Events

Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar.  Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.

Aug
15
Wed
Wilson Reading System Introductory Workshop @ CHC, Palo Alto
Aug 15 @ 9:00 am – Aug 17 @ 3:30 pm

This three day (15-hour) workshop provides participants with an overview of the Wilson Reading System® (WRS) curriculum and serves as the prerequisite for WRS Level I Certification. This course is delivered over three consecutive days and examines reading research and the five areas of reading in relation to students in grade two and above with persistent phonological coding deficits. Participants learn about dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, appropriate student identification and placement, program implementation, progress monitoring, scheduling, and creating a successful learning environment. Principles of language structure and how to teach language with direct, multisensory methods are demonstrated and practiced during the workshop. Participants explore the standard 10-part Wilson Lesson Plan and practice planning and delivering a lesson while receiving modeling and feedback from a credentialed Wilson Trainer during the workshop.

This workshop is co-sponsored by the IDA Northern CA Branch

Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Define dyslexia, and describe common characteristics.
  • Explain the process of identifying appropriate students and placing them in the Wilson Reading System.
  • Demonstrate a solid understanding of WRS principles of instruction: explicit, sequential, cumulative, and diagnostic multisensory instruction.
  • Identify the lesson components for Block 1 (Decoding/Word Study), Block 2 (Encoding/Spelling), and Block 3 (Listening & Reading Comprehension) of the WRS Lesson Plan.
  • Prepare a 10-part WRS Lesson plan.
Aug
21
Tue
Wilson Reading System Advanced Strategies for Multisensory Structured Language Group Instruction Workshop @ CHC, Palo Alto
Aug 21 @ 9:00 am – Aug 23 @ 3:30 pm

Wilson Reading System 

Advanced Strategies for Multisensory Structured Language Group Instruction Workshop

August 21 – 23, 2018

Duration 3 consecutive days

Time 9:00am – 3:30pm

Prerequisite

  • WRS Level 1 Certification
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Education or a related field

This three-day (15-hour) workshop delves into essential techniques and strategies to improve all aspects of Wilson Reading System® (WRS) group instruction through hands-on practice and discussion, and prepares participants for the Group Mastery Practicum. The workshop examines the specifics of each WRS Block, with an increased focus on vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency instruction. At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Identify factors for successful WRS group instruction.
  • Review the planning for and execution of WRS Lesson Blocks 1, 2, and 3 for maximum group success.
  • Develop a word-conscious lesson.
  • Understand the role of spelling in writing fluency.
  • Determine how to incorporate complex text, both literary and informational text structures.
  • Understand and practice important aspects of fluency instruction with Wilson Fluency®/Basic.
Sep
22
Sat
IEP Clinic – Help with Your Child’s IEP @ California State University, East Bay Concord Campus
Sep 22 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The Northern California/ East Bay LDA affiliate is excited to work with our sponsors, California State University East Bay Department of Educational Psychology and Decoding Dyslexia CA, for our fourth IEP Clinic! This will be our second clinic held at the Concord campus of CSUEB.

Join Michael Rosenberg, M.A., and our entire Northern California/East Bay Learning Disabilities Association (NCEB LDA) team for a FREE IEP clinic. There will be an overview on IEPs and help for your child’s IEP.

Michael Rosenberg will address what an IEP entails and how to interpret the information. Furthermore, Rosenberg will address specific questions related to your child’s IEP and address concerns. Some of the areas that will be covered by Rosenberg are the following:

  • Timelines & Assessments
  • Assessment Plans
  • Classroom Accommodations/Modifications
  • IEP Agenda
  • IEP Goals
  • Collaboration
  • LRE
  • Related Services

A CD will be provided with information related to Parents Rights under IDEA and Assessmento to Transportation.

We hope you will join our IEP clinic to better assist your child’s IEP and to grasp a better understanding of your child’s IEP.

***Reminder: Admission is FREE

We strongly suggest you RSVP to this event by September 7th in order to help us prepare. Registrations are on a first come first served basis. Spaces may fill quickly.

Download and print the flyer.

