Special Education VS General Education

It's Not Click-bait!

Or, I didn't mean it to be. I just have been thinking a lot about this quote:

"Special education students are often general education students first." 

I have no idea who said that first, or even if it's a direct quote from anyone. What I do know is that when I see people argue against evidence-based, systematic reading instruction - and they do argue against it - often one of their talking points is that THOSE are the only students who need the heavy phonics drills and constant practice. Now, not addressing the "otherness" that people use for students who struggle and students who have disabilities...okay, I will address that briefly:

Sorry, I have to sidebar for this: You know people who believe in nurturing young readers with reading nooks and picture books to make happy learners are often the same people who do not beleive in the science of reading? They believe that you can make life-long lovers of reading if you just give them a comfy place to sit and interesting books to "read" (It's not really reading). These are also the same people who are just not concerned about the OTHER 20% (more like 40%), because they have a disability or a reading difficulty. They will say that THOSE kids are getting special education and so general education teachers don't need to be concerned about that. 

I'm making sweeping generalizations here and I don't mean to sound anti-teacher. Teachers are only as good as what they know, and many are not taught in their teacher preparation programs how children actually learn to read. And school districts have NOT picked up the slack for this lack of education and understanding. Also, this has been going on in Teacher-Prep programs for decades, so it's self-purpetuating now. UGH. 

And don't even get me started on using poor instructional practices in gen-ed and then expecting SPED to fix it!

But here's the key:

There are rarely students who come into school (kindergarten) with an IEP for a learning disability. (Some kids are going to come into school with an IEP - it's called something else in pre-k - already in place, generally, that's going to be students who are maybe in life skills classrooms or who have a visible disability. I can't speak to that experience because I'm just not familiar enough with it, so in this context, we are really talking about learning disabilities in reading, and in NO WAY do I want to diminish the struggles of the kids with other disabilities because when it comes down to the systems that hurt our kids, those systems are the same. That may be a conversation for another day.) And, there isn't really any reason that a student should come into K with an identified reading disability. So, that student is in the general education classroom. That student will stay in the general education classroom. If that student has no real behavioral concerns, they will simply slip through the cracks while they sit in the corner and look at the pictures in books while the teacher tells the parent that they will just get it one day.

UNLESS...unless all the students in the general education classroom are given evidence-based, cumulative, systematic instruction (or structured literacy, whatever you want to call it), AND that teacher has been trained in how children learn to read based on years of evidence from brain science and education research (among other things), AND that teacher continues to get high-quality professional development and coaching about and in the science of reading. AND that teacher has an administration in her building who ALSO understands how kids learn to read and supports her in her endeavor to get all her students reading.

THAT teacher, will see a student who continues to struggle even with high-quality instruction and can say, that child needs more help, let's put him in a smaller group, let's get him some additional instruction, let's give him more opportunities to respond. AND, if that doesn't work, she can say, let's talk about referring this child for an evaluation for special education. And let's actually have that referral in place by the beginning of first grade...and while we are at it, let's not wait! Let's go ahead and put that child in a one-on-one situation with a teacher, or a small group that is really going slow because they haven't reached mastery yet. Let's do that BEFORE the IEP is done!

This doesn't have to be so difficult!

I don't mean that this doesn't have to be difficult for that teacher or that student. This stuff IS difficult. It's hard to be a teacher and it's hard to be a student with a disability, but when you have teachers who are not trained appropriately, who are inadvertently doing more harm to students by using outdated methods to "teach" reading, that only makes it exponentially harder for everyone involved. 

So it begs the question - WHY ARE WE STILL DOING IT THIS WAY?

There are so many free resources out there it's ridiculous. I was just looking at the OregonRTIi website and they have SO many great FREE resources! 

Sidebar: don't get me started with the people who say RTI is a wait to fail model. It's NOT. It gets implemented that way in a lot of places, and they are doing it WRONG! Also feel free to check out MTSS which is very similar and doesn't have the baggage that RTI has (even though they are really similar). Again, I am specifically talking about RTI as a response to poor reading outcomes, not anything else that districts may be using Response to Intervention for. I'm looking at this strictly through the lense of how a response should happen if a child is struggling to read.

