Arizona Branch International Dyslexia Association February 7, 2015 Kathleen Harrington Sue Giannetti...
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Arizona Branch International Dyslexia Association February 7, 2015 Kathleen Harrington Sue Giannetti Planning Successful Transition to College: Avoiding the Pitfalls!
Arizona Branch International Dyslexia Association February 7, 2015 Kathleen Harrington Sue Giannetti Planning Successful Transition to College: Avoiding
Arizona Branch International Dyslexia Association February 7,
2015 Kathleen Harrington Sue Giannetti Planning Successful
Transition to College: Avoiding the Pitfalls!
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INTRODUCTIONS:
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Pitfall: An unapparent source of trouble or danger; a hidden
hazard. A concealed hole in the ground that serves as a trap.
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TOP 10 PITFALLS HIDDEN CHALLENGES STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA
ENCOUNTER TRANSITIONING INTO THE COLLEGE SETTING
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NUMBER 10: IEP VS 504
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MAJOR DIFFERENCES: There are significant differences between
the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which many high school
students with dyslexia have and the 504 which supports them in the
college setting. There is NO IEP at the college level. Purpose
Content EligibilityFunding ResponsibilityTesting LawsTracking
http://www.edconsult.org/Portals/41331/docs/Plan%20Comparison%
20IEP%20vs%20504.pdf
http://www.edconsult.org/Portals/41331/docs/Plan%20Comparison%
20IEP%20vs%20504.pdf
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ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS
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What accommodations will you need to succeed? Is college
coursework modified? Typical Disability Resource Center (DRC)
Accommodations: Note-taker Extended time for tests Quiet area for
testing (pros and cons) Assistive Technology: Live Scribe,
Kurzweil, White Smoke Personal Digital Agenda (PDA) Audio recorders
Speech to text programs: Dragon Naturally Speaking
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NUMBER 9: LEARNER PROFILE
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What is a learning profile? A learning profile describes the
ways in which a student learns best. Students must be prepared to
thoroughly answer this question as they apply to receive
accommodations. Throughout high school, students must develop a
sense of which learning styles work best and present these findings
at each yearly IEP meeting. The DRC advisors will ask students to
state their disability and describe what instructional styles help
them succeed in school.
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Are You Ready to Face Who You Are?
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Labels are not meant to define children, however, it is with
these labels children learn who they are and who they want to
become. It is difficult to overcome any label; it is empowering to
accept the labels we create for ourselves.
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NUMBER 8: SELF ADVOCACY
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YES I HAVE A DISABILITY What is the importance of self
advocacy? Students must -be comfortable using the word disability
-be able to disclose disability -identify both strengths and
weaknesses -approach confrontational situations with strategies of
resolution
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NUMBER 7: RIGOR AND PACING OF COLLEGE COURSEWORK
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How different can college classes really be?
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Every year in the United States, nearly 60% of first-year
college students discover that, despite being fully eligible to
attend college, they are not ready for postsecondary studies. After
enrolling, these students learn that they must take remedial
courses in English or mathematics, which do not earn college
credits. Even those students who have done everything they were
told to do to prepare for college find, often after they arrive,
that their new institution has deemed them unprepared. Their high
school diploma, college- preparatory curriculum, and high school
exit examination scores did not ensure college readiness. "Beyond
the Rhetoric - Improving College Readiness Through Coherent State
Policy." Beyond the Rhetoric - Improving College Readiness Through
Coherent State Policy.
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NUMBER 6: MATH GAPS
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What do you mean I have to take a remedial math course?
Modified high school math curriculum Not prepared for assessment
Loss of connective concepts Inability to apply learned knowledge to
testing format More than 50 percent of students entering two-year
colleges and nearly 20 percent of those entering four-year
universities are placed in remedial classes. Never wanting to be in
a remedial class in the first place and often feeling that theyll
never get to full-credit courses, too many remedial students quit
before ever starting a college class.
