Does Your School District Want to Learn More About Dyslexia?

Does your school district want to learn more about dyslexia? Don’t miss these five free dyslexia webinars for CA school districts co-sponsored by Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) and Glean Education.

DDCA Leaders recently connected with LACOE, and we are impressed with their lineup of upcoming dyslexia webinars.  Each webinar is targeted for a specific audience within your school district.  District staff can sign up for all five webinars or just the webinars that they are interested in.  A recorded version is available for those who pre-register but are unable to attend the live version.  You must be employed by a CA local education agency to register for these free webinars. Please share with your local school district. There are limited spots so pre-register today.

“Quality reading instruction is pivotal in both teaching young learners to access the code, but also in diagnosing issues that students may have. We’re seeking to raise educator awareness in understanding the scope of dyslexia and all of its complexities, while giving tools and strategies for them to address these issues and provide targeted, ongoing supports.”

-Leslie Zoroya, RLA Coordinator, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Here are the links to each of the Dyslexia series webinars (times are PST):

Understanding & Recognizing Dyslexia: What CA Educators Need to Know 
Jan. 13, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Audience: K-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators 

Screening for Dyslexia: What School Leaders Need to Know
Feb. 23, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Audience: K-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators 

Implementing Intervention for Students with Dyslexia: What Teachers Need to Know
March 17, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Audience: K-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators 

Accommodating Students with Dyslexia in the Middle & High School Classroom: What Teachers Need to Know
April 14, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Audience: Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Secondary Administrators, Instructional Coaches

Assessing & Supporting Dyslexia: What School Psychologists Need to Know
May 12, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Audience: School Psychologists, Administrators, Instructional Coaches

You Asked! – Question 27

Is your school teaching phonics effectively? This month the International Literacy Association (ILA) issued a brief on “Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction” stating the need for systematic and explicit instruction in phonics as one critical component in overall reading instruction. While all students benefit from systematic and explicit instruction in phonics, students with dyslexia likely won’t achieve literacy without it.

ILA is a large organization with over 300,000 members and its most recent position on the phonics debate most closely aligns with the CA Education Code, the CA Dyslexia Guidelines and the International Dyslexia Association’s definition of Structured Literacy (with respect to phonics instruction). As more and more organizations are in agreement on the most effective way to teach phonics, we must determine if our schools are adhering to these practices.  Sadly, many “balanced literacy” programs used in our California classrooms do not teach systematic and explicit phonics that will benefit all students, particularly our students with dyslexia.

To learn more, please read our latest “You Asked Q27