Resources

Professional Development does not have to be super expensive! There are loads of resources out there that are free or inexpensive. 

Oregon RTIi

• Video Recordings and Modules - So many great recordings from really knowledgeable presenters. Scroll down to the videos, but also don't miss the modules at the top!
• The Science of Reading Professional Development Modules -  Do you need to deliver some PD in your school or district? Don't know where to start with the Science of Reading? Oregon RTIi has already done the heavy lifting for you! From the website: "These slide decks are intended as a resource for school leaders who provide professional development for staff in the area of literacy."

BU Wheelock Forum 

I just listened to this today and I was so inspired by the people out there trying to solve this problem and coming at it from so many different lenses. Really great stuff here.

Does the Literacy Curriculum Matter?

 Absolutely, but with a caveat. 

So, it turns out that it's REALLY hard to find a good Language Arts curriculum. The textbook publishing industry is a juggernaut and is bloated with cash and the want of more. In turn, they bloat their products with gimmicky things: lots of colors, pictures, manipulatives, puppets, and hopefully some decodable books somewhere in the mix. 

Also, all programs are not created equal. It's important to check the evidence behind a program - but that is also difficult. There are a couple of websites out there that will give you decent information about curriculum, but many of them are difficult to navigate or the information is given without much context. Personally, I think that EdReports is the easiest to follow and understand - here is the Wit & Wisdom Entry - but to be fair, I don't actually know what the EdReports criteria is for reviewing things. Many programs don't even show up on the other websites (What Works Clearinghouse, NCII, Evidence for ESSA) because the criteria for review wasn't met. That means that the research wasn't done in such a way that it qualified for review. Also, I feel like EdReports provides opinions based on the research which is not what you'll find on those other websites. If you want to do your OWN research into curriculum, you can check out The Reading League's Curriculum Evaluation Tool.

All that, which sort of took me into the weeds a bit, is to say that you can have the BEST curriculum out there. Maybe it follows an amazing scope and sequence and the evidence is that kids learn to read at a greater rate than kids who are not getting what we will call Magical Program. 

And here's your caveat...

But if you still have teachers who are telling kids to guess a word by looking at a picture, or to figure out the word from context, or to see if it "sounds right," then all the evidence in the world is not going to make that program work. 

Evidence is only as good as the fidelity with which the program is implemented. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is for teachers to STOP TELLING KIDS TO GUESS WORDS BASED ON PICTURES! It is harmful to EVERYONE, even the kids who do learn to read without proper instruction! Those kids who learn to read without proper instruction? Many of them will develop problems later - when they no longer have pictures and the words are more complex. 

I'm cautiously optimistic about the implementation of Wit & Wisdom in our school district. It's a pretty good  program and it does have a scope and sequence. It also builds upon prior knowledge which is very important. 

What am I worried about with the implementation of the new Wit & Wisdom? 

Off the top of my head:

• Will there be continued coaching for teachers who are using the program? 
• Is the professional development deep enough and are teachers engaging in that professional development? 
• Will the district actually implement an MTSS-R system so that there is a process for what to do when a student IS NOT making progress? 
• Even Magical Program will not work for all students at the same rate. Students with dyslexia and other reading struggles will still require more intensive instruction.
• Will schools continue to implement the program with fidelity through the upper grades? Ideally, putting a good Tier 1 program in place should stem the flow of kids into Tier 2 and Tier 3, but if you stop teaching reading after 2nd or 3rd grade because you've arbitrarily decided that that's when kids switch from learning to read to reading to learn, you're going to be right back where you started.
• What about the kids we've already failed? What about my son who is still struggling with reading in high school and who NEVER learned to write well (dyselxia also impacts writing and organizing thoughts around writing). Are we going to implement anything for them?

I fear the answer to that last question is no. There is no time for my son to get all his credits in high school and take a remedial course in reading or writing. So I will continue to pay a tutor to help him with reading. I may have to find someone to help with his writing - but since I was a creative writing major and it's kind of my jam, I think I can help for the time being. But this assumes that he will actually let me help him.

