Run, Don't Walk!

 Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast

If you haven't checked out the Melissa & Lori Love Literacy podcast, I encourage you to add it to your rotation if you want to know more about how kids learn to read and how they should be taught how to read.

But right now, I'm focused on the latest episode! Holly Lane is such a wonderful advocate for good reading instruction and good science! Not only that, she is able to break things down in such a way that anyone can understand it - and we know that this is a problem in the world of research-to-practice.

I especially love how she breaks down the term evidence-based. So many people don't understand that just because something is evidence-based, doesn't mean that it's good! Often, the term evidence-based refers to how good the research design was, NOT how good the program is. Holly explains it better than I ever could, so I encourage you to listen where ever you get your podcasts or at this link to Episode 159: Back to School: Science of Reading or Snake Oil with Holly Lane. 

Here are a few resources that are referenced too:

• Science of Reading or Snake Oil webinar with Holly Lane
• UFLI Foundations 
• ESSA’s Review of LLI
• The Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines

Or watch on YouTube:

Accidental Literacy Advocate

I'm Here Under Duress

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I didn't set out to do any of this. I mean, I graduated with a Creative Writing degree. It wasn't until I was a senior at West Virginia that I realized I should have done something a little more marketable - like marketing! I'm also a product of my generation, right? If the internet and website development had been a thing when I was in high school, my whole trajectory may have been different.

But it turns out that what I really wanted was balance (not balanced literacy, ACTUAL balance). I wanted to have a job that was just a job, make enough money to be comfortable, and be able to leave the job on Friday and not think about it for the weekend. It turns out that office jobs are sort of right up my alley. I worked in a job that I didn't really like for a number of years, but I enjoyed my coworkers so it was bearable. I was downsized in 2003 and I took the Oregon Reading First job because 

1. I wanted some stability (I knew there was funding for at least 5 years), and 
2. I had been planning my wedding and discovered that I had a bit of a knack for event planning. 

I didn't know ANYTHING about reading, teaching reading, or reading research. I was just looking for a job.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my job wasn't the kind of thing that you left at the office. I traveled, I got calls after hours, and I worked lots of overtime. But as the years passed, I became invested. I listened to what the researchers and coaches were saying, I started to understand the data that they were looking at and I appreciated the passion that everyone had for helping kids learn to read. 

Then, I moved on to the Reading Clinic where I spent a lot of time talking to parents - Parents who didn't know how to help their kids, parents who were desperate for help, and parents who needed a sympathetic ear. And as the years progressed and I spent more and more time reading reports and talking to our tutors and our grad students, I became more knowledgeable and more invested.

And then suddenly I was the one who didn't know how to help my son, I was a desperate parent, and I needed a sympathetic ear. 

Why Am I Even Talking About This?

Because those of us who have been in the fight for years are battle weary. We're cynical and maybe just a little bitter. Some days the rage keeps us going. Some days, we feel righteous power...and some days we don't. 

All I'm saying here is that sometimes we don't ask to be in the position we are in. And some days that position is more difficult than others.

This past week I found myself really feeling pulled in too many directions and it turns out that a lot of self-doubt crops up when I get pulled in too many directions...and maybe I just want to go watch my son play some basketball and have a little party and not think about the state of literacy in our country for a minute. We all have to take some time to recharge occasionally. 

Advocacy is downright draining especially when there are emotions involved.😊

Not to worry, I'm already back at it. I am STILL an #accidentalliteracyadvocate

Is It Dyslexia? Does It Matter What I Call It?

 NO! It doesn't matter what you call it! But also, it totally does.

First, it's #DyselxiaAwarenessMonth so I'm not sure if this post is well-timed or ill-timed, but here it goes!

It turns out that nearly ALL kids can learn to read if you provide them with appropriate, evidence-based, systematic, cumulative instruction. It should include instruction in all the big ideas of beginning reading - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

For some kids, this process will take little time. They will get it after just a little practice. But MOST kids - not just kids with dyslexia or a reading disability - need systematic instruction in the 5 big ideas. 

Sidebar: I love this video from my friend Jess Surles. She can tell you better than I can, what effective instruction looks like: 

 All kids are going to learn to read at a different rate. Like I said above, some will pick it up like it's nothing and that's great, but not everyone can do that (in fact, MOST people can't). But what we DO know is that systematic, cumulative, instruction (that hopefully has an evidence base) is the best way (that we know of right now) to teach MOST kids to read (like, virtually anyone). Sorry for all the parenthetical phrases there, but I wanted to make sure that I was qualifying things - because it turns out that science is ever evolving and we should change practice as new evidence comes to light.

So, call it what you want - dyslexia, a specific learning disability in reading, struggling reader - if we were providing the appropriate instruction to all kids, the labels wouldn't matter so much. 

I also think that some people find the word dyslexia to be a little scary. It's scary to think that your child has a disability and maybe it's easier to just use the term struggling reader.

So, all that being said, why do I believe that it's also totally important to use the word dyslexia?

Because when I told my son that the reason he couldn't read was that he had something called dyslexia which just meant that his brain was wired differently and it made connecting sounds to letters and words in print difficult, he was so relieved. He was relieved because he had spent years feeling like he was stupid; like he was incapable of doing this thing that all these other kids could do. Adults made him feel like he was supposed to be able to do this thing and instead of helping, they paired him with other students who couldn't read and told them to "read together" which of course, they couldn't do. 

So suddenly he had confidence in himself. He felt like he could say, I have dyslexia. It's a brain difference that makes it hard for me to read. And you know, for the most part, people just accept that. 

So, do we need to call it dyslexia? We shouldn't have to. We shouldn't have to pay a neuropsychologist to give us a diagnosis of dyslexia to get help for our kids. It's cost prohibitive for most people. And we shouldn't have to be in a situation where our kids have to have a word to apply to themselves because they haven't been taught to read. But...here we are. So, the answer is YES. It is so important that we #saydyslexia that we screen for dyslexia and that we provide intensive evidence-based instruction for kids who have dyslexia (but also any other reading struggle). 

Make Your Voice Heard! Oregon's New Literacy Framework

 The Oregon Dept. of Education is asking for feedback from stakeholders: educators and families about literacy support! Please complete this survey!

K-5 Literacy Framework - Community and Professionals Input Survey

Here's what I wrote: 

Needs for teaching literacy

Every teacher needs training in how to teach based on the Science of Reading with deep dives into professional development in systematic, evidence-based reading instruction.

Every elementary school teacher should get training in LETRS or a similar program to help them understand what they need to do to teach reading. Programs in addition to LETRS are: The Reading League Online Academy, CORE Learning Accelerated Reading Achievement with the Science of Reading, AIM Institute for Learning & Research Pathways to Proficient Reading Course, The Center for Literacy and Learning has a couple of options for virtual coaching and online learning, The Big Dippers, EBLI For educators, and Keys to Literacy Keys to Beginning Reading PD course.

The state needs to get involved in Higher Ed Colleges of Education. They need to be teaching future teachers how to teach reading. It needs to happen NOW. Look to Eastern Oregon for a model.

Literacy priorities

That schools are NOT teaching our children to read. Just providing a list of evidence-based programs to choose from isn't enough. Teachers need systematic professional development to get them to STOP asking kids to guess words based on pictures and context. If the teacher continues to use strategies that are proven to not effectively teach most kids, even the most evidence-based program is not going to help.

Ongoing support is KEY. Literacy coaches should be funded, and they should have extensive knowledge in how to teach reading effectively.

As part of that ongoing support, providing PD around effective ways to use data to support students often gets pushed aside. Schools do the required screening, but if they are still looking at data in first grade and saying things like, "oh, he's fine, he'll catch up, so he doesn't need any help," that data is useless. Often data is collected but there are no tiers of support and that is how kids fall through the cracks.

Helpful strategies

Systematic, evidence-based instruction based on the 5 big ideas of beginning reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension), Instruction should be evidence-based, engaging, systematic, cumulative, and explicit.

Data-based decision making - using screening data to make sure that students who need additional instruction and intervention are actually getting it.

Tutoring or intensive intervention for students in middle school who lost so much in the last few years of elementary school.

What questions do you have for ODE about the Literacy Framework or revisions?

I want to know if schools and districts will get professional development around literacy and the Literacy Framework. Again, making changes to the literacy framework so that it aligns with best practices in teaching reading, isn't going to change anything at the school level unless PD is provided and ongoing support happens for ALL schools.

What else should we know about you and why you are invested in literacy education for Oregon's children?

My son was diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading and writing just after the 2nd grade, but it took us 3 months after he started 3rd grade to get him any services. He never once met any of his goals on his IEP, and the ONLY reason he's ever learned to read is that I shell out thousands of dollars a year to have him tutored with instruction that aligns with the science. I didn't trust that the school would take care of him or help him and I was right.