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GradeHigh SchoolCommunity CollegeUniversity Prestigious
University (Liberal Arts) Prestigious University (Computer
Science/Engineering) 9 th Algebra 1-2 Honors GeometryHonors Algebra
3-4 10 th Geometry Honors Algebra 3-4AP Calculus 11 th Financial
MathAlgebra 3-4 AP Calculus Honors Calculus III/Honors Differential
Equations 12 th College MathPre-Calculus or Financial Math
Pre-CalculusHonors Calculus III/Honors Differential Equations
and/or AP Statistics and/or Honors Computer Programming AP
Statistics and/or Honors Computer Programming and/or Advanced
Math
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University CourseworkHigh School Skills Equivalency MAT 081-082
Basic Arithmetic Fundamental Math Operations Pre-Algebra MAT
091-092 Elementary Algebra Pre-Algebra First Year Algebra MAT 102
Applied Mathematics Emphasis on operational/computational skills
with applications MAT 120 Introduction to College Algebra Second
Year Algebra MAT 140 Intermediate College Algebra Algebra 2
Geometry MAT 150 College Algebra Advanced Algebra Trigonometry MAT
182 Pre Calculus, Trigonometry, Finite Math Calculus Honors MAT 220
Calculus Advanced Placement/Honors Calculus or Statistics
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NUMBER 5: WRITING GAPS
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The impact of the first writing assignment. Many students enter
college with amazingly poor writing ability, owing to the fact that
no one paid much attention to their writing while they were in
their K-12 years. Once I had a student come to my office with her
test in hand, a test on which she had scored very poorly on all
three of the essay questions. But I never had to write essay
answers before, she complained. Throughout her previous years of
schooling, she had taken almost nothing but true-false and
multiple- choice tests. (Brandeis University Professor William
Ehlet) Leef, George. "Commentaries: Why Can't They Speak and Write
Clearly The John William Pope Center, 11 Dec. 2013..
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Why writing is so hard for students with language-based
learning differences...Both reading and writing demand knowledge of
vocabulary and syntax, but writing places higher demands on
students because they must produce the vocabulary and sentences
rather than just comprehend them. Expository writing, in
particular, places high demands on a student's vocabulary and
syntactic knowledge. Many students with LDs in reading and writing
have difficulties with sentence structure. In addition, vocabulary
develops through extensive reading, so limited reading can
negatively affect vocabulary... MacArthur, Charles A. "Writing
Disabilities: An Overview." Writing Disabilities: An Overview. LD
Online, n.d. Web..
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Essential Writing Skills for College Students Success Writing
is a process of critically thinking and planning before written
output. Brainstorming and Outlining are not only vital but
drastically cut the time ultimately spent on the writing
assignment. Knowing how to organize the writing is the primary and
most foundational skill for college students with dyslexia.
Sentence structure and grammar skills are best developed with
one-on-one editing and discussion. For sentence structure, focus on
the function of each word.
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Accommodations, Assistive Technology, and Suggestions Reader
for writing prompts or text-to-speech software. Extra time to
complete tests with essay or short answer questions. Use of a word
processor/computer for written assignments. Speech-to-text
software: Dragon Naturally Speaking, etc. Grammar and spelling
checking software: White Smoke and Grammarly. (Spellcheck may not
be your friend!) A trusted living, breathing editor. Direct
instruction in vocabulary, prefixes, and suffixes, especially
vocabulary with classical roots (Greek and Roman.) Rio Salado
Community College online ENG 091.
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NUMBER 4: READING GAPS
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I cant keep up with all this reading! A part-time college
student can expect 80 pages of reading per week for one course
while full-time students are assigned an average of 250 pages of
textbook and outside reading each week. Skilled college freshman
typically read 263 words per minute. Students with learning
differences in reading may only read at 133-156 words per minute.
Capotosto, Lauren. "Decoding and Fluency Problems of Poor College
Readers: Research to Practice." National College Transition
Network
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Choppy and hesitant reading affects comprehension Slower
readers must dedicate their mental efforts toward decoding, leaving
limited mental resources to meaning-making. Slow reading taxes
short-term memory because it is more difficult to retain the long
and complicated sentences often found in college level texts.
