Monthly Archive for January, 2011

Core standards and LD?

Published on 21 January 2011 in Administration, Policy and The press. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

At a meeting I’m attending, folks are discussing the Council of Chief State School Officers’ Common Core State Standards Initiative. Here’s the basics:

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.

>>snip< <

These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards:

* Are aligned with college and work expectations;
* Are clear, understandable and consistent;
* Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
* Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
* Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
* Are evidence-based.

What do readers think about the idea of common standards, especially with regard to students with Learning Disabilities? Good idea overall? Good idea for our kids? Good idea with reservations? What reservations? Send this puppy to the kennel? Why?

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Paul Morris’s materials

Published on 17 January 2011 in Elementary, Preschool, Primary and The press. 1 Comment

Wishing folks a happy MLK Day!

For those teachers who frequent these pages and don’t know about Paul Morris, the author of 101 Language Activities, please allow me to encourage you to scoot on over to Free Language Stuff and explore his site. Yes, you read the adjectives correctly. The first adjective does mean “at no cost.” Mr. Morris makes available for free lots and lots of materials that teachers can use for teaching language skills.
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A success story

Published on 5 January 2011 in Dyslexia, News and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

In “From illiterate to role model” Carla Rivera provides one of those examples worth passing along to others. Ms. Rivera, who reports for the Los Angeles Times, described the case of John Zickefoose, a man who at 30 years of age was not able to read to his own children, read their report cards, read prescription labels, or to order from a menu. As a boy he was diagnosed as having dyslexia but, after adult literacy studies, he participates in book clubs, writes his own speeches, and is an advocate for his local library.

Now, as Ms. Rivera reported, Mr. Zickefoose will serve as a member of his local school board.
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Willingham making sense of brain research

Published on 3 January 2011 in ADHD, Dyslexia, Foundation, News, Research and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

In what will be his last guest column for the Washington Post education column, “The Answer Sheet,” cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham advises people to be skeptical about the poppycock that masquerades as scientific advice about brain-based education. Under the headline “Willingham: 3 brain facts every educator should know,” Professor Willingham explains clearly and with the force of evidence and plain, ordinary reason why “most of what you see advertised as educational advice rooted in neuroscience is bunkum.”

Professor Willingham contends that there are three facts educators should know.
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