Original Post: February 18, 2016
I have been a Reading Specialist in California for over 20 years. I am very excited about the passage of assembly bill 1369. The bill was passed January 1, 2016. This bill requires that the superintendent of Public Instruction provide program guidelines for dyslexia by the start of the 2017-18 school year. The guidelines will assist classroom teachers, reading specialist and special education teachers in identifying, assessing and instructing students with dyslexia.
In the past, in California, the word dyslexia was like the word Voldemort in Harry Potter. Educators were afraid that if they said the word something terrible would happen. A lot of very good teachers just quietly helped students with dyslexia without mentioning the word. We assessed the students, (without diagnosing “dyslexia”), determined their educational needs, ordered systematic phonics programs, and provided the intervention.
In October, 2015, Michael Yudin the assistant secretary of the United States Department of Education issued a letter encouraging schools to use the word dyslexia. Yudin also suggested that not all children suspected of having dyslexia need to be referred to special education. Schools can implement a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). If a child does not succeed with MTSS, special education may be considered. Schools in California are currently implementing MTSS with all struggling students.
I think the fear of mentioning dyslexia was that a student would be immediately referred to special education, a time consuming, and costly process. There is nothing wrong with special education, but it is not necessary for many children who have dyslexia. The correct intervention program through MTSS will often lead to successful outcomes for a child with dyslexia.
What a relief that the State Department is finally stepping in and giving us guidelines. Hopefully these guidelines will put us all on the same page, speaking the same language. This will help us to better serve struggling readers in California.