According to the International Dyslexia Association, 15–20% of the population may have symptoms of dyslexia, which include slow or inaccurate reading, weak spelling, and writing challenges. The learning process for students with dyslexia is different—with many being strong visual, out-of-the-box thinkers—so teachers need to learn strategies and best practices to identify and support these students.
Coinciding with National Dyslexia Awareness Month this October, the California Dyslexia Initiative, which is administered by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), is announcing a free, three-course bundle of professional learning opportunities designed to build awareness of dyslexia, to increase the capacity to support struggling readers, and to support students with dyslexia or who are at risk for dyslexia. The courses are being offered in partnership with Glean Education.
California educators may enroll in any or all of the courses at no charge and will receive a certificate upon completion. Continuing education units are available for purchase from Dominican University of California. The courses are also approved by the National Association of School Psychologists, so California school psychologists who complete all three courses are eligible for ten hours of continuing professional development (CPD).
Courses
Enroll online before January 21, 2024, to attend any/all of the free courses. Participants have until October 1, 2024, to complete the coursework.
- Understanding Dyslexia & Dysgraphia for California Educators (2 hours)—understand, identify, and support students with dyslexia
- Intensifying Instruction for Struggling Readers for California Educators (3 hours)—intensify instruction to support struggling readers within an MTSS framework
- Serving Students with Dyslexia for California School Psychologists (5 hours)—helps school psychologists, school leaders, and special education teachers learn to collaborate as part of a data team, supporting students with dyslexia and dysgraphia through the evaluation process for special education eligibility
About the CA Dyslexia Initiative
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) was selected by the California State Board of Education (SBE), California Department of Education (CDE), and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) to administer the California Dyslexia Initiative (CDI), a three-year grant-funded initiative. CDI is working in partnership with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Dyslexia Center to build capacity and resources across California’s educational systems to address the needs of struggling readers and students with dyslexia.
Professional learning opportunities, resource highlights, a series of expert speaker webinars for educators, and other resources are available on the CDI website. Educators may also sign up for the CDI listserv and access an archive of previous newsletters.
For questions and additional information, email cadyslexia@scoe.net.