Note: To be eligible to sign this petition, you must 1) Have an education degree from an Iowa college or university and 2) Have a Reading Endorsement from the State of Iowa.
To: The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners & The Iowa Department of Education
I am an educator who received my training right here in Iowa. I also hold a Reading Endorsement from the State of Iowa. Through my experience, it has become clear that my training did not prepare me to work with students with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia. In fact, I did not have a single course which explained dyslexia, its signs and symptoms as well as its strengths, and how to best help dyslexic students.
The lack of course work on dyslexia at Iowa colleges and universities is harming Iowa students. Without the knowledge of how to spot dyslexia in the classroom, teachers miss the warning signs and the crucial opportunity to intervene early, before students fail. My training also did not teach me how to provide the systematic, structured, explicit and multi-sensory instruction that students with dyslexia need. Because of this, I and other teachers like me have been forced to pursue additional training at my own expense to help these students. I am disturbed that the Iowa institution I trusted to prepare me left out such critical information.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) states that dyslexia accounts for 80% of all specific learning disabilities. Because of this, and the fact that dyslexia is now recognized in the State of Iowa’s education code, I urge the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and the Iowa Department of Education to require specific coursework on dyslexia for all teacher education candidates. Teacher preparation programs should cover how to recognize, remediate and accommodate dyslexic learners AND be aligned with the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for reading teachers.
Iowa students deserve our best, and Iowa colleges and universities must do better in preparing teachers to provide effective instruction for all students, including those with dyslexia!
Updates
February 25, 2016
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners can no longer ignore this tide of teachers who were failed by their own university training. We are forcing them to confront the reality that they sent us into classrooms completely unprepared to support dyslexic students.
23 Comments
I received my BA with math and reading endorsements from UNI and my Master's from Drake. 18 years into my career I began to wonder if Dyslexia was affecting the students that I was having a hard time reaching - the ones where interventions were not being successful. It was only after leaving teaching, and being at the Capitol for my new position, that I stopped by a Dyslexia booth and began to understand how much I truly missed. Thankfully, the timing was perfect for my nephew, because of this stop by a booth, he was diagnosed and receives tutoring outside the school system. As teachers, we are general practitioners. Not enough is done to help us specialize and reach the students who are being left behind.
Teachers need to be taught how to address the needs of all learners. I have a reading minor from UNI, and am Reading Recovery trained, and still need additional training for dyslexic students. Please support our newest teachers, and their future students!
As a first grade teacher, I teach children how to read. Not only would it be helpful to recognize the signs of dyslexia, but having the knowledge how to teach these students would be vital. What's even better, knowing techniques that help students with dyslexia often help all students in the classroom as well.
I was not giving any information about dyslexia during my education for my BA,MA and my reading specialist endorsement. I had to find classes on my own to get my certificate in Orton-Gillingham strategies.
I have been very fortunate to work in a private school that invested in my training in dyslexia and an Orton Gillingham based approach to teaching reading. Regular classroom teachers have also been trained in an Orton Gillingham based program called Slingerland. Our training has made us stronger reading teachers. If we had gained this knowledge in our undergrad training we would have gone into teaching being much stronger reading teachers. I wished I'd known then what I know now. I think of the students over the years that I could have helped not only read better but also enjoy school more and have a better self-concept of themselves as learners. (Seeing themselves as not stupid)
I am a graduate student with a endorsement in reading. H
I received my reading endorsement from the University of Iowa while completing my Elementary Education degree in 2012. I did not receive any training or coursework about dyslexia.
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Note: To be eligible to sign this petition, you must 1) Have an education degree from an Iowa college or university and 2) Have a Reading Endorsement from the State of Iowa.
To: The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners & The Iowa Department of Education
I am an educator who received my training right here in Iowa. I also hold a Reading Endorsement from the State of Iowa. Through my experience, it has become clear that my training did not prepare me to work with students with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia. In fact, I did not have a single course which explained dyslexia, its signs and symptoms as well as its strengths, and how to best help dyslexic students.
