DYSLEXIA Best Practjces for Instructjon and Interventjon Presented - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

DYSLEXIA Best Practjces for Instructjon and Interventjon Presented by Donell Pons, Literacy Coordinator American Internatjonal School of Utah

American Internatjonal School of Utah AISU

Professional Learning Series Previous webcasts with Donell Pons Teaching Reading: The #1 Job of Every Educator Dyslexia: What Every Educator Should Know readinghorizons.com/webinars

TIER 3: Intensive Instruction (Few Students) TIER 2: Targeted Instruction (Some Students) TIER 1: Core Instruction (All Students)

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Individuals with Disabilitjes Educatjon Act (IDEA) The primary purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilitjes receive a free and appropriate public educatjon (FAPE), including special educatjon and related services “designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further educatjon, employment, and independent living.” 20 U.S.C. 1400(d) What is the Child Find Mandate Within IDEA? IDEA includes the Child Find mandate that requires all school districts to identjfy, locate and evaluate all children with disabilitjes, regardless of the severity of their disabilitjes. This obligatjon to identjfy all children who may need special educatjon services exists even if the school is not providing special educatjon services to the child. Sec.300.111

IDEA Child Find Mandate IDEA requires all states to develop and implement a practjcal method of determining which children with disabilitjes are receiving special educatjon and related services and which children are not. 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3) Child Find Eligibility • All children with disabilitjes from birth through age 21 • Reside within a state • Atuend public or private schools • Highly mobile, migrant, homeless, wards of the state • Includes children who receive passing grades and are advancing from grade to grade 34 CFR 300.111(c) Affjrmatjve Duty Triggers: School district suspicion, parent and public agency requests, care and treatment screening

IDEA Part B - Funding The greatest share of IDEA funding comes from Part B Sectjon 611 which provides grants to states to meet the educatjon needs of children with disabilitjes in K-12.

IDEA Determinatjon and Eligibility The statutes and regulatjons do not establish a deadline for identjfying and evaluatjng children who are suspected of having a qualifying disability. If school employees know or have reason to suspect that a child has a disability , however, these school employees have an affjrmatjve duty to act on the child’s behalf . If they fail to do so, they have defaulted in their obligatjon to identjfy, locate and evaluate children with disabilitjes who need individualized special educatjon programs. A child with a disability is not automatjcally eligible for special educatjon and related services under IDEA. To be eligible for a free appropriate public educatjon under the IDEA, a child must meet two criteria: • The child must have a disability and “by reason thereof, needs special educatjon and related services.” • Courts have held that the child’s disability must “adversely afgect” educatjonal performance.

Multjdisciplinary Team (MDT)/Child Study Team (CST) A Child Study Team (CST) is a multjdisciplinary group of professionals employed by schools or districts to provide parents and teachers with academic and related services. The role of the CST is to provide informatjon, consultatjon, and evaluatjon for students who are referred for diffjcultjes, as well as to make decisions about eligibility for special educatjon. Who is required to be present at the Child Study Team meetjng that determines initjal eligibility and need for special educatjon services? • The parent(s) of the student • The student (when appropriate) • An administratjve representatjve or designee • A general educatjon teacher if the student is/may be partjcipatjng in general educatjon environment • At least one special educatjon teacher or, if appropriate, special educatjon provider • At least one teacher or other specialist with knowledge in the area of suspected disability (this individual may already be a member of the team) • Individuals who have knowledge or special expertjse regarding the student

Process of Evaluatjon for LD in Reading/Dyslexia 1. Family history including student’s health and developmental history, family history of reading diffjcultjes 2. School records and test scores (as far back as possible) and measures of current reading levels 3. Formal evaluatjon - Qualifjed and trained professional that administers a batuery of valid and reliable normed tests. While there is no specifjc batuery of tests, the tests must accurately measure the child’s performance in a way that will address the referral questjons • IQ testjng - verbal and non-verbal, logical/mathematjcal, memory, processing speed • Achievement - specifjc language skills related to reading, writjng, verbal expression, and math

Process of Evaluatjon for LD in Reading/Dyslexia Specifjc evaluatjon for dyslexia to include: • Phonological awareness • Single word decoding • Reading comprehension • Spelling • Writuen expression/comprehension and handwritjng • Difgerentjal/coexistjng conditjons — atuentjon, afgectjve (anxiety, depression), auditory processing, developmental disorders

Myth: Students must receive RTI before further testjng Depending on the nature of the suspected disability, a request by parents, teachers, etc., RTI may or may not be recommended. Either way, RTI should never be used as a reason to delay additjonal testjng, also called “waitjng to fail.”

If a child with a disability does not need “special educatjon and related services,” the child will not be eligible under IDEA but may be eligible for accommodatjons and protectjons under Sectjon 504 of the Rehabilitatjon Act.

Sectjon 504 of the Rehabilitatjon Act Federal civil rights law that prohibits discriminatjon against students with disabilitjes, including students with learning, atuentjon, and medical issues who meet certain criteria. A 504 Plan typically provides accommodatjons, modifjcatjons, and other services that allow students to learn and partjcipate in the general educatjon curriculum by removing the barriers to learning that exist due to their impairment.

Sample 504 Plan

Sectjon 504 of the Rehabilitatjon Act To be protected under Sectjon 504, a student must be determined to: (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantjally limits one or more major life actjvitjes ; or (2) have a record of such an impairment ; or (3) be regarded as having such an impairment .

Sectjon 504 of the Rehabilitatjon Act Serving students with dyslexia on 504 plans • does not require a diagnosis • should be in writjng • Contains accommodatjons/modifjcatjons that address the impairment

Sectjon 504 of the Rehabilitatjon Act Sectjon 504 requires that school districts provide a free appropriate public educatjon (FAPE) to qualifjed students in their jurisdictjons who have a physical or mental impairment that substantjally limits one or more major life actjvitjes. The Sectjon 504 regulatory provision at 34 C.F.R. 104.3(j)(2)(i) defjnes a physical or mental impairment as any physiological disorder or conditjon..., emotjonal or mental illness, and specifjc learning disabilitjes. Major life actjvitjes, as defjned in the Sectjon 504 regulatjons at 34 C.F.R. 104.3(j)(2)(ii), include functjons such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Evaluatjon and Eligibility for a 504 Plan Multjdisciplinary Commituee - Child Study Team The amount of informatjon required is determined by the multjdisciplinary commituee gathered to evaluate the student. The commituee should include persons knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the evaluatjon data, and the placement optjons. The commituee members must determine if they have enough informatjon to make a knowledgeable decision as to whether or not the student has a disability. The Sectjon 504 regulatory provision at 34 C.F.R. 104.35(c) requires that school districts draw from a variety of sources in the evaluatjon process so that the possibility of error is minimized. The informatjon obtained from all such sources must be documented and all signifjcant factors related to the student’s learning process must be considered. These sources and factors may include aptjtude and achievement tests, teacher recommendatjons, physical conditjon, social and cultural background, and adaptjve behavior.