Tweet to Thank for introducing the bipartisan resolution:
@SenatorBarb
@BillCassidy
Download a copy of the Senate Dyslexia Awareness Month Resolution
sr_cassidymikulski-dyslexia-final.pdf |
It's October 1st! The first day of dyslexia awareness month, and Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced Senate Resolution 275 (SRes 275) a "resolution calling on Congress, schools, and State and local educational agencies to recognize the significant educational implications of dyslexia that must be addressed and designating October 2015 as "National Dyslexia Awareness Month." Tweet to Thank for introducing the bipartisan resolution: @SenatorBarb @BillCassidy Download a copy of the Senate Dyslexia Awareness Month Resolution
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Governor Larry Hogan recently appointed Lisa Blottenberger and Laura Schultz, State Leaders for Decoding Dyslexia, Maryland, to the Dyslexia Education Task Force charged with developing a Dyslexia Education Program and pilot for a Maryland public school district. The Task Force legislation also designates State Senator Joan Carter Conway; Representative Ann Kaiser; Marcella Franczkowski, the designee of the State Superintendent of Schools; Theresa Milio-Birge, representative from the Maryland Association of Boards of Education; Scott Smith, Superintendent of St. Mary’s public schools, who represents the Public School Superintendents Association of Maryland; Robin Szymanski, representative of Maryland State Education Association; Dr. Valerie Wilder, Kent County Schools, representative of Maryland School Psychologists’ Association. Governor Hogan also designated Dr. Joan A. Mele-McCarthy, CCC-SLP, Chair of the Task Force. Dr. Mele-McCarthy is the Executive Director of The Summit School in Edgewater. Members also appointed by the Governor include: Mr. Ben Shifrin, Head of Jemicy School; Ms. Marty Sweeney, Head of Odyssey School; Amy Siracusano, Calvert County Public School Teacher; and Lavaunda Roundtree, Educational Support Services, LLC and Anne Arundel County Public School Teacher.
The Task Force requirements are: (1) to determine current practices for identifying and treating dyslexia in students in Maryland public schools; (2) to determine current practices for identifying and treating dyslexia in other states; (3) to determine the appropriate structure for establishing a dyslexia education program and make recommendations on: (i) the feasibility of funding a dyslexia education program through the State Department of Education or alternative funding mechanisms and sources or both; (ii) the methodologies that should be used to test students and identify dyslexia and pre–dyslexia tendencies in students; (iii) the appropriate age to begin testing for dyslexia and pre–dyslexia tendencies; and (iv) the best practices for treating and educating students identified as having dyslexia or pre–dyslexia tendencies; and (4) to develop a pilot program to initiate the implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force in an appropriately limited geographical area. The Maryland Task Force convened its work on September 17, 2015 – Maryland joins a number of other states including New Jersey, Connecticut and Virginia, working to improve literacy for students who are capable of learning to read and write, but who continue to struggle with these tasks in school. Members of the public are invited to attend and provide input. Please contact Carmen Brown at 410-767-7197 or via email at carmen.brown1@maryland.gov at least 24 hours prior to the meeting to register to speak. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers are encouraged to provide multiple written copies of their comments or any other documents supporting their oral comments. Meeting Dates and Times: September 17, 2015 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. September 24, 2015 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. October 8, 2015 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. October 23, 2015 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. November 6, 2015 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. Location: Center for Technology in Education 6740 Alexander Bell Drive Columbia Maryland 21045 ABOUT DECODING DYSLEXIA MARYLAND (DD-MD) Decoding Dyslexia Maryland is a grassroots movement of parents, teachers, students and related professionals concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for struggling readers and students with dyslexia in Maryland public schools. DD-MD State Chapters include: Anne Arundel, Central MD, Northern MD, Howard, Southern MD, PG and Montgomery Counties. www.DecodingDyselxiaMD.weebly.com @dyslexiasomd Please join Decoding Dyslexia as we launch a social media campaign this week to #SayDyslexia so our students can be #ReadyForSuccess! Earlier this month, Decoding Dyslexia sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education requesting they issue guidance to state and local education authorities about using the term #dyslexia. We will be using the hash tags #SayDyslexia in conjuction with #ReadyForSuccess which will be used by Secretary Arne Duncan and U.S. Department of Education this week for their 6th annual bus tour visiting 11 locations in 7 states. Action Alert: http://bit.ly/1iqJLtG Letter to US Department of Education: http://bit.ly/1F7e6HB Why Aren't All Maryland Students Learning to Read?
