1. Assessing Dyslexia Toolkit for Teachers
Dyslexia Scotland Conference 2010
Assessing Dyslexia Toolkit for Teachers

2. Assessment in the context of Curriculum for Excellence
“Assessment is integral to learning, teaching and the curriculum..”
Curriculum for Excellence,
Building the Curriculum 5:
A framework for assessment, p. 6

3. HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.1
“Diverse views have been presented about what exactly dyslexia is, its origin, methods of identifying and assessing it and appropriate interventions.”
HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.1

4. HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.11
“Schools were often slow to respond to parents’ initial concerns despite provision for seeking assessment being available through additional support for learning legislation.”
HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.11

5. “Self-evaluation was not a strong feature of planning and most schools needed to review their procedures for identifying and assessing pupils with dyslexia within whole school approaches to identifying and meeting learners’ needs.”
HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.18

6. “Teachers and learners should have updated, accessible and practical advice on dyslexia and its impact on young people………..”
HMIe, 2008, Education for Learners with Dyslexia, p.27

7. Web Address

10. The Scottish Government, Dyslexia Scotland and the Cross Party Group on Dyslexia in the Scottish Parliament
“Dyslexia can be described as a continuum of difficulties in learning to read, write and/or spell, which persist despite the provision of appropriate learning opportunities. These difficulties often do not reflect an individual's cognitive abilities and may not be typical of performance in other areas.
The impact of dyslexia as a barrier to learning varies in degree according to the learning and teaching environment, as there are often associated difficulties such as:
auditory and /or visual processing of language-based information
phonological awareness
oral language skills and reading fluency
short-term and working memory
sequencing and directionality
number skills
organisational ability.
Motor skills and co-ordination may also be affected.

11. Continued
Dyslexia exists in all cultures and across the range of abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. It is a hereditary, life-long, neurodevelopmental condition. Unidentified, dyslexia is likely to result in low self esteem, high stress, atypical behaviour, and low achievement.
Learners with dyslexia will benefit from early identification, appropriate intervention and targeted effective teaching, enabling them to become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.”
(From

19. Kay
Picture of Kay

23. What now?
4 Dissemination events across Scotland 1. Highland 25th October 2. South Lanarkshire 26th October 3. Perth & Kinross 3rd November 4. West Lothian 4th November

24. Address for feedback and to submit resources or samples

25. Other factors to consider
Alternative ways of viewing dyslexia
Though it may seem to children and their parents that dyslexia is a very negative attribute, nonetheless there are very few children for whom the situation is entirely gloomy. Because of its relation to literacy, and because literacy is so important for school education, the school years may be difficult. However with the right support and the understanding of their teachers, life with dyslexia does not need to be an entirely negative experience at school.
Many with dyslexia have superior skills in art, architecture, and seeing things from a different perspective. Even if these skills are not apparent at an early stage, it is essential to find the areas of greatest strength to motivate and maintain self-esteem. If the literacy element of education can be mastered or overcome, either by appropriate support or by circumvention strategies, then the stronger skills can get a chance to dominate. It is worth remembering that with modern technology, struggles over reading and writing need not become an insurmountable problem. What will be important to the generation growing up today will be their abilities to adapt to new circumstances, understand new concepts, develop a range of skills and to be creative in their ideas.

26. effective contributor
successful learner
with
enthusiasm and motivation for learning
determination to reach high standards of achievement
openness to new thinking and ideas
and able to
use literacy, communication and numeracy skills
use technology for learning
think creatively and independently
learn independently and as part of a group
make reasoned evaluations
link and apply different kinds of learning in
new situations
confident individual
with
self respect
a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
secure values and beliefs
ambition
and able to
relate to others and manage themselves
pursue a healthy and active lifestyle
be self aware
develop and communicate their own beliefs
and view of the world
live as independently as they can
assess risk and take informed decisions
achieve success in different areas of activity
responsible citizen
with
respect for others
commitment to participate responsibly in
political, economic, social and cultural life
and able to
develop knowledge and understanding of
the world and Scotland’s place in it
understand different beliefs and cultures
make informed choices and decisions
evaluate environmental, scientific and
technological issues
develop informed, ethical views of complex
issues
effective contributor
with
an enterprising attitude
resilience
self-reliance
and able to
communicate in different ways and in
different settings
work in partnership and in teams
take the initiative and lead
apply critical thinking in new contexts
create and develop
solve problems

27. Web Address