HomeMy WebLinkAboutDyslexia presentation for School Board 06-03-13Reading Specialist
Take Flight Dyslexia Program
Westlake Academy
WA Vision Statement
“Westlake Academy inspires students to achieve their
highest individual potential……….”
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Dyslexia Defined
Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability. It is
characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent
word recognition and poor spelling and decoding
abilities. These difficulties result from a deficit in the
phonological processing component of language and is
unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities.
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Primary Characteristics of Dyslexia
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•Difficulty reading words in isolation
•Difficulty accurately decoding words
•Slow, inaccurate labored oral reading.
•Difficulty learning to spell.
•Variable difficulty with reading comprehension and
written composition.
•Difficulty is unexpected in relation to the child’s other
cognitive abilities.
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Texas Dyslexia Law
School districts must:
•Administer K-s assessments
•Provide early identification, intervention and
support
•Provide training about dyslexia to educators
•Test for dyslexia at appropriate times
•Provide treatment for students with dyslexia with a
program that follows the guidelines set forth in the
Dyslexia Handbook
•Provide students with services of a teacher trained
in dyslexia
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The Current Program at Westlake
•Currently we serve the dyslexic students with the MTA
program.
•MTA is a language arts program that includes decoding,
spelling, handwriting, and alphabet/dictionary skills.
•MTA consists of a series of 7 kits to be taught in small group
instruction.
• A student with moderate to severe dyslexia can expect the
curriculum to take between 4 and 6 years to complete.
•A teacher of MTA is required to take 40 hours of training in
order to teach the curriculum. This is primarily curriculum
based with little education in dyslexia.
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•The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning
Disorders at Texas Scottish Rite was established in
1965.
•It is now Internationally recognized as a leader in
dyslexia research, treatment, and education.
•Scottish Rite has developed a comprehensive
curriculum to treat dyslexia. – Take Flight
Texas Scottish Rite
The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning
Disorders
Dyslexia Therapist Training Program
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This two-year comprehensive training is designed for teachers of
students with dyslexia using proven intervention techniques and is
accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language
Educational Council.
The program offers training in:
•Educational identification of dyslexia
•Characteristics of dyslexia
•Take Flight - A comprehensive Intervention for Students with
Dyslexia; a multisensory, structured approach to
teaching developed at TSRHC
Dyslexia Therapist Training Program
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•Classroom strategies and techniques used for students with dyslexia
•How to conduct parent and teacher information seminars
Graduates of the Dyslexia Therapist Training Program are eligible to sit
for The Alliance for Accreditation and Certification of Structured
Language Education, Inc. certification exam at the therapy level
Dyslexia Therapist Training Program
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•20 applicants were chosen from all over the state.
•Westlake Academy is the first Charter School Scottish Rite has
accepted for this training.
Training begins June 10th and continues until summer 2015.
160 hours of instruction
76 Hours of seminars
39 hours Clinical Practicum
Supervised Clinical Teaching
Benefits of Take Flight Curriculum
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Take Flight is a comprehensive two year curriculum for students with
dyslexia.
It includes instruction in:
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension
Students attend class 4 days a week for 60 minutes a day for two years.
Students show significant growth in all areas of reading skill
Students maintain these benefits and continue to improve in reading
comprehension after completion of Take Flight
Thank You!
•Your support is truly appreciated as we strive to
develop a comprehensive, effective program for our
dyslexic students.
•This training will allow Westlake Academy to help our
students achieve to their highest potential as well as
provide education to our parents and teachers about
dyslexia.
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