Advocacy

Please note our important Disclaimers regarding the information presented here. This important Disclaimer will help you in finding the best supports and interventions for your child or yourself. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and remember that children and adults who struggle to learn can learn if they have the guts, determination, resources, and supports. Check the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) AND the Evidence for ESSA for information on Scientifically Evidenced Methods and Programs. “Review the full body of research for a given intervention, not just the study(ies) that meet ESSA’s specific bar for evidence.” Brookings Institute.

Make important decisions based on science, not desperation.

Advocacy starts with facts and the Official Report from HB 64’s Reading Proficiency and Dyslexia Task Force answers reliable questions. Download the report here.  

Here are the links to the four HB64 Task Force Meetings along with the testimony topics. View the video and click on the extensive documents.

Day 1 10/22/2018

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HRPD%202018-10-22%2013:00:00

Posie Boggs, IDA Alaska, Alaska Reading Coalition ** Dr. Donna Dearman, Mat Su School District ** Camille Booth, Ketchikan

Day 2 10.31.2018

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HRPD%202018-10-31%2013:00:00

Dianne Orr, Anchorage School District ** Stephanie Cornwell, Northwest Arctic Borough School District ** Department of Education and Early Development

Day 3 11/19/2018

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HRPD%202018-11-19%2013:00:00

Skit by Decoding Dyslexia Kids ** Nancy Duggan, Decoding Dyslexia, Massachusetts ** Audie Alumbaugh, Decoding Dyslexia, Arkansas

Day 4 11/26/2018

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HRPD%202018-11-26%2013:00:00

Diane Kardash, Elementary Education Faculty and CAEP Coordinator, UAF ** Dr. Lisa Parady, Executive Director, ACSA/ASA/AASSP ** Other Invited Testimony

Evaluating Education Professionals

Advocacy Resources

Reading Rockets

Download 34 Tips for Parents: A collection of tips from members of the Hawaii Branch of The International Dyslexia Association

International Dyslexia Association Position Paper
Effective programs vary in the extent to which they claim adherence to Orton-Gillingham practices: Some do claim this historical link and some do not.  All the programs in the Matrix vary, however, in the extent to which they have been included in scientifically conducted intervention studies.

The Florida Center for Reading Research
The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) provides reviews of both teacher-led and computer based instructional programs that provide instruction in reading for all students.  The reports are written by experienced teachers with consultation from reading researchers to help evaluate the research support for each program.

The reports contain a description of the program, and its potential uses (i.e. general instruction, supplemental instruction, interventions) as well as an evaluation of the current research support for the program.

The Institute for Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)

The Institute for Education Sciences, a branch of the United States Department of Education, established the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) to provide rigorous evaluations of the strength of research supporting a broad variety of educational program.  The section on reading program provides research based evaluations of supplemental and intervention programs in reading.  A Topic Report on Beginning Reading available at this website provides a summary of evidence in support of 24 programs that support instruction in early reading growth.

These reports should be used with caution, insofar that they often do not give sufficient consideration to the role of quality implementation, teacher training, or school contexts on the outcomes reported. Also, the website does not provide a mechanism by which to reconcile conclusions with current research reviews.