As do most such organizations, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) disseminates products it has developed. NASDSE recently released one on students who have disabilities and also are considered English Language Learners. This is an important issue for many categories of special education, but especially in Learning Disabilities, because the risk of language differences either masquerading as LD (false positive) or masking LD (false negative) are great. The product is entitled, “English Language Learners with Disabilities: Identification and Other State Policies and Issue.”
This In-Depth Policy Analysis includes background information and data from interviews. Interviews were conducted with representatives from each special education unit in seven states regarding current state staffing and initiatives and policies that focus on identifying English language learners as students with disabilities. Background topics covered include prevalence data and disproportionality research; extant outcome data; and federal policy and court rulings. Findings include state staffing; state activities; state policies; state personnel preparation and certification; key challenges; and best practice and policy recommendations from states. A resource list is included.
Link to the NASDSE publication, “English Language Learners with Disabilities: Identification and Other State Policies and Issue.”
Along with my other blogs (and many others’ blogs, too), LD Blog is joining Sheryl’s promotion of National De-lurking Week on Paper Napkin. It’s coming in January 2006. Readers can get a head start on de-lurking by posting comments now!
Meanwhile, I’m looking for a place to put this image in the navigation elements at the right. Suggestions welcome; leave them [ahem] in the comments on this post.
In an opinion column for the Guardian Unlimited, Elfi Pallis asks, “Should everyone stay at school?” She bases this question on her concerns about whether a recommendation about providing a common curriculum, based on the British baccalaureate, to all students&mdah;reducing tracking—would benefit students.
Not only do I have my doubt as to whether this will work, since the “bac” tends to be a far more difficult exam, requiring competence in both the humanities and the sciences, but I wonder whether leaving school at sixteen is always such a bad thing, really. Must we keep all kids in full-time education?
Ms. Pallis goes on to explain that two of her friends who left school early did so to help support disabled parents, including one whose mother had dyslexia. I’d wish for a social system that didn’t require students to leave school early to help adults with Learning Disabilities, but Ms. Pallis makes her case that sometimes school isn’t the right thing for all students. It’s a provocative question, no?
Link to Ms. Pallis’ column.
Published by JohnL on 21 August 2006
in News.
For those who do not regularly read Teach Effectively!, I posted a longish entry there about “response to intervention” (instruction) on Sunday 20 Aug 2006. It’s entitled RtI and Reading First.
Published by JohnL on 16 August 2006
in News.
Over on The Second Sight, EoR has a post that sensibly dismantles another bologna therapy. He does a pretty thorough job of the take-down and pin of this product that’s reputed to help people with Learning Disabilities.
Via Liz Ditz EoR was alerted to the Sensory Learning Program (SLP). At first viewing this appears to be a legitimate webpage, but cracks rapidly appear in the seeming semblence of truth.
Link to EoR’s review.
More LD misinfo
In the community of people concerned about Learning Disabilities there are many people with good hearts and faulty facts. I stumbled across a blog entry entitled “Dyslexia a most misunderstood condition” from Yabba Yabba that illustrates this. Alex Rodriguez of Melboune (AU) used an encounter with a youth as a springboard to discuss dyslexia.
It’s nice that Mr. Rodriguez has provided a sympathetic view of Learning Disabilities (e.g., individuals with LD are not “thick”), but in the remainder of the article, he’s presented a lot of misinformation. He perpetuates the reversals myth and the modality learning styles idea and he recommends meditation as treatment.
Sometimes I wonder whether any attention is better than no attention.
Link to Mr. Rodriguez’s article.