Multiple Choice Questions and Dyslexia [Premium]

Multiple Choice Questions and Dyslexia [Premium]

One bane of higher education and professionals is the ubiquity of multiple choice questions and tests acting as gatekeepers for higher levels of credentialing, program admission, or pay.   This problem affects individuals seeking their GED, drivers licenses, college entrance exams, graduate school exams, professional licensing and credentialing exams, and formal performance reviews in company settings. Individuals with stellar educational and work achievements, may find their advance in schooling or job positions blocked because of trouble on multiple choice tests which may hold inappropriate sway on assessments and evaluation. Why?   WHY MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTING IS A COMMON CHOICE FOR ASSESSMENT One of the reasons that multiple choice questions are so pervasive is that once written, a database of questions can be used to automate […]

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What Kind of Dysgraphia [Premium]

What Kind of Dysgraphia [Premium]

A recent clinical review of dysgraphia has defined dysgraphia in the following way: “At its broadest definition, dysgraphia is a disorder of writing ability at any stage, including problems with letter formation/legibility, letter spacing, spelling, fine motor coordination, rate of writing, grammar, and composition.”   Developmental dysgraphia (i.e. dysgraphia not based on some known injury) is described in the same article as having a “difficulty in acquiring writing skills despite sufficient learning opportunity and cognitive potential.” When a teacher or other professional asks a parent about “what type of dysgraphia their student might have,” they may be referring to the so-called “5 Types of Dysgraphia”, that often include, “motor”, “dyslexic”, “spatial”, and so on – but these distinctions are rarely clear-cut in real life and […]

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Education Where Things Are Now & Looking Ahead To Fall Semester [Premium]

Education Where Things Are Now & Looking Ahead To Fall Semester [Premium]

As expected, many students have experienced learning loss because of school changes related to the pandemic. As new cases fall and immunizations rise, school plans begin to take shape.   Although some educational reports have tried to take a rosy picture of the pandemic’s effect on education, learning loss appears to be worldwide with the widest losses among lower socioeconomic groups, Blacks and Hispanics, and students with disabilities.     The research firm McKinsey & Company found that learning loss during the pandemic average 6.8 months for K-12 students. In order to make up for losses, the report recommended at minimum 50 hours of targeted instruction over a two week period. Many states put waivers on dyslexia screening, teacher training, and intervention requirements due to […]

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Processing Speed and Dyslexia [Premium]

Processing Speed and Dyslexia [Premium]

“I’m still slow at reading but I’ve learned to adjust…while you will have dyslexia for the rest of your life, you can dart between the raindrops to get where you want to go. It will not hold you back.” – Steven Spielberg WHAT IS PROCESSING SPEED? Processing speed generally refers to the speed required to take in information, do cognitive work, and respond. For dyslexic children and adults, processing speeds can vary dramatically depending on the types of stimuli, types of mental work, and types of responses expected.   PROCESSING SPEED CHANGES AND CHANGES OVER TIME In the setting of dyslexia, processing speeds for different tasks also vary dramatically with age. Typical “late-blooming” children may be much slower than same age peers in early grade […]

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Q & A: Map Testing

Q & A: Map Testing

Across the United States, millions of K-12 school children take the NWEA MAP or Measures of Academic Progress tests. Using a computerized adaptive test it assesses math and reading in the early grades, and language usage and science for older students. By having...

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Executive Function: What Smart People Do Differently While Learning [Premium]

Executive Function: What Smart People Do Differently While Learning [Premium]

When researchers compared high IQ and average test subjects in a learning paradigm, the results were surprising. In some areas high IQ individuals work less, as might be expected by the idea that higher IQ people have more efficient brains for learning tasks, but in other areas, high IQ brains were working harder. When were high IQ brains working harder? Not prior or during the task, it seems, but when feedback was given and individuals were learning from their mistakes. From Graham et al. : “the Average IQ group failed to produce as much activation during feedback evaluation as did the High IQ group. These group differences are inconsistent with the neural efficiency hypothesis and instead suggest that the High IQ individuals were engaged in […]

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DYSLEXIA AND ALGEBRA:  Algebra Tiles  – MULTISENSORY [Premium]

DYSLEXIA AND ALGEBRA: Algebra Tiles – MULTISENSORY [Premium]

With continually evolving Algebra 1 & 2 mandates, it is becoming increasingly important that dyslexic students master Algebra in order to pursue their dreams of certain careers and college degrees. Many dyslexic students are well-suited to the logic of Algebra, but they can easily get lost in following the multi-step procedures of algebraic problem solving if they don’t have a deeper knowledge of what they are actually doing with their steps. Simple algebraic problems can be introduced in the younger grades.   Most students prefer working with physical algebra tiles first, but there are resources like these Michigan Virtual School Virtual Algebra Tiles that can be accessed online for free.             If algebra is not being taught with manipulatives in […]

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NASP Publishes Advice About Dyslexia Screening [Premium]

NASP Publishes Advice About Dyslexia Screening [Premium]

 NASP or the National Association of School Psychologists recently published an article entitled: “Four Dyslexia Screening Myths That Cause More Harm Than Good in Preventing Reading Failure and What You Can Do Instead.” As many of you who are involved in dyslexia advocacy know, NASP holds a great deal of influence over school psychologists. At least in the past NASP probably contributed to reluctance of school psychologists to “say dyslexia” in schools (see 2007 NASP Position Statement here). Some highlights: “At a time when schools are administering more screening to detect risk for reading failure than at any time in the history of education, it is interesting that legislative mandates are prescribing more reading screening in the name of better identification and treatment of dyslexia. Given that most schools already […]

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