Quarterly Newsletter

January 2023

Happy New Year from all of us here at the California Dyslexia Initiative!



We hope you had a restful winter break. We are excited to host our second Professional Learning Network this Spring with a line up of amazing speakers. Make sure you click on the link below to register and forward the information along to your colleagues. Don't forget about our monthly Expert Webinar series. It's not too late to register, and you can also access prior webinars and companion documents on our CDI website.

Chapter 12: Assistive Technology

The National Center on Improving Literacy shared “5 Things We Want You to Know about Dyslexia All Year Long" in October, during Dyslexia Awareness Month. We thought we’d share a few of these ideas in this month’s newsletter.

Visit Understanding Dyslexia: Myth vs. Facts | National Center on Improving Literacy for more information and to download the infographic. 

• Dyslexia is brain-based. That means certain brain regions important for reading may develop or function differently in students with dyslexia. For more information about what dyslexia is, and the impact it may have, visit our Understanding Dyslexia toolkit.

• Universal screening can change lives through early identification of risk for dyslexia. Schools can screen for dyslexia risk using a quick, simple reading assessment given to all students. Learn more in our School-Based Screening for Dyslexia Risk toolkit.

• Focused, explicit, and systematic reading instruction in five essential components- phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension- benefits all students. But it is absolutely critical for students with dyslexia. Learn more in our Effective Reading Instruction for Students with Dyslexia toolkit.

Save the Date and Register!

The California Dyslexia Initiative is hosting a free, virtual Professional Learning Network on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 from 9:00 am-1:00 pm.

Join Dr. Tracy Weeden, President and CEO of the Neuhaus Education Center as our featured keynote. Dr. Weeden's presentation will focus on "Literacy Is a Human Right of the 21st Century".

Breakout Session Presenters:

Doris Luft Baker, Ph.D.

Kim Gibson, Ph.D.

Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D.

Rebecca Tolson, Ph.D.

Lindsay Young, M.A.

Registration is limited, so don't wait!

Expert Webinar Series

Have you registered for the Expert Webinar Series?

The Sacramento County Office of Education, in partnership with Glean Education, is hosting free, monthly webinars featuring experts in the field of dyslexia and literacy. We've covered topics including identification, prevention, and intervention.

Join us and hundreds of others, monthly, to understand new ways of supporting students with dyslexia and reading difficulties.

Zoom link will be sent with registration confirmation.

Up Next: Dr. Lilian Duran

February 9, 2023: Teaching Language Comprehension in a Structured Literacy Approach

Featured Past Webinars

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Using Data to Make Instructional Decisions for Struggling Readers.

Inside the

Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids

Are Taught to Read.

How Teachers Can Use Data-Based Decision Making to Inform Reading Intervention.

What it takes to be

a literacy education change maker: Kareem Weaver.

Mini Module: Using Data to Inform Instruction. You can also choose to watch the entire Project Expert PLAYLIST.

Webinar: Casualties of War: Reading Science Denial

and Racism’s Impact on African American Children,