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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

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Questions and Answers