MARYLAND IS READY TO SAY DYSLEXIA! HOW TO MOVE THE PROCESS ALONG
There is an elephant in classrooms across Maryland. The elephant is dyslexia: how and when to identify dyslexia, how to apply an individualized intervention, and who (if anyone) is trained to teach the foundations of reading in a systematic and structured way. Decoding Dyslexia Maryland asked the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to ensure that local education agencies (school districts) do not have policies, procedures and/or practices that prohibit IEP teams from identifying and developing IEPS for dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. If you have a student with an IEP, you may have experienced school staff/teachers/administrators who whisper about dyslexia in the hallway, but refuse to say dyslexia at the IEP table. No matter what the reasons for this refusal, the US Department of Education recently issued a Guidance Letter/Dear Colleague that makes it clear: It's okay to use these terms, to discuss relevant solutions, to get training in dyslexia. And why not? There is every reason to address the elephant in the room so that all parties are on the same page, with the same resources that point to well-researched solutions! This recent US DOE Guidance letter should be added to your child's file - attach a letter asking that the guidance remain in the file. Use the guidance to point out that your child's teacher should have knowledge about dyslexia and how to teach using evidenced based practices to address dyslexia. You can ask 1) which evidence-based practices the team will use to close the reading gap and 2) the level of training the teachers have in the knowledge and practices known to successfully address dyslexia and reading disability. A knowledgeable teacher is the key to success versus any one specific program, but the program does matter because many lack efficacy for students with dyslexia. If you've recently had an IEP meeting and your school team refused to identify and provide intervention for dyslexia (reading issues), dysgraphia (writing issues) and dyscalculia (math concept issues), please use these resources to educate your school district so that you can successfully get your child a program and teacher trained to work with a student with dyslexia. (NOTE: If your student has indicators and/or characteristics of dyslexia, this guidance applies -- if your student's IEP team does not agree that your student has indicators and/or characteristics of dyslexia, but you think your student has dyslexia, you may need to get an independent evaluation. Not all students have dyslexia, so it's best to know as much as possible about your student's underlying reading difficulties.)
Three Ways to Move Your School District & IEP Team to 'Say Dyslexia'
FIRST: write a letter or email to your district superintendent and director of special education and ask them to read, distribute and act on the Department of Education Guidance on Dyslexia. Model your letter after the one DDMD wrote to Dr. Smith, Interim State Superintendent of Education in Maryland, linked below. Dr. Smith, in his reply dated January 21, 2016, says: 1) The OSERS guidance has been reviewed in detail by leadership at the MSDE 2) [The guidance] was delivered to each local school system and public agency 3) [The guidance] was discussed with statewide leadership at the Professional Learning Institute on December 9, 2015. It further states that MSDE has also "been engaged in substantive regional work with local leaders in general and special education, classroom teachers and service providers," and that MSDE anticipates "that the direction provided in the OSERS Guidance will provide a clear focus to our conversations to include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in both general education and special education settings." When you draft an email to your district superintendent and special education director, ask yourself: have any of these things happened in my IEP meetings? In evaluative meetings for a 504? If they have, please thank your district leadership for reaching out and educating both special education and general education staff on the guidance. If you find that these things still are not discussed and that you hit a wall when suggesting prescriptive interventions for your student, please provide your district leadership with the guidelines and letters posted below and ask that they ensure that there are no "policies, procedures and/or practices" that prohibit use or implementation of strategies designed to support students with dyslexia, dyscalculia and/or dysgraphia.
SECOND: attend your district Board of Education meeting and reserve three minutes to speak. Summarize the DOE guidance and ask your BOE to take action. You can suggest the following to you BOE and your district special education director: Short Term Goals
THIRD: print out the dyslexia guidance and bring it with you to all IEP and 504 meetings. Ensure you are well versed in the terminology and what the letter means. Below are some additional resources to interpret the guidance.
