Screen Early for Risk of Dyslexia
Make a Difference Governor Hochul!
Call Governor Hochul, ask her to sign the DYSLEXIA TASK FORCE BILL
Let's get Dyslexia Awareness Month 2022 off to a good start!
Help us pass the first literacy legislation in the history of New York State!
We need Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law: please call and sign the petitions....post this on social media...let's push for change!
Help us pass the first literacy legislation in the history of New York State!
We need Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law: please call and sign the petitions....post this on social media...let's push for change!
Press 3, then press 1 to leave a message:
"Governor Hochul; my name is ________________, I am concerned about low literacy rates in New York. Please sign the Dyslexia task Force Bill.
ALL OUR CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ & WRITE"
Sign the petition to urge the Governor to sign the bill: Petition
Sign Assemblymember Robert Carroll's Petition
What's the Dyslexia task Force Bill?
The Dyslexia Task Force Act, A.2185-B/S.441-C, passed the Assembly and Senate!
The bill will establish a statewide task force to examine appropriate and effective evidence-based screening, intervention, and support for students with and at risk of dyslexia and dysgraphia. This is the result of years of work and advocacy and represents the first major piece of legislation focused on dyslexia screening, curriculum, and teacher training that has ever passed in New York, so let's make sure the Senate passes this bill!
This legislation will mandate the Commissioner of the State Education Department to create a task force of educators, doctors, researchers, parents and advocates to examine and recommend the appropriate and evidence based screening methods, curriculum changes and teacher training that should be implemented for all students in kindergarten through 5th grade with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Sign the petition to let the Governor know she should sign it into law!
The bill will establish a statewide task force to examine appropriate and effective evidence-based screening, intervention, and support for students with and at risk of dyslexia and dysgraphia. This is the result of years of work and advocacy and represents the first major piece of legislation focused on dyslexia screening, curriculum, and teacher training that has ever passed in New York, so let's make sure the Senate passes this bill!
This legislation will mandate the Commissioner of the State Education Department to create a task force of educators, doctors, researchers, parents and advocates to examine and recommend the appropriate and evidence based screening methods, curriculum changes and teacher training that should be implemented for all students in kindergarten through 5th grade with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Sign the petition to let the Governor know she should sign it into law!
Take Action:
Speak Up for Literacy New York!
Join us and talk to your public-school representatives; the Board of Education (BOE), Panel for Education Policy (PEP), and Community Education Council (CEC). Please share the link to our campaign on social media & email. Share videos on YouTube of your testimonies – let’s do this!
Data is from the New York Education Department and The Education Consumers Foundation
Data includes: number of students predicted to dropout, number of students reading below grade level and what your district's failure to teach reading costs taxpayers.
→3-minute script to read out at your district's education meeting with reading levels for your district
→Brochure to hand out with all the reading level data
→The economic impact to taxpayers of your district's failure to teach reading
→Number of predicted dropouts for your school district
→The number of unprepared graduates at your school district
→Number of students reading below grade level (below proficient) in your school district
→Reading by district; compares all districts by county
→Grade progression for individual school districts - how well does your district support literacy skills?
→Advocate T-shirt $30 (optional/fundraiser)
How well are New York's children taught to read?
Take a look at Albany county; this is data from NYSED for general education students.
*We use data for 3rd grade reading proficiency as it is the single most important indicator for academic success. If a child is not reading to grade level by that point, they are educationally disadvantaged for a lifetime. Without remediation they are unlikely to fully benefit from their education or reach their potential.
↓Take a look at Albany City SD; this shows data for 4 cohorts and their progress over 4 years. The data used to make this graph is from NYSED.
Check out students with disabilities (85% classified as disabled have dyslexia). Look at their ability to read-they have made NO PROGRESS IN 4 YEARS.
SHAME ON YOU NYSED: 95% of ALL students have the capacity to read to grade level when the instruction is explicit, systematic and cumulative (science-based structured literacy).
What are the hidden facts in New York Education Departments' data website?
According to pre-COVID 2019 NYSED third to eighth-grade students' data, 51% of native English-speaking students and 55% of all students read below grade level (i.e., below the "proficient" level). Appallingly, 65% of African American/Black students, 84% of children in foster care, and 88% of students with disabilities cannot read to a proficient level or are functionally illiterate.
That said, 95% of ALL students have the potential to become skilled readers and read at or above grade level if they receive effective Pre-K to 3nd-grade instruction--i.e., instruction containing phonological awareness, phonemes, phonics, and building fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Take a look and find out how many children are taught how to read at your school district...
We have the data & charts for ALL SCHOOLS in New York State:
According to pre-COVID 2019 NYSED third to eighth-grade students' data, 51% of native English-speaking students and 55% of all students read below grade level (i.e., below the "proficient" level). Appallingly, 65% of African American/Black students, 84% of children in foster care, and 88% of students with disabilities cannot read to a proficient level or are functionally illiterate.
That said, 95% of ALL students have the potential to become skilled readers and read at or above grade level if they receive effective Pre-K to 3nd-grade instruction--i.e., instruction containing phonological awareness, phonemes, phonics, and building fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Take a look and find out how many children are taught how to read at your school district...
We have the data & charts for ALL SCHOOLS in New York State:
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DONATE: ADVOCATE FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN
EMPOWER A LIFE
Don Meichenbaum, one of the world's leading experts on childhood trauma, states:
"….one thing is more important to traumatized children than anything else. More important than therapy, more important than social programs, more important than anything else. The research shows that the single most powerful predictor of their ability to overcome the trauma and survive their circumstances is the ability to read. If they can read, they have a chance to find success in school and overcome all those terrible things in their lives. If they can't, school will only be another source of pain and failure added to all the other sources of pain and failure. If they can read, they can benefit from therapy and everything else we may try to do for them. If they can't read, all of that is a waste of time".
OUR PROGRAMS & WHAT WE DO
ADVOCACYOur team of advocates and special education teachers work with underprivileged children with dyslexia who struggle with literacy, are not making progress, and not receiving legally entitled services to remediate their learning disability.
Our special education teachers create education plans to ensure that students receive evidence-based instruction that meets their needs. Additionally, we monitor and chart students' progress to ensure that they stay on track, make meaningful progress, and are fully prepared for college and the workforce. |
ADVOCACY → REFORMUntreated dyslexia is a symptom of a more extensive misunderstanding about how to teach reading. Therefore, during our advocacy process, we implement a plan that will improve literacy skills for all students.
Furthermore, we are not a teacher training organization. Instead, we identify high-quality, evidence-based professional development and develop a curriculum to ensure implementation at the school. Additionally, we bring in experts to train special education and classroom teachers in more rural areas. Finally, our curriculum ensures that students with dyslexia never fall behind and general education students reach their full potential. |
INCARCERATED YOUTHS/ADULTSWe organize dyslexia screening, evaluations, and deliver remediation for incarcerated youths and adults at risk of dyslexia.
We use evidence-based remediation, including expository writing programs. Our special education experts monitor and chart progress, emphasizing preparation for reentry into communities, further education and meaningful careers. |
Support Our Advocacy Work
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Is your child struggling at school?
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Do they guess at words instead of decoding them?
Do they struggle with spelling? Do they struggle with writing? Are they starting to dislike school? Are they falling behind? Did you know that for every year that passes, the hours needed for remediation doubles? We can help... |