Demystifying Dyslexia: The History, Research, and Best Practices for Supporting All Students

Presented by Rachel Brown, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Illuminate Education, Inc.; and John Bielinski, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research and Development, Illuminate Education, Inc.

Sponsored by Illuminate Education

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The term dyslexia dates to the early 20th century when the phrase “word blindness” was introduced as a way to describe a particular type of reading challenge. Over a century later, many educators still struggle to understand not only what dyslexia is and how it can be identified, but also how to provide effective supports for students with reading difficulties, including dyslexia.

In recent years, most U.S. states have adopted measures related to dyslexia screening so that early identification of—and intervention for—dyslexia can occur. Importantly, recent dyslexia legislation requires all educators, not just special education teachers, to understand the causes and treatments for dyslexia in order to provide a comprehensive approach to support reading success for all students. During this edWebinar, Drs. Rachel Brown and John Bielinski discuss:

• The complicated history of the term “dyslexia” and its appropriate role in schools
• Myths and fears about dyslexia and how to address them with facts
• Current research around effective screening and what we know to be true about teaching students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties
• Best practices for screening and progress monitoring that will work within your MTSS

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 teachers, school and district leaders, and school counselors and psychologists.

About the Presenters

Dr. Rachel Brown began her career as a middle school social studies teacher. She quickly learned that many of her students could not read well enough to understand assigned texts. This led Dr. Brown to earn certification as a special educator. Having learned that special education was not the answer to all students’ learning challenges, she earned her Ph.D. in school psychology and special education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2000. She was a faculty member in educational and school psychology at the University of Southern Maine for 16 years and then joined FastBridge Learning where she currently serves as a senior research associate. Dr. Brown now teaches in the Special Education Department at the University of Southern Maine. Her research focuses on effective reading instruction and assessment within a Multi-Tiered System of Support.

Dr. John Bielinski is a psychometrician by training and has led development of educational tests and educational research in the industry for 20 years. Dr. Bielinski began his career in education policy at the National Center on Educational Outcomes and joined FastBridge in 2018. His expertise is in CBM and modeling growth.

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Illuminate Education partners with K-12 educators to equip them with data to serve the whole child and reach new levels of student performance. Our solution brings together holistic data and collaborative tools and puts them in the hands of educators. Illuminate supports over 17 million students and 5200 districts/schools.