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 disability, and special education law. Dr. Toste is a Provost's Teaching Fellow at UT Austin and was named one of the 2017 Texas Ten, nominated by alumni as a professor who inspired them during their time on the Forty Acres. Her research interests are related to intensive interventions for students with reading disabilities, with a particular focus on data-based decision making processes and motivation. 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 as Chair of the Board of Directors for Disability Rights Texas (www.disabilityrightstx.org), the federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency (P&A) for people with disabilities in Texas. She is on the Board of Directors and National Advisory Council of GLSEN (www.glsen.org), as well the the Advisory Board for The University of Texas Charter School System.
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, McGill University
M.A. in Education Psychology, McGill University
B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education, McGill University
Focuses on effective interventions for students with and at-risk for reading disabilities, with a focus on motivational process and use of data to improve instructional decision making.
Editorial Review Board, Elementary School Journal(2019)
Member, National Board of Directors, GLSEN(2017)
Associate Editor, Assessment for Effective Intervention(2017)
Editorial Review Board, Journal of Learning Disabilities(2017)
Member, Advisory Board, The University of Texas-University Charter School(2017)
Chair, Board of Directors, Disability Rights Texas(2016)
Editorial Review Board, Intervention in School and Clinic(2016)
Editorial Review Board, Assessment for Effective Intervention(2016)
Chair, GLSEN Austin(2015)
Principal Reviewer, Journal of Educational Psychology(2014)
Project STAMP
As a Provost's Teaching Fellow, Dr. Toste will lead a project titled "STAMP of Success in Doctoral Education: Student Training, Advising, and Mentorship Practices." Toste will assess current practices, develop a mentorship model, and disseminate her findings to the university community. Through exploring mentorship across disciplines, this mentorship model will provide best practice guidelines for facilitating success in doctoral education.
Project EXPERT: Teacher Expertise in Data-Based Decision Making for Reading Intervention
This $1.4 million four-year development project is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research (2019-2023). My research team aims to better understand the mechanisms to support teachers data-based decision making (DBDM) to improve outcomes for upper-elementary students with reading difficulties and disabilities (including dyslexia). EXPERT is a teacher-driven program to increase expertise of both special education and general education teachers in identifying evidence of students learning and using that evidence to improve student achievement through the delivery of responsive, high-quality instruction to students with significant word-level reading challenges in third to fifth grades. It will be built on several characteristics shown to be important in improving teachers use of assessment evidence for guiding instruction: teachers content knowledge and self-efficacy, decision rules for evaluating data and linking assessment to instructional changes, self-monitoring of assessment and instructional practices, and fostering collaboration among teachers for purposes of DBDM. Coaching will be used throughout to individually tailor content for teachers based on their knowledge and the needs of their students. This individualized coaching model allows teachers to guide the direction of the implementation and promotes their autonomy and empowerment.
Texas Ten, The Alcalde | 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)
Zainab U White (Supervisor)
Lisa Didion, Ph.D., 2019 (Supervisor)
University of Iowa
Assistant Professor of Special Education
| Year | Semester | Course |
|---|
| 2020 | Fall | EDC 370E: 1-Reading-F |
| 2020 | Spring | SED 389: 4-Law And Disabilities |
| 2019 | Fall | EDC 370E: 1-Reading-F |
| 2019 | Spring | SED 396C: Trends And Issues In Ld And Bd |
| 2019 | Spring | SED 389: 4-Law And Disabilities |
| 2018 | Fall | SED 378R: Rdng Assmt/Dev With Divrs Pops |
| 2018 | Fall | EDC 370E: 1-Reading-F |
| 2018 | Summer | SED s395D: 2-Sem In Behavioral Disorders |
| 2018 | Spring | SED 396C: Trends And Issues In Ld And Bd |
| 2018 | Spring | SED 389: 4-Law And Disabilities |
| 2017 | Fall | SED 378R: Rdng Assmt/Dev With Divrs Pops |
| 2017 | Fall | EDC 370E: 1-Reading-F |
| 2017 | Summer | SED s395D: 2-Sem In Behavioral Disorders |
| 2017 | Spring | SED 396C: Trends And Issues In Ld And Bd |
| 2017 | Spring | SED 389: 4-Law And Disabilities |
| 2016 | Fall | SED 378R: Rdng Assmt/Dev With Divrs Pops |
| 2016 | Fall | EDC 370E: 1-Reading-F |
| 2015 | Fall | SED 396C: 2-Trends & Issues In Ld & Bd |
| 2015 | Fall | SED 378R: Rdng Assmt/Dev With Divrs Pops |
| 2015 | Summer | SED s389: 4-Law And Disabilities |
| 2015 | Spring | SED 383: 8-Instructional Adaptations I |
| 2015 | Spring | SED 378T: Reading Assessment And Devel-H |
| 2014 | Fall | SED 378R: Rdng Assmt/Dev With Divrs Pops |
| 2014 | Spring | SED 378T: Reading Assessment And Devel-L |
"One Big Question" Interview
Special education professionals share perspectives on how to support the learning of students with disabilities over the summer months.
Huffington Post Education
Dr. Toste's listing of contributions to HuffPost.
Alcalde | The Texas Ten
Dr. Toste was recognized as one of the 2017 "Texas Ten," an annual list of inspiring professors, nominated by alumni and selected by the Alcalde magazine.
Texas Education Magazine | Data Mountain
Article about a research project conducted by Dr. Toste and her doctoral student, Lisa Didion.
Ladies Who Lovebomb Podcast
Podcast conversation about protecting LGBTQ students, disability rights, and reading instruction.
Data Mountain: Journey to Educational and Behavioral Success