Speaker Bio:

Michael Rosenberg, M.A. —

Training and Advocacy Chair, NCEB LDA

As former Executive Director of Area Board 3 on Developmental Disabilities, Michael provided advocacy services for more than 1.6 million people, training opportunities to the community, and represented parents who have children in special education as well as families and adults’ service by the regional center system. He has helped countless numbers of families achieve success by being an advocate and negotiator, as well as lecturing in the areas of education, community, family support and legislation. Michael has spent more than two decades assisting families.
Michael Rosengerg

Oct
20
Sat
Dyslexia Symposium @ Empire College
Oct 20 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Please join co-founders Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky of Dyslexia Training Institute and Decoding Dyslexia CA for a one day Dyslexia Symposium.  Kelli and Tracy are the developers of the “Dyslexia for a Day” simulation kit.  Attendees will participate in a simulation followed by a discussion on AB 1369 and the new California Dyslexia Guidelines.  Kelli and Tracy will be discussing what dyslexia is, its neurobiological origin, structured literacy and appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia.  Kelli was the key dyslexia expert  that testified in support of AB 1369.  In a powerful TEDEd video Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again about dyslexic brain function and to celebrate the neurodiversity of the human brain.

About our speakers:

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author, TEDEd presenter and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is also completing her TESOL certification. Dr. Kelli is a certified special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She has training in mediation and also serves as an expert witness in the area of dyslexia. Dr. Kelli is trained in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. Dr. Kelli is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and she is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the author of the well-received book, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System.

 

Tracy Block-Zaretsky is the co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She has provided remediation for children and adults with dyslexia for the past 20 years and has developed and taught workplace and family literacy program. She is a certified Special Education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504Plan process. She is a past President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.Tracy has training in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell programs, Read Naturally and a variety of reading and writing assessments. She co-created and produced, “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and has provided professional development for educators and training for parents at numerous conferences, private on-site trainings and online courses and webinars. Tracy is also a parent of a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADD and Executive Function Disorder.

 

Downloadable Flyer

Oct
24
Wed
International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference 2018 @ Foxwoods Resorts
Oct 24 @ 8:30 am – Oct 27 @ 5:00 pm

IDA’s Annual International Conference is the premier professional development conference dedicated to dyslexia. The conference brings in experts from all over the world to educate attendees on the latest research, remediation, and more.

The Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference is held for both professionals and families and is attended by some 2,500 teachers, educators, and administrators, reading specialists, researchers, university faculty, psychologists, physicians, tutors, and parents.

The four-day conference includes the following:

  • Four general sessions with keynote speakers
  • Full- and half-day pre-conference symposia
  • Over 100 sessions
  • Exhibit Hall
  • Networking opportunities
  • Social events
  • Visits to local schools
  • And much more!
Jun
19
Wed
Slingerland Training – San Francisco @ San Francisco Friends School
Jun 19 @ 8:00 am – Jul 19 @ 6:00 pm

For additional information and downloadable Teacher Application Form, please click here.

♦Multisensory structured language (STRUCTURED LITERACY) instructional techniques for speaking, listening, vocabulary, reading decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, handwriting, and written expression

♦Daily demonstration of teaching approach by a master teacher with a group of children in a classroom setting

♦Daily practicum opportunity for teacher participants to utilize newly-learned multisensory structured language strategies while working with one or two students each day in supervised one-hour sessions

♦Daily lecture period by instructors on history, philosophy, rationale, and background information related to use of multisensory structured language instructional strategies

♦Instruction in explicit strategies to develop vocabulary, promote fluency, and improve reading comprehension

♦Orientation and overview of screening, testing, and evaluation techniques for initial identification as well as assessment of student progress

♦Daily writing of lesson plans with written feedback from master teachers that can be used for later reference

♦Discussion and examples for use of the approach with students in various educational settings: classroom, small group, individual, educational therapy, or academic language therapy

♦Comprehensive instruction in the logic and structure of English [phonology-phonics-morphology-orthography- etymology-semantics-syntax-grammar]

Jul
20
Sat
Family Computer Coding Class @ Santa Rosa Christian Church
Jul 20 @ 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

We are very excited to have John Rodrigues, author of “High School Dropout to Harvard,” here to teach a family coding day. John is the Executive Director of ThinkLexic, a non-profit organization serving the dyslexia community with programs, advocacy and policy. John has a masters degree in learning disability education and is a popular speaker in the dyslexia community.

