Keeping you up to date on what is happening with Dyslexia in Tennessee!

EAST The East TN region in collaboration with the Knox County Dyslexia Advisory Council and Berean Christian School is planning a 1-day Dyslexia Symposium for parents and teachers in early 2022. It was scheduled to be this October but was postponed due to the recent resurgence of the COVID/Delta virus numbers. Stay tuned! martie.wood@att.net October 2022

MIDDLE MTSU Roadmap for Screeners to Identify Characteristics of Dyslexia Melinda.Hirschmann@mtsu.edu online $249 / 6 hrs PD 830am-330pm CST October 11, 2021

WEST Erika Center at Bodine School Forming a West Tennessee Consortium to share resources & best practices for Striving Learners glandaiche@bodineschool.org Check it out!

How Can We Serve You? Help us to be our best! A lot has changed in the last year, and we want to provide exactly what you need. To do that, we hope to gather insights from you - so that we can give our best to Tennessee. Please use the orange button below to tell us more about how you currently interact with TNIDA and what we can do to improve. Your answers will help our organization plan for the year ahead in a more intentional way. As a way to say thanks, each completed survey is eligible for a $25 Amazon Gift Card drawing. The drawing will close at 11:59 pm Central Time on September 29.

Take the Survey! Tell Us How We Can Help.

MTSU Dyslexia Success Series

Did you miss our Family Literacy Night last month? Be sure to check out the replay for information about Tennessee's new early literacy initiative.

RTI²: Build Your Awareness, Advocate for Your Student --Wendy O’Neal, TNIDA Vice-President, Service Area 1

Response to Instruction / Intervention & “Say Dyslexia” Law In 2016, the Tennessee general assembly passed the Chapter 1058 of the Public Acts of 2016 (“Say Dyslexia” law). The law requires school districts to screen for characteristics of dyslexia through their existing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) procedures and to provide “dyslexia-specific tiered interventions” for students that demonstrate a need. Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-1-229, a “dyslexia-specific intervention” is defined as specialized instruction that is multisensory, explicitly taught, systematic and cumulative. What is RTI²? In Tennessee, the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) Framework is a component of a Tennessee State Department of Education initiative. RTI² is a multi-tiered system that uses data to identify specific student needs and match instructional strategies. A key component of RTI² is that all children receive high quality curriculum and instruction in the core subject areas (Tier I). Universal screening is also a component of RTI². Universal screenings are given to all students three times annually to evaluate progress in reading, math and written expression. Universal screenings help schools identify students who require more additional support and targeted, differentiated instruction. Multiple sources of data including the universal screener are used to identify and place students in targeted interventions (Tier II). Evidence based interventions are used to support students development of skills within identified deficit areas. Evidence based interventions are teaching strategies, methods, and programs that have been proven effective in helping children learn. Another key component of RTI² is progress monitoring. Progress monitoring is a way for teachers to continually evaluate student progress. Progress monitoring helps determine whether an intervention is successful or not. Information on a child's progress is regularly shared with parent/guardians. When progress monitoring indicates that the student is meeting grade level expectations, tiered intervention is discontinued. When progress monitoring shows that a child is not responding to the intervention, the instruction is intensified. Students are given more intense intervention that focuses on the supporting skill they need to be successful learners. The student will remain in the core instruction (Tier I); Tier II and Tier III is in addition to high quality core classroom instruction, not in place of it. Both levels of instruction happen simultaneously.   What is Reading Intervention?  Reading intervention is a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). The “Say Dyslexia” law and the Tennessee RTI² framework state reading intervention programs will include:  targeted evidence-based instruction of reading skills in addition to core reading class a structured systematic framework taught by a highly qualified and certified teacher instruction that is explicit, multisensory, systematic and cumulative, language-based, and aligned to individual student need data-driven model with on-going diagnostic evaluating students progress towards gaps closure reading and writing as these are reciprocal skills small teacher/student ratios as well as intervention time expectations as set in the Tennessee Department of Education Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) Framework (pages 74, 84)

For more information about RTI² please check out these links.  International Dyslexia Association(1) International Dyslexia Association(2) International Dyslexia Association (3) TNDOE TN Department of Education RTI2 Resources TNDOE TN Department of Education RTI2 Documents

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Check it out here!

IDA Dyslexia Handbook In addition to offering valuable information about dyslexia and its characteristics, this handbook provides information on assessments, effective teaching approaches, self-advocacy ideas, and a vast array of resources. We encourage you to share this handbook. The more families we can inform, the more children we can help!

Check out the Alabama IDA Fall Conference!

National IDA 2021 Conference

Welcome to the 2021 IDA Conference A Hybrid Conference Experience in Charlotte, NC "Envisioning a Future with Structured Literacy: Reading Instruction that Works"  The IDA Annual Conference will be held October 21–23, 2021, at the Charlotte Convention Center. IDA is continuing its commitment to attendee safety by offering an all-new hybrid experience. The IDA 2021 Annual Conference will include live presentations with an on-site audience while simultaneously streaming to its virtual audience. This enhanced hybrid experience, hosted by IDA TV, will bring virtual attendees together with those attending in person so that everyone can share and learn together. Limited In-Person Registrations Available Register now! The board members serving on the IDA-Tennessee branch are passionate and dedicated individuals with a variety of experiences; please let us know if you are interested in serving with us! Attention Teachers! Did you know?! You get your 1st year of IDA and TNIDA membership for FREE! Discounts on conferences and professional education for parents and professionals. This is YOUR year!  Join now As a member of IDA, you will be equipped with the latest information to best position you to advocate for your child or yourself, teach students with reading difficulties, and support the people in your life with dyslexia. Your membership includes exclusive access to our extraordinary community of researchers, teachers, professionals, and parents. Your membership supports teacher preparation and training in Structured Literacy instruction which will help thousands of children in the years to come. Stay safe and healthy and take in all the beauty that Tennessee has to offer whenever you can. Let us know how we can help with anything dyslexia-related this fall.

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