fulbright Program (2008 - 2009)