I hate to end on a low note, but facts are facts. I am going to drop a few resources here to help with some understanding:

Not sure what I'm talking about when I discussed Tiers of Support? Check out this graphic (designed by the lovely people at the Lead for Literacy Center (L4L) and then polished into a graphic by yours truly (I am part of the Lead for Literacy dissemination team). You can read the brief that goes with the graphic too. L4L has a ton of really great resources for school, district, and state level leadership - because everyone from top to bottom should understand what good reading instruction looks like.

Lastly, the new NCIL Supporting Students with Dyslexia Toolkit. This houses Understanding Dyslexia as well as 4 brand new Toolkits and Tutorials. And here's a tip

Whispering: reading instruction for students with or at risk for dyslexia is good for ALL students. So, even though these things say "Dyslexia" everywhere, this information is really good information for all teachers and parents.

Understanding Dyslexia

School-based Screening

Identifying School Based Supports

👉Reading Instruction

Intensifying Instruction

Don't dive into all of this at once 😀

"Gift" or "Superpower" Nonsense

 I am a firm believer in encouraging strengths and building confidence. I think that is an excellent thing to do for your child especially if they are struggling with something. For example, we have ensured that our son has access to art and sword fighting classes. These are things he's interested in and doesn't have anything to do with reading - which is his struggle.

But I do not subscribe to the "dyslexia is a superpower" school of thought. Do I think that people with dyslexia think differently? Yes. Do I think that people with dyslexia may approach a problem in a unique and different way? Sure. 

But I don't think that it's healthy or fair to tell people with dyslexia that they will turn out to be a billionaire or a professional athlete. People with dyslexia are not uber-intelligent. They can be, but just like anyone else, they can be of average intelligence or even below average intelligence. 

And I really don't believe that it makes any sense to tell someone who struggles with reading that dyslexia is a "gift." Louisa Moats probably sums this up the best:

 Let’s start with the claim that dyslexia – whether mild, moderate, or severe – is a “gift”. This assertion appears grounded in the observation that some people who have trouble learning to read, write, spell or use language become very successful in life. People who have real trouble remembering printed words are said to “see things differently” or have special cognitive powers. Our best science indicates, however, problem-solving and creative abilities are not more dominate because a person has dyslexia. People with dyslexia may be very good at mechanical problem solving, graphic arts, spatial navigation, athletics, or abstract reasoning – or they may not be.

People who succeed in spite of their academic learning difficulties are a marvel – but their talents exist separate from, not because of, their language-based reading, spelling, or writing problems. Those who experience dyslexia often experience anxiety and other affective challenges. We should not assert that dyslexia and giftedness go hand in hand, or that students are better off because they are afflicted with this condition.

See the whole article on the International Dyslexia Association website. And if you don't know who Louisa Moats is, definitely check out her writing (Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science)and presentations - Here is a recent presentation from the PaTTAN Literacy Symposium, but you can just put her name into the search bar on YouTube and there's a host of other options to check out. 

Opportunity to Help Your Child This Summer!

 This looks like a fantastic opportunity. If you have a little one at home and you need some guidance, check out this article: 

Education Researcher Creates Free Summer Reading Program for Parents

And then check out the website to sign up for Read Not Guess

This will help you help your child learn the appropriate way to read. It will help them either unlearn or mitigate the habit of guessing that is often taught in schools. 

If your child has been taught to guess based on pictures or the first letter of a word, you should definitly sign up for this program to get your child on the right path to actually learn how to read. 

 

Helping Your Child With Reading At Home

 So, I have a couple of opinions on this, so I'm just going to bullet a list and then I'll explain.

It totally depends on

• Their age.
• How your child reacts when you try to help them.
• How far behind they are.
• How motivated they are.
• How knowledgeable you are.
• How much time you have to devote to this.

Their Age

If your child is still young (pre-k to grade 1), there are a ton of activities you can do to help with reading. First and foremost? Read to him. Read together. Read picture books, and chapter books, and listen to novels together. Talk about the things that you are reading. If they don't understand one of the words, or if there is a difficult concept, stop reading and talk about it. 

