It is so easy when we have
conversations about cultural issues to forget that race and ethnicity do
not hold exclusivity over the need to ensure civil rights for everyone.
This week, I would like to talk about civil rights for students who
learn differently than average students. There are states in our nation,
to an extent Texas included, where students with learning differences
are often marginalized through policy, the nature of standardized
assessment, or funding.
For example, I heard from a parent this week in Florida whose son is severely dyslexic and gifted. The board of education in Florida has, in the past, recognized and provided services for both his dyslexia and his giftedness. Changes to the state's standardized assessments, now in line with the CCSS, have caused the state BOE to discontinue support for children in the two extremes on the continuum of learning differences. Gifted children no longer receive services in favor of bright children, or "high achievers", who are strong test-takers, and dyslexia has become a taboo that is not funded nor protected by law or policy. Her child will languish under this new system.
Here in Texas, we are fortunate to have dyslexia protocols established by the state, but these protocols are left to individual districts to enforce, and they are enforced with varying diligence. Similarly, the state published a plan for gifted and talented identification and education years ago, but this plan, too, is left in the hands of Independent School Districts. Without oversight, this leaves gifted children throughout the state of Texas a toss of the dice. If a child is fortunate enough to grow up in a community where gifted education is important to parents and the community, that child stands a strong chance of receiving the kind of education his learning differences demand. However, if he grows up in another community, where parents are less informed or interested, he will not stand a chance at reaching his full potential.
I see many gifted children suffering in pre-AP or even regular classes because their educators do not understand enough about the nature and needs of someone with such a learning difference. All of this is nothing next to the injustice proffered upon a twice-exceptional child like the boy from Florida mentioned above. In many districts, a child can be tagged as dyslexic or tagged as GT, but he cannot be tagged as both. This despite the abundant research that demonstrates that dyslexic children typically exhibit above average or higher intelligence.
As we move into leadership roles in this era marked by standardized assessment, we must be cognizant to remember that it is our charge to advocate for and teach all of our children.
For example, I heard from a parent this week in Florida whose son is severely dyslexic and gifted. The board of education in Florida has, in the past, recognized and provided services for both his dyslexia and his giftedness. Changes to the state's standardized assessments, now in line with the CCSS, have caused the state BOE to discontinue support for children in the two extremes on the continuum of learning differences. Gifted children no longer receive services in favor of bright children, or "high achievers", who are strong test-takers, and dyslexia has become a taboo that is not funded nor protected by law or policy. Her child will languish under this new system.
Here in Texas, we are fortunate to have dyslexia protocols established by the state, but these protocols are left to individual districts to enforce, and they are enforced with varying diligence. Similarly, the state published a plan for gifted and talented identification and education years ago, but this plan, too, is left in the hands of Independent School Districts. Without oversight, this leaves gifted children throughout the state of Texas a toss of the dice. If a child is fortunate enough to grow up in a community where gifted education is important to parents and the community, that child stands a strong chance of receiving the kind of education his learning differences demand. However, if he grows up in another community, where parents are less informed or interested, he will not stand a chance at reaching his full potential.
I see many gifted children suffering in pre-AP or even regular classes because their educators do not understand enough about the nature and needs of someone with such a learning difference. All of this is nothing next to the injustice proffered upon a twice-exceptional child like the boy from Florida mentioned above. In many districts, a child can be tagged as dyslexic or tagged as GT, but he cannot be tagged as both. This despite the abundant research that demonstrates that dyslexic children typically exhibit above average or higher intelligence.
As we move into leadership roles in this era marked by standardized assessment, we must be cognizant to remember that it is our charge to advocate for and teach all of our children.
