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Join IDA Georgia in a 2-night book study to discuss Equipped for Reading Success: A Comprehensive Guide, Step-by-Step Program for Developing Phonemic Awareness and Fluent Word Recognition by David A. Kilpatrick, Ph.D.

Purchase your book at https://equippedforreadingsuccess.com/product/equipped-for-reading-success-2/ (or via another seller) and sign up to participate in the online book study with up to 20 other participants. Registrants will receive an email with the ZOOM login information which can be used to join the meeting on July 20 as well as on July 27.

After completing the online book study, participants may request a $25 partial reimbursement for the cost of the book. In order to take advantage of this offer, you must email us your book purchase receipt and be present for both book study sessions.

The Kilpatrick Webinar Series, based on another one of David Kilpatrick's books, Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties, is presented by Dr. Susan Hall Ed. D., Co-Founder and CEO of 95 Percent Group. Dr. Hall is a nationally recognized leader in RTI, data analysis, and reading instruction. In each of the short, 30-minute webinars, she shares her in-depth reading intervention experience that she acquired working as a consultant to districts and schools across the United States.

Webinar #1: Rethinking Phonological Awareness

Webinar #2: Orthographic Mapping: Critical Skill for Learning New Words

Webinar #3: Helping Older Students Master Phonemic Manipulation Skills

Due to COVID-19, we had to cancel our 2020 Annual Dimensions of Dyslexia Conference where we would have presented our Georgia Branch awards. Although we cannot present these awards in person this year, we would like for you to celebrate the achievements of the following individuals who were chosen as the 2020 award winners.

2020 IDA-GA Leadership in Literacy Award

Jan Peavy has been a life-long educator. She started as a 3rd grade teacher at Fullington Academy in Pinehurst, GA, a small, rural school surrounded by cotton fields about 45 miles south of Macon. In 1982 she started the Learning Center at Fullington. Students with diagnosed learning differences could go to her for their reading classes, math if needed, and support services. In 2015, she incorporated The Learning Foundation which is housed on the campus of Fullington Academy. The Mission of The Learning Foundation, Inc. is to maximize the potential in students with learning differences and develop foundations for success through the development of skills, self-esteem, character and self-advocacy, support for families of these children, and support for their traditional classroom teachers. Students receive specialized reading instruction using OG methods and support services in other subjects as needed. Over the past 38 years, Jan has helped hundreds of children maximize their potential, educated their parents about learning differences and supported teachers in classroom practices. She continues to make an incredible difference in the lives of LD students in this underserved area of Georgia.

2020 IDA-GA Service Award

Lisa Glickman served on the IDA-GA Board of Directors for two full terms, during which time she served as Nominating Committee Chair, Conference, Dash and Teacher Training committees. She was instrumental in helping to establish the current teacher training scholarship and grant programs, providing Structured Literacy teacher training to hundreds of Georgia teachers. In her career, Lisa is a reading specialist and dyslexia practitioner who specializes in Structured Literacy instruction and intervention with Reading is Essential for All People (REAP). Lisa is certified through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, a subsidiary of the International Dyslexia Association, as a Stuctured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist. In addition, she holds Associate Level certification with the Orton-Gillingham Academy (formerly known as the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators). As a Literacy Leader for the REAP team, Lisa helps deliver Structured Literacy content and works with teachers to implement that content in their classrooms. She models both whole-class and small-group lessons for teachers. She coaches and observes teachers and helps teachers plan and create materials. As an ongoing volunteer with IDA-GA, Lisa supervises registration each year at the Dyslexia Dash and is currently serving as a member of the nominating committee. Lisa is a strong believer in IDA's mission to ensure all children have access to quality instruction.

2020 IDA-GA Youth Initiative Award

Jenna Benedict has spent her life since her dyslexia diagnosis advocating for other students. She has spoken on a school panel advocating for others with dyslexia as well as at Citizens for Public Education meetings. She advocated for the first bill to be signed in her name by Georgia Governor Kemp enabling children to be tested earlier to be diagnosed with dyslexia. This is a monumental accomplishment for a 17 year old to achieve. She currently advocates for a senior at Chapel Hill High School that is just now being tested for learning disabilities. Jenna has never let her disability hinder her ability to help others. She is an incredible leader and is always willing to serve others and help others struggling to get a diagnosis. She has aspirations to go into education as well as attend law school so she can further serve others with dyslexia. She attends dyslexia events and researches about it, as well as serving as an outspoken advocate to help others awaiting a diagnosis or struggling with a diagnosis.

IDA-GA President's Award in Recognition of Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Mission of IDA Georgia

Karen Huppertz has served on the IDA Georgia Board of Directors since 2008. She served as IDA-GA President for 4 and 1/2 years and is the current IDA-GA Past President. She participates at the national level on several committees working to further the organization’s mission, and as the IDA Northeast Region Representative. She also undertakes a partnership to further the mission of the UK-based Made By Dyslexia, whose purpose is to help the world properly understand, value and support dyslexia. Karen became an IDA-GA volunteer as a way to give back for the help her now adult dyslexic children received. Her background and experience in marketing and advertising lends itself toward raising awareness about dyslexia as well as the goals and activities of the IDA Georgia Branch. Karen recently worked part-time with Kendore Learning and Kendore Cares, a 501(c)3 created to provide one-on-one reading intervention to students performing below their potential as well as teacher training to educators working in low-performing schools. When not volunteering, Karen works as a freelance journalist working with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2011.

Early Bird Conference Pricing Ends August 31  

The International Dyslexia Association is excited to re-imagine the 2020 Annual Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference as a dynamic, interactive, and completely virtual experience. We look forward to welcoming over 2,800 teachers, researchers, therapists, policymakers, parents, advocates, and anyone who is eager to learn more about dyslexia and other learning-based challenges. As always, the conference will feature leading experts in the areas of dyslexia, structured literacy, and research who are helping bring the science of reading into every classroom and transforming our educational system.

This year’s virtual conference offers even more thought-provoking content and will expand your knowledge and network. The virtual conference will offer LIVE Streamed General Sessions, interactive symposia and breakout sessions, poster sessions, the IDA Virtual Bookstore, the Exclusive IDA Virtual Exhibit Hall, and innovative access to the IDA conference experience using a state-of-the-art and easy to use virtual community platform.

Members receive a discount on Premium Member Registration. Learn about IDA membership benefits here.

It is estimated that there will be a 30% drop in reading gains compared to a normal year due to school closures in 2020. This is known as the COVID-slide.

Haskins Laboratory, Yale, and University of Connecticut are looking for students who have just finished preK, K, 1st grade to participate in this 12-week online reading program. It is just two, 10-minute sessions 5 days a week. Please share with your friends so that as many parents as possible hear about this free opportunity to reduce the effect of the COVID-slide and assist in research at the same time.

In this video Maryanne Wolf Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA talks about the The Haskins Laboratory Resource Library. This online library is a compilation of links to FREE, HIGH-QUALITY content for children and teens with different levels of reading proficiency. This library is designed to help parents and educators easily navigate through the overwhelming amount of information available online on promoting literacy development in children of all ages.

Thanks to our generous donors, IDA has supplied over $20,000 worth of technology to students and educators across the country affected by distance learning and school closures. But there are still more who need assistance from the IDA COVID-19 Relief Fund!

Please keep the donations coming and share this information with your networks to help us reach our $100,000 goal!

We have established this national relief fund to help those hit the hardest by providing the following: