Fall Progress: Dyslexia Guidelines Work Group (AB 1369)


Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Fall Progress: Dyslexia Guidelines Work Group (AB 1369)


White

by Nancy Cushen White, EdD

The 22 members of the AB 1369 Dyslexia Guidelines Work Group continued to meet bi-monthly in the fall, striving to prepare dyslexia guidelines for California educators and parents for the start of the 2017-18 academic year. The September meeting focused on discussion of assessment and remediation of dyslexia, while the November meeting considered English Learners with dyslexia, screening versus assessment, differences between IEPs and 504 plans, and FAQs for educators and parents. (See NCBIDA Newsletter Fall issue for a report on the group’s initial work.) Additional meetings are scheduled for January 17 and March 21.

The group’s overall purpose is to assist the California Department of Education in developing program guidelines for dyslexia to be used to assist regular and special education teachers and parents to identify and assess pupils with dyslexia and to plan, provide, evaluate, and improve educational services to pupils with dyslexia (AB 1369; EC 56335(a)). However, in the language of the law, these guidelines are “not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for the statutes, regulations, and court decisions that are referenced in the guidelines, the document is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory.”

At each of the meetings, a member of the Work Group with expertise in a specific area has been asked to make a presentation to enrich the knowledge of the group as a whole. These presentations can be viewed on the group’s website:

  • Fumiko Hoeft, MD, PhD—UCSF Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: “Neuroscience of Dyslexia” (April 2016)
  • Rick Wagner, PhD—Florida Center for Reading Research: “Behavioral Characteristics and Predictors of Risk for Dyslexia” (May 2016)
  • Jan Tuber—Parents Helping Parents and iTECH Center: “Assistive Technology and Dyslexia” (July 2016)
  • Nancy Cushen White, EdD—International Dyslexia Association: “Orthographic Processing, Phonological Processing, Structured Literacy and Phonics: What are they? How do they differ? How are they related to dyslexia?” (September 2016)
  • Nancy Cushen White, EdD—International Dyslexia Association: “Structured Literacy” (November 2016)

Each meeting includes discussion of the current draft of the guidelines, with particular attention to what additions may be needed, whether there are redundancies in the document, and which resources require website links. The process of drafting and editing the various sections of the guidelines continues between meetings, as drafts for comment are distributed, circulated, revised and re-circulated.

We Welcome Your Participation

AB 1369 requires dissemination of the program guidelines—and the process of creating the guidelines—via the California Department of Education’s internet website. Those who view the proceedings are invited to share comments, questions, or suggestions by sending an email to dyslexia@cde.ca.gov.

 

Nancy Cushen White, EdD is a member of the Dyslexia Guidelines Work Group, where she represents The International Dyslexia Association. She is a past member of IDA’s board of directors and past president and current advisory board member of the Northern California Branch of IDA. She has had a long and distinguished career as a teacher, trainer of teachers and consultant in public and private education.