Your Newsletter for December
Thank you to all who attended our Annual meeting last month.

Despite the challenges we faced in 2020 IDA - Oregon Branch had plenty of good news to report!

A warm welcome to Dr. Irvin Brown!
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Irvin Brown to the IDA - Oregon Branch Advisory Board!

From enlisting in the U.S. Navy at 17, to becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate from the University of Portland, Dr. Brown brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm in helping all students, particularly students of color, who have dyslexia and other learning differences.

To learn more about Dr. Brown, please read his biography here.

Join us for an Instagram Live conversation on December 14th at 7 pm as Jared Blank interviews Dr. Brown!
Free Structured Literacy Professional Development with Dr. Alicia Roberts Frank
Washington school districts are preparing for legislation that will require them to screen students for dyslexia. To help districts prepare for Washington Senate Bill 6162, Dr. Alicia Roberts Frank of ESD 113 is offering free professional development on dyslexia and explicit literacy instruction to all teachers (Oregon teachers are welcome too!)

Alicia began teaching students with dyslexia nearly twenty years ago, a path that led her to teach special education in elementary, middle and high schools, as well as in teacher preparation programs. Before moving to WA, she served on the IDA - Oregon Branch and Decoding Dyslexia Oregon boards as well as the OR Dyslexia Advisory Council.

In her current role, Alicia supports the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Education's (OSPI) Dyslexia Advisory Council and presents regularly with OSPI on dyslexia and the implementation of E2SSB 6162.

For more information and free registration, please visit: pdEnroller for Structured Literacy and Dyslexia
The Science of Reading vs Structured Literacy - What's the difference?
A Statement from the International Dyslexia Association
What is the Science of Reading?

The science of reading, sometimes known as SOR, is the vast research that has been done in the last 40+ years about how people read, how students learn to read, what causes some students to struggle to learn to read, and how to teach students to learn to read. Cognitive psychologists, neuropsychologists, and other researchers have conducted this research in labs and classrooms, and more research is being done every year. The big picture about this research is that reading involves mastering five distinct skills: 1) phonetic awareness, 2) phonics, 3) fluency, 4) vocabulary, and 5) comprehension. The research is robust and has been conducted all over the world.

Two of the challenges we face are that this large body of research is not included in most teacher training programs, and it is not used to develop a lot of the commonly used reading curricula in schools.

What is Structured Literacy?
Structured Literacy is a way to teach all students, including students with dyslexia and other reading challenges, how to learn to read. The method is systematic and cumulative, explicit, and diagnostic. It covers all the essential reading skills, including word identification and decoding strategies. Although it does not cover every part of the Science of Reading, what it does cover is based on the Science of Reading.

What are IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (KPS)?
The KPS define the knowledge and skills that all teachers of reading should possess to teach all students to read proficiently. IDA uses the KPS in their university and teacher training accreditation work to ensure that these programs are effectively preparing teachers to apply the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy in their classrooms.

Why does this matter?
The Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, and IDA’s KPS are important because they offer research, standards, and a framework for teaching all students, including students with dyslexia, how to read.
Purchase Running the Distance Gear to support IDA - Oregon Branch scholarships for local students.
Sunday at 6PM (PT)
Join a conversation with Laura, a brave and courageous mom! Instagram Live @DyslexiaYouAreNotAlone with @Jaredsblank.
Support Safety of children with dyslexia in school, at the Rare Gem Talent School. Kenya
Thank you for supporting our branch throughout 2020.

Thank you for all you have done to support literacy development for all students throughout this difficult year.

Thank you for the special care you have shown those with dyslexia and other related learning differences.

On behalf of the IDA - Oregon Branch, we wish you and your family a warm and healthy holiday season!

#UntilEveryoneCanRead
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