The lack of course work on dyslexia at Iowa colleges and universities is harming Iowa students. Without the knowledge of how to spot dyslexia in the classroom, teachers miss the warning signs and the crucial opportunity to intervene early, before students fail. My training also did not teach me how to provide the systematic, structured, explicit and multi-sensory instruction that students with dyslexia need. Because of this, I and other teachers like me have been forced to pursue additional training at my own expense to help these students. I am disturbed that the Iowa institution I trusted to prepare me left out such critical information.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) states that dyslexia accounts for 80% of all specific learning disabilities. Because of this, and the fact that dyslexia is now recognized in the State of Iowa’s education code, I urge the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and the Iowa Department of Education to require specific coursework on dyslexia for all teacher education candidates. Teacher preparation programs should cover how to recognize, remediate and accommodate dyslexic learners AND be aligned with the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for reading teachers.
Iowa students deserve our best, and Iowa colleges and universities must do better in preparing teachers to provide effective instruction for all students, including those with dyslexia!
Updates
February 25, 2016
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners can no longer ignore this tide of teachers who were failed by their own university training. We are forcing them to confront the reality that they sent us into classrooms completely unprepared to support dyslexic students.
23 Comments
I received my reading endorsement from Drake University while completing the MST degree in Elementary Education. I did not learn about Dyslexia during my reading endorsement courses and I believe that it affects more students than we realize. School districts have dedicated PD to this topic, but I would have preferred to learn about it in my coursework before entering the classroom. School districts and the AEA should only be providing supplemental materials to aide in better understanding Dyslexia and providing support.
I received my BA with math and reading endorsements from UNI and my Master's from Drake. 18 years into my career I began to wonder if Dyslexia was affecting the students that I was having a hard time reaching - the ones where interventions were not being successful. It was only after leaving teaching, and being at the Capitol for my new position, that I stopped by a Dyslexia booth and began to understand how much I truly missed. Thankfully, the timing was perfect for my nephew, because of this stop by a booth, he was diagnosed and receives tutoring outside the school system. As teachers, we are general practitioners. Not enough is done to help us specialize and reach the students who are being left behind.
Teachers need to be taught how to address the needs of all learners. I have a reading minor from UNI, and am Reading Recovery trained, and still need additional training for dyslexic students. Please support our newest teachers, and their future students!
As a first grade teacher, I teach children how to read. Not only would it be helpful to recognize the signs of dyslexia, but having the knowledge how to teach these students would be vital. What's even better, knowing techniques that help students with dyslexia often help all students in the classroom as well.
I was not giving any information about dyslexia during my education for my BA,MA and my reading specialist endorsement. I had to find classes on my own to get my certificate in Orton-Gillingham strategies.
I have been very fortunate to work in a private school that invested in my training in dyslexia and an Orton Gillingham based approach to teaching reading. Regular classroom teachers have also been trained in an Orton Gillingham based program called Slingerland. Our training has made us stronger reading teachers. If we had gained this knowledge in our undergrad training we would have gone into teaching being much stronger reading teachers. I wished I'd known then what I know now. I think of the students over the years that I could have helped not only read better but also enjoy school more and have a better self-concept of themselves as learners. (Seeing themselves as not stupid)
I am a graduate student with a endorsement in reading. H
I received my reading endorsement from the University of Iowa while completing my Elementary Education degree in 2012. I did not receive any training or coursework about dyslexia.
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I received my reading endorsement from Drake University while completing the MST degree in Elementary Education. I did not learn about Dyslexia during my reading endorsement courses and I believe that it affects more students than we realize. School districts have dedicated PD to this topic, but I would have preferred to learn about it in my coursework before entering the classroom. School districts and the AEA should only be providing supplemental materials to aide in better understanding Dyslexia and providing support.