Local Teachers Certified to Work with Students with Dyslexia
Dyslexia is estimated to be one of the most common learning disabilities, affecting somewhere between 15-20% of the population, according to the International Dyslexia Association. Many people with dyslexia face added challenges both academically and in the workplace.
The State of Idaho considered dyslexia such a challenge that in 2022, House Bill 731 made it a requirement for all new teachers and re-certifying teachers to receive training on dyslexia.
Locally, the president of Decoding Dyslexia Idaho, Kim Zeydel, has been helping to make that happen. She holds a Doctorate in Curriculum Instruction and Assessment as well as two Master’s degrees, and was the 2015 Idaho Teacher of the Year as well as the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She retired in 2018, but still helps as a consultant at Council Elementary, where she helps assess the children and train teachers. With her help, Council Elementary School was able to receive a grant to send teachers to receive special training on dyslexia.
On August 4-8, four teachers from Council Elementary School, and three from Meadows Valley attended a training on the Institute for Multi-sensory Education’s course called Comprehensive Orton-Gillinham Plus Training. This was a 30 hour training that helped teachers better learn how to teach reading to students. Last year, two teachers and two paraprofessionals from Council were trained. Horizons’ Lifestyle and Education Team received the grant from the Stibnite Foundation and Decoding Dyslexia Idaho to train 20 teachers from Valley, Adams, and Idaho County, and Council Elementary applied through them. This was very helpful, as the training normally cost $1200 per teacher. The course was recognized by the Idaho Department of Education as a 1 credit dyslexia course requirement for teachers to re-certify.
Kim Zeydel said that up to 20% of children have dyslexia, but it is a spectrum, some are very mild, and some are more severe. “Those kids get left behind,” she said. The training gives teachers new tools and methods for teaching reading that can be helpful to all students, not just those with dyslexia. “If you teach kids the way a dyslexic learns, all the kids learn,” said Zeydel. She also said the kids like it, because much of it involved incorporating more multi-sensory tools, as well as visual and auditory.
This year, all of the Council Elementary teachers in K-3rd grade and Special Education had completed the training, and K-2nd grade teachers in New Meadows. Last year, sixth grade teacher, Robyn Warner, also took the IMSE Morphology Training. Orton-Gillinham (OG) is more about learning how to read, learning the sounds and phonetic awareness. Morphology is learning parts of the words, including Latin and Greek Roots. Zeydel said they may focus more on morphology in the future.
Zeydel mentioned that even in our rural school districts, another challenge was the language development of incoming kindergartners, which is very behind across the nation due to the effects of the Covid Pandemic and lockdowns. Additionally, prior to the law in 2022 being passed, teacher education programs didn’t always include specific training on dyslexia and teaching reading, so opportunities like this are helpful to help bridge gaps. Zeydel says it is making a difference. This year, Prairie Elementary School in Cottonwood had all of their teachers trained on OG, and last year they had some of the best ISAT scores in the state. The focus of the grant was on small rural school districts, where there aren’t always as many resources for continuing education and training. Zeydel said the teachers here have been great about trying and learning new things. Everyone is committed to helping to improve themselves to better the education experiences and outcomes for students in Adams County.