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Please join Decoding Dyslexia Maryland for a critical discussion on literacy practices and solutions in Maryland public schools.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month -- it's the right time to advocate for educational change for struggling readers & students with dyslexia/SLD. Please Join Us! The quality of teacher instruction on literacy provided by Maryland institutions of higher education is one factor that seriously impacts student literacy achievement. As the demands of society change, proficient literacy levels are required to enable students to participate fully in the workforce and in their community. Standards and certification in reading and literacy are needed to ensure literacy for all students. Literacy by the Numbers:
Students who are capable of learning to read and write must have the opportunity to learn. Maryland higher education facilities must provide teachers with the skills and competencies needed to reach a variety of complex learners including Struggling readers from all social constructs, Economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, students with Dyslexia, and students with other Specific learning disabilities (SEEDS). Location Note: In the event the response is greater than the number of seats available, the event will be moved to a larger venue nearby. An event update will be emailed if that happens. Keynote: News Anchor Deborah Weiner, WBAL11 Baltimore Panelists & Schedule 2:45-3:30 Information Tables // Refreshments 3:30-3:40 Welcome: Lisa Blottenberger: Decoding Dyslexia Maryland 3:40-3:45 Keynote Introduction: Dr. Fran Levin Bowman: Educational Specialist, bowman educational services, inc. 3:45-4:00 Keynote Speaker: Deborah Weiner: News Anchor, WBAL 11, Baltimore 4:00-4:10 Moderator: Katharina Boser: Ph.D., Glen Elg School: Panelist Introductions 4:10-5:30 Panelist Questions 5:30-5:45 Audience Questions & Answers 5:45-6:00 Closing Remarks: DD-MD Call to Action Panelists How to Close the Reading Gap: The Problems Student with dyslexia: Paul Nebel, St. Mary's County Public Schools Parent of Student with dyslexia: Christine Bellotti, Montgomery County Teacher of students with reading struggles & dyslexia: Lavaunda Roundtree, Special Educator, Anne Arundel County Public Schools How to Close the Reading Gap: The Solutions The Neurological Underpinnings of Reading: Dr. Donald Bolger, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland. What Teachers Need to Know to Teach Reading to all Students: Mary Stowe, Reading, Inclusion Specialist, William & Mary School of Education, Training and Technical Assistance Center How to Identify and Provide Effective Instruction to Struggling Readers: Marilyn Zecher, Certified Academic Language Therapist and President of the DC-Capital Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. Amy Siracusano, Teacher/Vice Principal/Teacher Trainer, Calvert County Public Schools For More Information: Dyslexia Talking Points Legislative Goals, DD-MD Dyslexia Stories to Share WHO IS MY LEGISLATOR? -- Click box in upper right-hand corner after clicking this link! |
Thank You Community Partners!
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Task Force Members
The Governor chooses the Chair of the Task Force. |
Law Creates Dyslexia Education Program & Pilot for Maryland
The Task Force will study the implementation of a dyslexia education program and will take effect on June 1.
The Task Force Shall:
4. Develop a pilot program to initiate the implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force in an appropriately limited geographical area. On or before December 30, 2015, the Task Force shall report its finding and recommendations to the Governor and the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Ways and means Committee. Takes Effect: June 1, 2015 and remain effective for 1 year and 1 month. This Bill presents a statewide commitment to furthering early intervention and dyslexia awareness. Its passage demonstrates a monumental step forward in the lives of children throughout the state of Maryland. ~The Odyssey School Thank You to DD-MD Members and Community Partners!
Many parents, families, students and community partners worked diligently to support HB 278/SB 15 by participating in Dyslexia Advocacy Day in March and testifying to support the bills. DD-MD Thanks you all!