The class is open to students from kindergarten to 8th grade, siblings and teachers are welcome to attend.

Suggested Donation:

$15 per student participant (Kindergarten to 8th grade)

$20 per teacher (will receive a copy of the lesson plan)

$5 per observing adult

All proceeds go to the non-profit, ThinkLexic.

Decoding Dyslexia CA’s Sonoma County Parents Support Group is pleased to host this event. We are a group of parents and educators who meet monthly to share resources and empower each other as we support children with dyslexia and other learning differences.

We hope you can attend this fun family day!

Aug
12
Mon
2019 Structured Literacy™ Series with Literacy How – San Mateo @ San Mateo County Office of Education
Aug 12 @ 9:00 am – Aug 16 @ 3:30 pm

This training is co-sponsored by San Mateo County Office of Education and Decoding Dyslexia CA and it will sell out!

Sign up for Summer Structured Literacy™  Training aligned with CA Dyslexia Guidelines best practices and the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards. Course content was developed by international literacy expert, Dr. Margie Gillis, founder of Literacy How and research affiliate at Haskins Laboratories.

(30-hour Training includes breakfast, lunch and all training materials)

Learn more here.

Downloadable flyer

Oct
17
Thu
The Third Annual Conference of The Reading League @ THE ONCENTER CONVENTION CENTER
Oct 17 @ 7:00 am – Oct 18 @ 4:00 pm
Each year, The Reading League gathers experts from around the globe to share their research, knowledge, and experiences in an effort to further our mission of advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of the scientific evidence base in practice. Teachers, administrators, and educators of all kinds join together to elevate their learning about reading, writing, and related topics.

$499 EARLY BIRD ($599 BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: EMILY HANFORD

Emily Hanford is a senior producer and correspondent for American Public Media. Ms. Hanford sent shockwaves across the US and around the globe when her September 2018 documentary, Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read, brought much needed mainstream attention to the importance of teacher knowledge of the science of reading. Ms. Hanford has been working in public media for more than two decades as a reporter, producer, editor, news director and program host. Her work has won numerous honors including a duPont-Columbia Award, a Casey Medal and awards from the Education Writers Association and the Associated Press. In 2017, she won the Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association. Emily is based in the Washington, D.C., area.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. MARYANNE WOLF

Dr. Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, a teacher, and an advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the newly created Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Previously she was the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (2007), Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain (2001), Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century (2016), and Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (2018).

If you need further information about The Annual Conference of The Reading League, please contact:
Dr. Michelle Storie, Treasurer and Conference Chair
mstorie@gmail.com

Oct
19
Sat
IDA NorCal Event: The Lost Art of Teaching Spelling – A One-day Workshop @ Seven Hills Conference Center San Francisco State University
Oct 19 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

The Workshop:
Who knew there were spelling rules? Our students are given worksheets and lists of words, but no explicit instruction. This interactive, multisensory seminar will guide teachers through the normal spelling development, the importance of phonological awareness, the alphabetic principles, and the rules that govern how we can confidently spell 85% of English words. Teachers will leave with materials to guide their instruction and strategies to improve the spelling skills of their students.

Speaker: Nancy M. Coffman, MS, CALT, QI, Director, Shelton Academic Reading Approach (SARA), Shelton School.

A nationally known speaker in the field of multisensory structured language education, Nancy Coffman currently directs SARA, a comprehensive IMSLEC- and IDA- accredited training program in Structured Literacy. She began teaching children with dyslexia and related disorders in 1991 and training teachers in 1998.

Who Should Attend:

General education teachers: This seminar will raise your knowledge base in the areas of multisensory instruction in spelling to better serve all students.

Dyslexia practitioners, therapists and CALTs: This seminar will enhance your practice with current research and multifaceted practice activities and materials.