Decoding Dyslexia MD

MD

Dyslexia CAN Be Discussed by Name

Yes, schools can use the word “dyslexia.”

Parents sometimes hear that schools can't identify or discuss dyslexia because special education eligibility may fall under the category of Specific Learning Disability.

Virginia's own Department of Education has extensive guidance on dyslexia for families and educators and explains that a student with dyslexia may receive support in general education or qualify under IDEA or Section 504.

If dyslexia describes your child's reading disability, having a common vocabulary can help families and educators have clearer conversations about instruction.

Bookmark the Virginia Department of Education - VDOE's dyslexia resource page: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/programs-services/special-education/specific-disabilities/learning-disability/dyslexia

Brett Tingley recently posted a video on the Parents for Reading Justice page about Lucy Calkins attending The Reading League Summit. Brett even extended grace, saying she hoped Calkins came with good intentions.

Then came the defenses:
“Leave her alone.”
“Stop making this personal.”
“She was a pioneer.”
“The pendulum swings.”
“Science evolves.”
“When we know better, we do better.”
“There is no perfect program.”
“Every child learns differently.”
“She made a difference.”
“Her writing units were wonderful.”
“This is cancel culture.”

None of those statements address the actual issue!

Lucy Calkins was not simply a classroom teacher using the methods she had been taught. She was a highly influential professor, curriculum creator, author, institutional leader, and public authority whose ideas shaped teacher preparation, district purchasing, classroom instruction, and the reading lives of millions of children.

The research concerning phonemic awareness, decoding, word recognition, language comprehension, and the limitations of using context to identify words existed throughout the rise of balanced literacy. The National Reading Panel published its report in 2000. Researchers raised concerns. Dyslexia specialists were teaching differently. Parents reported the harm. This was not a case of the science suddenly changing. The warnings were there.

We must also ask:
What should influential academics and institutions reasonably have known?
When should they have known it?
Whose warnings were dismissed?
Why were those warnings disregarded?
Who was harmed?
What responsibility has been accepted?
What safeguards will prevent the same ideas from being repackaged and sold again?

People want everyone to forgive and move forward.

Meanwhile, where are the children? Where are the students who lost years of irreplaceable instructional time? Where are the families who spent thousands of dollars on evaluations, tutoring, advocates, and private placements? Where are the children who were called lazy, careless, unmotivated, or learning disabled after the instructional system failed them? Where are the adolescents and adults who still cannot read proficiently?

Apparently, everyone’s discomfort deserves protection except theirs. And let's be clear about one thing: Calkins has NEVER apologized.

A person may have created writing lessons that teachers loved and still bear responsibility for promoting a deeply flawed approach to reading instruction. Those truths can coexist.

Lucy Calkins has every right to attend, listen, learn, and change. The real question is whether education is capable of examining how prestige, institutional power, commercial influence, professional identity, and resistance to evidence allowed this to continue for so long. Because if our response is “leave her alone,” “everyone makes mistakes,” and “the pendulum swings,” then we have learned almost nothing.

And if we refuse to understand how this happened, it will happen again.

A Guide to Navigating Dyslexia in Public Schools For Military Families - NCIL Moving to a new duty station can make it difficult to maintain consistent support for a child with dyslexia. This guide helps military families navigate school

Free Online Parent Advocacy Conference sponsored by Parents for Reading Justice

August 2 | 3-6 pm ET

Learn how parents are making positive change in other districts and how you can replicate.

LITERACY. NOW. A National Parent-Led Conference to End the Literacy Crisis LITERACY. NOW is a first-of-its-kind virtual conference created to empower national advocacy to ensure every child learns to read!

Teachers! The Reading League Maryland is hosting this event for you!

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