Thank you to The Odyssey School for their forethought to write and foster the legislation -- DD-MD is grateful for their concern and attention to the well being of all students in Maryland. The Odyssey School students' testimony won the hearts and minds of legislators. |
Sen. Bill Cassidy introduced dyslexia amendments on April 15th during Committee markup of #ESEA. The original amendment sought to allow title II $ in ESEA to be used to provide professional development about #dyslexia to teachers. Teachers do not receive college prep to identify or address dyslexia in public schools. By the time public schools recognize reading failure the student is usually in 3rd grade and is too far behind to easily catch up. Many struggling readers can be identified early through Response to Intervention dyslexia screeners and provided effective instruction that meets the Knowledge & Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. Unfortunately, many public schools can't identify dyslexia and reading disabilities and don't provide effective, structured literacy programs. Students who struggle to read often pay for tutoring, leave the public system or graduate with inferior literacy skills. THE CASSIDY AMENDMENTS Senator Cassidy (R-LA) attempted to address the injustice of students with dyslexia who are never identified in public schools and, even when identified, are not provided appropriate interventions. The amendment allowed Title II money to be used for teacher education on identification and interventions for dyslexia so that children would not fail to read. OPPONENTS & PROPONENTS 54 organizations supported the Cassidy amendment, including IDA, Eye to Eye, Decoding Dyslexia, Dyslexic Advantage and 3,000 people signed the NCLD online petition and over 5,000 people signed the Dyslexic Advantage petition. Sen Patty Murray (WA), the co-chair of the HELP committee had a list of 49 organizations that opposed the Cassidy amendment. Among them were NEA, PTA, Easter Seals, COPAA. Opponents did not want to "single out" one disability over another for funding in Title II of ESEA. Proponents pointed out that all persons with disabilities can struggle with reading failure and dyslexia. Persons with dyslexia can also have ADHD, Autism, Dysgraphia and other disabilities. Proponents also pointed out that reading failure is not limited to persons identified under IDEA as a person with a disability of dyslexia. Many people are NOT identified with a disability but still struggle to read OR they are protected under Section 504 and receive accommodations, but not interventions to teach them to read. They also pointed out that dyslexia is the most prevalent of all learning disabilties and has a huge impact on our society. Literacy issues, as noted by the Department of Education in this study, are pervasive. SEE Making Skills Everyone's Business | According to the US Department of Education, one in six adults (54 Million) has low literacy skills. One in three has low numeracy skills and low skills are just as prevalent now as they were 20 years ago. Source: Making Skills Everyone's Business, p. 3, USDOE, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, February 2015. People with learning disabilities are twice as likely to have low literacy skills. The MAJORITY of those with low skills (more than 60%) have completed high school. Incidence of Dyslexia in US Student Population
Data sources: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp Notes Regarding Calculations: while the above calculations are approximate even if they are off by 10%, it is still an egregious injustice. |
This post comes courtesy of Paul Godwin, one of the admins for the Facebook group Homeschooling Dyslexic Kids, where this was originally posted.
I have been contemplating writing a post for the Dads for quite some time. This will be a long post, but please take the time to read it. I wanted to give my perspective as a Dad who probably did everything wrong before we found out our child was dyslexic. Academics came very easily to me. I did not have a lot of patience with my son when it came to his struggles. I did not understand what the problem was and I thought it was just a lack of effort on his part.
As men we are taught that, although not everything may come easily, if you just work hard enough you can accomplish a set goal. I could not fathom why it took my son so long to accomplish basic tasks such as reading a single word on a flash card. I had ZERO patience. Once he finally started getting the flashcards down, we moved on to sentences with the words from the flash cards. This was a disaster. He could not read anything. I was livid. I would berate him for what I deemed was a lack of effort.
I did not get my “Compassionate and Understanding Dad” merit badge. There were other things that drove me crazy. He had great difficulty in doing things that I thought should have come easily. Tying shoes, riding a bike, and other fine motor skill functions did not come naturally. I remember becoming so frustrated when trying to teach him how to ride his bike that i picked up the bike and threw it into an empty lot in our neighborhood.
My son had originally been diagnosed PDD-NOS, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. At that point this was considered part of the autism spectrum which basically meant “we know there is something wrong but we are not quite sure what”. My son did not fit into the a typical autistic category, but there were definitely some issues. My wife started doing some research about his behavior.
The more she read, the more she became convinced he was dyslexic. Once we had him tested we found that he had moderate to severe dyslexia. I still did not fully grasp all that this entailed. I obviously felt like a complete and utter jerk for how I treated my son concerning reading and his academics. I still look back and think how much differently I should have done things. That being said, I did not buy into how dyslexia could affect the other areas of his life. What did a reading disorder have to do with tying your shoes?
The reality is that dyslexia affects almost every aspect of a child's life. Motor skills, memorization, math, remembering sequential steps(both in academics and in daily tasks), and organization skills are all impacted by dyslexia.
As men, we are wired to fix things, no matter what it may be.
My best advice to you dads is that you can't fix your child because your child is not broken. They are different. They think different, act different, and react different, but they are definitely not broken. Don't try to fix them, try to understand them. Be patient. Do research, this is not just your wife's job. The better you understand why they are the way the are, the better you can help.
Dyslexia: Making It Personal shows you what it’s like to have dyslexia. Designed for teachers, administrators and parents, this interactive simulation gives you firsthand knowledge about the challenges and frustrations faced by people with this language-based learning difference. You’ll experience what dyslexia is like — and understand it like never before. Download the flyer in PDF format Free Community Workshop by Learning Ally Hosted by the Decoding Dyslexia – MD and the Chelsea School PTO Two sessions: Two sessions: March 25th from 4:30–6:30 pm and 7–9 pm Chelsea School 2970 Belcrest Center Drive, Suite 300 Hyattsville, MD 20782 Questions? Contact Decoding Dyslexia Maryland at ddmdpgleader@gmail.com |
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