Program aims to help K-12 teachers identify students who may have dyslexia and teach these students how to read
Literacy publisher MindPlay has introduced a new professional development program about dyslexia for K-12 teachers and parents.
Understanding Dyslexia is an online program that helps teachers identify students who have dyslexia, a learning disability that affects as much as 10 percent of the population. The program also explains how to help these students learn to read.
Dyslexia is a significant obstacle to student achievement in school. Therefore, nearly 20 states now require that teachers receive specific professional development on the topic.
MindPlay’s Understanding Dyslexia was co-authored by Dr. Nancy Mather, Ph.D., and Barbara J. Wendling, M.A. The program includes modules on definition and description of dyslexia, components of assessment, and effective instruction.
Participants may earn three hours of continuing education credit for successfully completing the course.
Next page: The main components of the new PD program
“Most students who have dyslexia are highly intelligent, but hit a roadblock that is caused by a physical difference in how their brains are wired that prevents them from learning to read and spell the way others do. As awareness of dyslexia grows in the education field, MindPlay Exhibits at RTM there has been a trend for states to require deeper education on the subject for their staff in order to better help students who have dyslexia succeed in reading,” said Judith Bliss, MindPlay President.
“MindPlay’s new Understanding Dyslexia course provides educators and parents with helpful guidance and ideas from experts in the field toward the goal of enabling dyslexic students to get the specialized instruction they need sooner.”
MindPlay’s suite of online-based reading products for K-12 students include Universal Reading Screener; MindPlay Virtual Reading Coach; and MindPlay Reading Fluency. All are aligned to Common Core State Standards, now being implemented in 42 states. Universal Reading Screener (RAPS 360) is a diagnostic reading assessment program that tests and diagnoses basic reading skills and weaknesses. It measures student reading behaviors using eight diagnostic tests in under thirty minutes.
MindPlay Virtual Reading Coach provides a Web-based reading curriculum for grades K-12 and is backed with a guarantee of student success. MVRC helps students improve their reading skills measurably in 40 hours or less by differentiating instruction for each student. All passages within MVRC are assigned Lexile® ratings by MetaMetrics. MindPlay Reading Fluency (FLRT) for K-12 students serves as a personal trainer for silent reading, including comprehension. The program is designed to help students measurably improve reading level and speed in as little as 10 hours of practice.
MindPlay Teacher Companion is an additional online professional development course authored by Drs. Nancy Mather and Blanche Podhajski. It helps teachers gain a more complete understanding of how the English language works and what every student needs to become a proficient reader. Teachers can earn up to eight hours of professional development credits.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
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