Thoughts on LETRS Training for Teachers

EdWeek just posted this article about LETRS Training that I found very interesting. You can check the article out here: What Is LETRS? Why One Training Is Dominating ‘Science of Reading’ Efforts

First, let's talk about what LETRS is. 

The briefest explanation is that LETRS is a professional development program that helps teachers understand how children learn to read and the basics of how to teach foundational reading skills. Or if you want a more commercial definition, you can check out the Lexia Learning site for LETRS

How does this relate to Oregon? And specifically, Eugene, OR?

Decoding Dyslexia Oregon made a profound shift right after the 2019 NAEP report came out (this report basically says that only Mississippi children made any gains in learning to read by 4th grade), to focus on getting teachers trained in LETRS. This shift was from that focus on dyslexia to a focus on teaching all kids to read the way that all kids can learn to read. However, DDOR is mostly active in the Portland area and that's where the focus has been. Here in Eugene, not so much. There is a relatively young chapter of DDOR in the Eugene area, but I haven't been involved in most of that because it was just getting off the ground when COVID hit. 

Slowly, the LETRS information has trickled into the ears of Eugene's teachers. 

Did you know that Bethel School District has been aligned with the University of Oregon educational research community for decades? Most Bethel schools are teaching reading using evidence-based, systematic reading instruction. Or, they were the last time I knew anything about it which was maybe 5 years ago?

Did you know that 4j schools are so decentralized that they all do things completely differently? Some schools follow evidence-based instruction and some don't and even though they are all supposed to use the same language arts curriculum, some of them just don't use it. (Not that this is a big deal when your curriculum is kind of crappy to begin with)

Did you know that there are about 200 local teachers who are going through LETRS training? 

Did you know that even though school districts could have used COVID money to pay to get their teachers trained, that the teachers getting LETRS training locally are getting it through funding from the United Way?

Why am I asking all of these questions? Possibly because I'm enraged that our largest local school district wouldn't fund such important training...possibly that I feel my question marks drip with sarcasm and disgust.

Thoughts about LETRS

Is LETRS the only option? It's absolutely not. 

Is it the only option that people generally know about and will help increase teacher knowledge about evidence-based reading instruction? Yes. 

Does something need to happen RIGHT NOW to help teachers teach kids how to read? Absolutely. 

Is LETRS too expensive? Probably, but we have to start somewhere and this is what is readily available. Administrators have heard of it because Mississippi was the only state to make gains in reading and it's what they used. 

Is LETRS a cure for what ails schools' ability to teach reading? Probably not? I think that you can't just provide LETRS training to teachers and expect that things will be magically fixed. There has to be a fundamental change at the district (or state) level. If the district doesn't think that they need to teach kids how to read (obviously district leaders wouldn't characterize it this way, but this is what it IS), all the LETRS training in the world isn't going to shift the needle. 

However, is it a bad thing to inform teachers that perhaps they've been doing it wrong all along? NO! Please TAKE LETRS TRAINING if that is all that is available to you as a teacher. The more teachers in your district who are in the know, the more pressure that can be put on school boards and administrators to make giant shifts in the way that reading is taught in our schools! Because make no mistake, giant shifts NEED to happen so we don't continue to create a population that is semi-literate. 

What are the other options?

I'm going to preface this by saying I really know nothing about any of these trainings. Some of them are going to be less intensive and some are more intensive. What I do know is that they are all (in relatively good faith, if with an eye to profit) trying to get evidence-based instructional practices into the hands of teachers. So, I'm not rating these things and I'm not putting them in any particular order. This is just informational. 

• The Reading League Online Academy. Also an introduction to Basic Reading Instruction for Parents
• CORE Learning Accelerated Reading Achievement with the Science of Reading

Fun fact: Carrie Beck who used to run the CTL Reading Clinic and who used to be the state level dyslexia specialist for Oregon is the Director of Literacy at CORE.

• AIM Institute for Learning & Research Pathways Programs Pathways to Proficient Reading Course
• The Center for Literacy and Learning has a couple of options for virtual coaching and online learning. 

Fun fact: They put on a fabulous conference every year called Plain Talk about Literacy and Learning. It's in New Orleans and always attracts the big names in the science of reading community.

• The Big Dippers This is a condensed course but is also inexpensive comparatively. 
• EBLI For educators, but also they have what I think are free resources for Parents
• Keys to Literacy Keys to Beginning Reading PD course. I've heard good things.

Final Thoughts

Don't discount the free resources! Almost every one of those organizations above also has a host of free resources that can help you get started if you don't have funding or support from your district. 

And you can always check out the Educate Yourself and Online Resources sections of this website.

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.