If your IEP or 504 team refuses to say dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and/or you have difficulty securing help for your struggling reader, please contact Decoding Dyslexia Maryland and tell us about the problem you face at [email protected]. Thank you and Good Luck! Resources It's Fine for Districts to Say Dyslexia, EdWeek Letter to DOE from House Dyslexia Caucus Answering Your Questions About the New Government Letter on Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia (NCLD) Due Diligence for Students with Dyslexia, Scholastic US Department of Education Issues Guidance on Dyslexia, Learning Ally Parents and Teachers: Do you think your child or a student you teach has difficulty with reading, writing, spelling and/or math concepts? Your student may have dyslexia, dysgraphia and/or dyscalculia and need an Individual Education Program to help him or her learn. If this sounds like your child or student, and you have had difficulty getting help in Maryland, please consult Decoding Dyslexia Maryland's reference guide and resources below to get your student the help they need! Our handy guide is embedded at the end of this post and can be accessed here: Decoding Dyslexia Maryland Dispute Resolution Guide Maryland State Department of Education: Information on Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities and Eligibility for Special Education COMAR 13A.05.01.03B(68) Definitions “Student with a disability” means a student, 3 through 20 years old: (a) evaluated in accordance with Regulation .06 of this chapter as having: autism, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, including deafness, mental retardation, multiple disability, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment, including blindness; and (b) who, because of the impairment, needs special education and related services. These State regulations indicate that, in order to be eligible for services under IDEA, a student must meet the disability definition and require special education and related services. For specific learning disabilities, the regulations provide additional criteria to aid in the identification process. This entails the application of the definition in conjunction with specific procedures outlined in the regulations. (Source: MSDE Specific Learning Disabilities Technical Assistance Guide) Federal/State Definition of Specific Learning Disability According to COMAR 13A.05.01.03B(64), the definition of a specific learning disability (SLD) is as follows:
MSDE Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities in Maryland SLD Identification Powerpoint (Source: MSDE, 2015) What is the process to identify a student with specific learning disability in Maryland? Click the powerpoint linked above and learn more about the process. If your school district does it differently, they may be in violation of the student's rights. Please learn about the process so you can ensure your school district and/or school is not denying identification based on incorrect procedures. Helpful Resources for Parents and Teachers Department of Education Guidance Letters, Students with Disabilities & Specific Learning Disabilities Response to Intervention Guidance: RTI cannot be used to deny or delay SLD identification Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia Guidance for States: schools can say dyslexia, provide interventions for dyslexia and provide teacher education on dyslexia. Decoding Dyslexia Maryland, Parent Guide: Why Schools Must Say Dyslexia Letter to State Superintendent Smith, Dyslexia Guidance Request for Maryland Additional Resources
Decoding Dyslexia Maryland Dispute Resolution Overview and Resources Please join Decoding Dyslexia Maryland for Dyslexia Advocacy Day in Annapolis on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 in Room 170 of the Lowe House Office Building. A link to Eventbrite Registration will be posted on January 12th. Community Partners, please contact Jaclyn Paris to participate and look for the sign up for Community Partners soon! Here's a link to last year's event. Dyslexia Advocacy Day, 2015 in PhotosPlease respond: TIME SENSITIVE DYSLEXIA SURVEY! Help Change Maryland Education If you live in Maryland and are the parent of a student with a reading difference like dyslexia, and your child has attended or now attends a Maryland public school, you are eligible to answer this survey. Please forward and share this survey with other Maryland families. Survey LINK DEADLINE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015 The Governor’s Task Force on the Implementation of a Dyslexia Education Program includes professionals in the field of education, legislators, and parents who have been asked to respond to the requirements of House Bill 278 which was enacted last spring. The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain data from parents of children with reading differences like dyslexia with regard to the identification and interventions for children with dyslexia and the educational services associated with such identification. Responses to this questionnaire will help the Governor’s Task Force on the Implementation of a Dyslexia Education Program make recommendations to Governor Hogan and the Maryland General Assembly that will potentially change the education practices for students with reading difficulties and/or dyslexia in Maryland. Please respond by November 30, 2015. We apologize for the short time frame but recommendations are required by December 30, 2015 and the Task Force would like to include important parent feedback in the recommendations to the Governor. Thank you in advance for your willingness to complete the survey. https://surveyplanet.com/562f6f9e8535760f147234a0 Laura Schultz Parent Task Force Member Lisa Blottenberger Decoding Dyslexia MD Task Force Member Governor’s Task Force on the Implementation of a Dyslexia Education Program Department of Education (USDOE) Responds to Stakeholders' Dyslexia ConcernsDyslexia stakeholders, including Decoding Dyslexia Maryland, reported to USDOE that State and local education agencies (SEAs/LEAs) routinely refuse to use the word dyslexia and often refuse to screen/identify, provide interventions for and/or educate teachers about dyslexia, dysgraphia (writing) and dyscalculia (math) disabilities. The DOE guidance document, linked here, responds to stakeholder complaints and provides guidance to the State and Local Education Agency responsible for implementing both Response to Intervention (RtI --whole class/Tier I and small group/Tier II) and special education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA).
DOE Guidance Impact Summary |
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