Students with LD not only made more oral reading errors than
neuro-typical peers (27 errors per 500-700 words vs. 3 errors) but
errors were also likely to change the entire meaning of the text
Capotosto, Lauren. "Decoding and Fluency Problems of Poor College
Readers: Research to Practice." National College Transition
Network
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Practices to support college reading Text-to-speech software
typically increases the reading rate of slow college readers by
approximately 25 words per minute HOWEVER it is not effective for
all students. Students with most gains had strong verbal
comprehension skills and poor unaided reading rate affecting
comprehension. Students with least gains had strong unaided
comprehension because speech synthesizer technology interfered with
understanding of texts. Multi-sensory summer courses in phonics may
boost skills for some readers Teaching traditional comprehension
strategies and vocabulary instruction may be valuable. Untimed (or
additional time on) tests
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NUMBER 3: INEFFECTIVE SOCIAL and COMMUNICATION SKILLS
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Importance of communicating well With peers in the classroom
and socially With professors, instructors With administrative staff
With medical providers With others in community
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NUMBER 2: EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS
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Response inhibition Thinking before acting. Student reaction:
Professor gives 0 for assignment not meeting posted requirements
and student shuts down. Proactive response: Asking professor to
clarify and for permission to resubmit the assignment.
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Working memory Holding information in memory while performing
complex tasks; drawing on past learning or experience to apply to
the academic concept. Student reaction: Canceling an intake
appointment at the Disability Resource center because student
cannot explain his or her disability. Proactive response:
Role-playing to prepare for appointment and disclosure.
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Emotional control Managing emotions to achieve goals, complete
tasks, or to control and direct behavior. Student reaction: Not
learning from mistakes causing lack of confidence and significant
emotional distress. Proactive response: Accepting constructive
criticism and learning strategies for to keep cool.
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Sustaining attention Paying attention to a situation or task in
spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom. Student reaction:
Losing focus in lecture resulting in no or ineffective note-taking.
Proactive response: Developing note-taking skills; using technology
if indicated (Live Scribe pen, laptop, etc.); practicing active
listening (doodling, etc.)
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Task initiation Beginning projects without undue
procrastination in an efficient and timely fashion Student
reaction: Waiting until 11:54 p.m. to turn in the assignment due at
11:59 p.m.and the internet crashes. Proactive response: Time
management skills and prioritizing (planning for the
unexpected.)
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Planning and prioritization/Time management/Goal-setting
persistence Creating a road map to reach a goal or completing a
task, including deciding what is important and what is not
important. Student reaction: Failing to recognize the embedded
tasks to complete the assignment and to set both short-term and
long-term goals (procrastination.) Proactive response: Dutifully
using planner to outline all tasks and to effectively estimate the
time to complete each of those.
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Organization Creating and maintaining systems to keep track of
information and materials. Student reaction: Failing to smoothly
navigate all instructional, calendar and assignment materials
online; difficulty planning and organizing written assignments.
Proactive response: Asking for assistance and developing
proficiency with online programs; following the writing
process.
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Flexibility Revising plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks,
new information, or mistakes; adapting to changing conditions
Student reaction: Class is cancelled before an important exam study
session; working in peer group projects. Proactive response: Asking
for assistance in office hours, by email, to peer, etc.
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Executive skills Executive function enables students to
maintain focus, progress, and motivation; make connections with
existing knowledge; recognize when comprehension falters; and apply
strategies to modulate frustration and resolve lapses in
understanding... Self- efficacy (the belief that ones actions are
related to outcomes) includes skills in self-awareness,
self-assessment, and self-advocacy... Executive function, the
brains super-manager, empowers students to set goals, marshal the
various internal and external resources needed to meet them, and
make adjustments to ensure accomplishment. Newhall, Patricia W.,
M.A., MS. Ed. "Language-Based Learning Disabilities and Academic
Proficiency." Independent Educational Consultants Association.
IECA, 1 Apr. 2013.
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NUMBER 1: UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS AND POOR PLANNING
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Just whose dreams are they anyway? Realistic goals Positive
self-image which stresses strengths. Personal qualities to support
success including realistic self- assessment, willingness to take
risks, and ability to sustain effort to achieve goals.
RESILIENCY.
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Have you ever failed?
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Planning during high school Learning profile Self-advocacy
(attend IEP meetings and the Summary of Performance meeting) IQ
testing on adult-level scale Visit colleges and know what supports
are available for students with learning differences
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College support plan Regular direct instruction and monitoring
of studying, test- taking, and note-taking strategies in context of
class materials Plan for several hours per week of academic
coaching in core reading, writing and math skills as embedded in
the classes the student is taking Monitor students emotional state
and supports Flexibility and forgiveness