SUMMARY:
"The children are our customers...and the parents are our stakeholders, and I think if you think of it in those terms, you can make a lasting effect on a district."
We are thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Kevin Gorman. Dr. Gorman is a recently retired Director of Student Services in the Upper Arlington, Ohio school district. Many years ago, Dr. Gorman knew little about dyslexia or evidence-based instructional methods. Then one day, UA-KID, a parent advocacy group serving families whose children have dyslexia, met with him to present their goals for their children's education. That meeting prompted Dr. Gorman to dig into the research and build his knowledge, the end result of which has been lasting change throughout the district. Join us as Dr. Gorman takes us on a journey describing how he brought about that change, which included introducing universal screening for at-risk signs of reading difficulties (CTOPP), Orton-Gillingham training for teachers and intervention specialists, and the purchase of high quality instructional materials. It wasn't long before Superintendents in other Ohio districts started to hear about Upper Arlington's successes and contacted Dr. Gorman to learn more.
Dr. Gorman also shares his advice for parents in collaborating with their district, provides a description of the process to request an evaluation when a child shows signs of reading difficulties and leaves us with final thoughts on focusing on the needs of the child. This is a wonderful and very informative discussion for all parents and advocates!
Resources:
CTOPP- Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing- "The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) is an instrument that can be used to measure phonological processing abilities of school aged children. This instrument employs a variety of subtests to measure several components of phonological processing."
Wilson Fundations - program overview
Additional Resources:
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), by Understood.org
Multi-Tiered System of Supports for English Learners
The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans, by Understood.org
What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?, by Understood.org
National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL)- resources for parents and families (in English and Spanish)
For a more comprehensive explanation of these terms above, please visit and enroll in our 'Building A Dyslexia Parent Group - Course 1' Masterclass HERE
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Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.
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Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice.
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Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!
Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary
