1. Information, ideas for support, AND inquiries
Dyslexia
In our time together today, we are going to look closely at INFORMATION regarding dyslexia, IDEAS for supporting students, and then address the INQUIRIES you still have at the close of our discussion.
Information, ideas for support, AND inquiries

2. Dyslexia Information
On October 8, 2015, the Alabama State Board of Education voted to approve revisions to the Alabama Administrative Code(AAC) related to support for students with dyslexia. When implemented, these revisions will make a huge difference for all struggling students, including those who have dyslexia.
For the “information” portion of our discussion, we are going to refer directly to the Alabama Administrative Code (AAC).

3. Coding the Code
Read the October 8, 2015 revisions to the Alabama Administrative code, and use the following code to guide your thinking as you read. !- This is new information for me. ?- I have a question about this. *-This connects to practices we already have in place.
Provide copies of Appendix K.
We’re going to use a type of “backward” note-taking to help us understand how the AAC addresses dyslexia.
Following your reading, I’ll share some ideas of what emphasis on dyslexia IS and IS NOT in our state. Hopefully, some of the questions you mark will be answered through this process.
We will devote the end of our discussion to any specific questions that remain.
(Allow time for participants to read the revisions to the code.)

4. Critical perspective… Dyslexia and RtI!!!
Reaching the
Total of the
Individuals
Reaching the
Total
Individual
As we prepare to explore the AAC, it is important to note that the revisions made appear in the RtI section of the code.
Many perspectives about RtI currently exist across.

5. In Alabama, emphasis on dyslexia…
IS NOT
a result of State Board of Education action.
a result of legislative action.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

6. defined as a specific learning challenge.
In Alabama, dyslexia… IS
IS NOT
defined as a specific learning challenge.
defined as a learning disabilility.
The definition is stated in the AAC. We’ll look at it in it’s entirety when we read the revisions to the code.

7. In Alabama, regarding dyslexia, the school screening process…IS
IS NOT
intended to identify students with characteristics of dyslexia.
intended to diagnose dyslexia.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

8. In Alabama, regarding dyslexia, the role of the SDE…IS
IS NOT
to provide PD and support to LEAs and schools.
to specify how students with characteristics of dyslexia are served.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

9. In Alabama, regarding dyslexia, decisions about support…
ARE NOT
determined at the school level by Problem Solving Teams (PSTs).
determined at the state level.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

10. Ideas for Support
The Dyslexia Resource Guide is filled with helpful information and links to other resources.
Add slide with info to access guide on web.

11. The Alabama Dyslexia Resource Guide…IS
IS NOT
a living document including resources, links, and ideas to assist schools in supporting struggling students and students with characteristics of dyslexia.
a required method of support.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

12. The Goal
…The goal of every school should be to provide interventions for all struggling readers that are sufficiently powerful to bring reading skills up to grade-level standards. If this is accomplished for all struggling readers, then it will automatically be accomplished for all students with dyslexia.”
Dr. Joseph Torgeson
(Florida Center for Research on Reading, 2010)
Alabama data indicate the need for increased emphasis on support for ALL struggling readers at all levels.

13. The Resource Guide provides a brief introduction and overview of the challenges of dyslexia and of the urgency to provide better support for students struggling with these challenges.
Section 3 explains how your plan for Response to Instruction (RtI) and your Problem Solving Teams (PSTs) can be used as the framework for implementing dyslexia-supportive practices.
This presentation will be focused on Section 4 – Dyslexia-specific Screening. Section 4 explains the screening process and provides hot links to examples of screening assessments.
The remaining sections provide more information about Classroom strategies, Accommodations, Assistive Technology, and Dyslexia-specific Intervention.
[CLICK}
There are several helpful documents included in the Appendices. Today we will be looking at the Dyslexia Screening tools and Screening Profiles. The tools and profile sheets are examples only. They are not requirements.

14. Dyslexia-Specific ScreeningIS
IS NOT
to follow universal screening.
to help PSTs determine which students need more support.
to help indicate the type (word level; meaning level) of support needed.
confined to a set number or percentile.
for intervention purposes only; it provides vital information about Tier 1 instruction.
There is NO dyslexia bill.

15. Other Sections of the Alabama Dyslexia Resource Guide include…
Classroom Strategies
Accommodations and Assistive Technology
Dyslexia-Specific Intervention
Professional development regarding these topics is forthcoming. For a commercial, there will be a dyslexia strand offered at MEGA as well as additional PD and support offered by the ARI regional staff.

16. Dyslexia-Specific Screening
Skills Included in
Dyslexia-Specific Screening
Grades 1-12
Kindergarten
92% Accuracy on Grade-Level Text
Spelling Skills
Phonemic Decoding Skills
Sight Word Efficiency Skills
Letter Naming Skills
Letter-sound Skills
Phoneme Segmentation
Nonsense Word Fluency
Kindergarten students who fail the universal reading screening in the fall should be provided with tiered intervention as determined by the Problem Solving Team. Dyslexia-specific screening for students in Kindergarten should not be conducted prior to December of the Kindergarten year (winter benchmark period). Kindergarten students who fail the screening at mid-year, should be screened for the following skills:
Letter naming fluency
Letter-sound correspondence
Phoneme segmentation
Nonsense Word fluency
The Problem Solving Team will review all available data and determine students’ intervention needs.
Dyslexia-specific screening for students in Grades 1-12 should provide the students with an opportunity to demonstrate
Accuracy of word reading in on-grade-level text
Phonemic decoding efficiency skills (decoding nonsense words)
Sight word efficiency skills
Spelling skills

17. Professional Learning Opportunities
PLUACLD424- LEA and school administrators PLUACLD436-PST members holding administrator certification PLUACLD447- for regional, LEA, and school based coaches holding administrator certification CEUs –Local decision
Provide “one pager” with PLU summaries and access information.

18. Dyslexia inquiries???
What questions do you have?

19. Reeda Betts rbetts@alsde.edu
Contact
Reeda Betts