Here is an article and video about Dialogic Reading. This is a great way to engage your child.

Here are a couple of Toolkits that have a wealth of information for early reading and supporting your child at home.

Supporting Students with Reading Needs

Supporting Your Child's Literacy Development 

The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) has Student Center Activities that are broken out by grade level and skill. They even have a video series of how to do some of the activities with your kids at home. These are scripted and easy-to-follow lessons that are short, fun, and based on science.

There is also this resource from the Feds that is supposed to be easy to follow for Supporting Your Child's Reading At Home

How Your Child Reacts

When our son was young, I could help him, but as he got older and struggled even more he became very frustrated with me. In fairness to him though, I wasn't doing all the right things. I was maybe starting with things that were not the problem - like fluency. Fluency wasn't his problem. He was still struggling with connecting sounds to written letters.

So, if you have the money, my advice is to find a tutor. Someone who uses evidence-based practices and a good program. You can find information about local tutoring on the Local Resources Page. But in addition to that, look into Wilson Reading. You can ask them for a list of certified tutors in your state. Check the International Dyslexia Association for tutors. And, definitely consider the possibility of online tutoring. I wouldn't have considered it before COVID, but I think that people have really streamlined their practice and made it okay to do online instruction. 

How Far Behind They Are

If your child is older and they are really struggling (like my son who was reading at a first grade level in third grade), try to get a tutor.

Barring that, because the cost is often a barrier - Tutoring is NOT cheap. Go back to the things under the first section here. Look at Florida Center for Reading Research and the IES-funded things that give you some systematic instructional practices.

How Motivated They Are

My son lacks serious motivation, so I mostly have to do the heavy lifting to get him the instruction he needs. If the motivation struggle is REAL in your house, try audiobooks! Audiobooks at least help develop vocabulary and cultivate that love of books that everyone likes to talk about. Maybe start with the Percy Jackson series. Did you know that Percy Jackson, the character, has dyslexia and ADHD? THAT is relatable!

Access Hoopla Digital and Overdrive which are free with your library card and have tons of audiobooks and ebooks. 

How Knowledgeable You Are

Don't try to do more than you can. If you are not a teacher and you are overwhelmed by all the things that I'm talking about here, just read. Just, find a book and read it together. If you read all of it, that's fine, but read it out loud and talk about it together. This is a really wonderful way to encourage reading for understanding and seriously - every little bit helps. So, do what you can.

How Much Time You Have To Devote To This

Some days - read, most days - I'm exhausted from working and then I have to come home and make dinner, maybe I have to take someone to football practice, or to sword class. Some days I just don't have enough in me to deal with anything else. If your child is really struggling with reading, that can be a full-time job. But even just 5 minutes a night doing one of the FCRR activities or reading together, or listening to a book, these are all things that can contribute to better learning.

Stay strong out there...it's a jungle.

What If My Child Is Struggling With Reading in Kindergarten or First Grade?

 First - Is this just something that you have observed? Or has the teacher expressed concern as well?

If the teacher hasn't expressed concern, start by asking the teacher about your child's reading and tell her that you are concerned. Need some questions to ask?

Try these infographics for good questions to ask:

Route to Reading: Check for Potholes

Route to Reading: Do Regular Performance Checks 

If you are given things to do at home that don't seem to be right or that are not working for you, try this infographic:

Route to Reading: Avoid a Lemon

Or watch this video:

If your concern runs deeper than just thinking your child is struggling and you want the school to test your child, you will need to Request an Evaluation. You have to use that terminology and you have to do it in writing. 

Sidebar: I think that all coorespondance with the school should be in writing. It's the only way to track that things are happening (or not happening).

Here is a great little article from Understood.org that breaks down how to request a School Evaluation 

6 Steps for Requesting a School Evaluation

You know your child best. If you think something is wrong, there probably is. Maybe it's a learning disability, maybe it is the instruction that your child is receiving, but either way, it's important to act fast. Children who receive systematic evidence-based instruction and interventions in the earliest grades are less likely to fail or fall behind later (3rd or 4th grade) when teachers expect them to read to learn rather than learn to read.