Welcome! We hope that you find this site informative and that you will return to it often to stay current with IRA and today’s literacy instruction. We welcome your comments and questions.
— Glenda Nugent
MSC-IRA State Coordinator
By Mollie Bolton, EdD
The Missouri Dyslexia legislation takes effect for this school year. Many supporting documents and training links are available on DESE’s website under College and Career Readiness>>Curriculum>>Dyslexia linked here. In January, DESE released their guidelines as well as recommendations for dyslexia screeners which are available on the DESE website. The guidelines are for local education agencies to help identify and provide service to students at-risk for dyslexia or related disorders in accordance with the provisions of Section 167.950, RSMo. Due to the fact that Missouri is a local control state, districts have considerable autonomy with regard to screening and diagnostic tools that will be used as well as what instructional methods and programs will be implemented to support students deemed “at-risk”. State statute requires that starting in the 2018-2019 school year and subsequent years, schools will conduct dyslexia screenings. The task force has recommended that each student K-3 will be screened each year (Grades 1-3 within the first 30 days of school and K no later than January 31st ). In addition, students in grades 4 or higher who are experiencing consistent difficulty in the areas identified in the recommendations; or by requested of a student’s parent or guardian would also be screened. There are some exemptions such as students with an existing diagnosis of dyslexia, students with sensory impairments or severe intellectual disabilities, and English Learners where tools or staffing related to administration and/or interpretation, in native language is unavailable. Data will be collected through core data collection in June and will consist of what students were screened and how many were found at risk. Following the screening, those determined at –risk will be provided accommodations that benefit the student based on individual need. A list of possible accommodations are included in the report and the guidelines. In addition, the statue requires that two hours of in-service training be provided for all practicing teachers regarding dyslexia and related disorders. DESE has some initial online trainings available on their website that will fulfill the mandated requirement as well as a recommendation list of other possible trainings. Please see the full guidelines and report on DESE’s website for more detailed information.
As we transition with the International Literacy Association(ILA), the Missouri State Council of the International Reading Association is now the Missouri Literacy Association (MLA)! Under the new ILA charter, the state and local councils will operate differently. We will continue to support members with exciting professional development through conferences, workshops, The Missouri Reader, and online webinars. The transition process takes time, but stay tuned for new opportunities for professional learning and networking with MLA coming in the next year.
This transition must be finalized by September 1, 2018. At that point in time, the IRA group exemption that both the state and local councils previously operated under will be dissolved, and the new ILA group exemption will be the only one available to the state chapters. Starting September 1, 2018:
To help with this process, here are the answers to some of the frequently asked questions ILA has received:
Do the local councils have to change their names? No, they do not. This decision is at the discretion of the state chapter. Each local will not be its own organization, but rather a group within the state chapter.
Do local councils need to file an ILA officer report?
No, the local councils no longer need to supply ILA with a yearly officer report. However, there may be annual report requirements from the state chapter.
Do we have to give all locals a bank account? No, but you can. This is also at the discretion of the state. How a local operates, and if they need a bank account or should be a line item under the state, will best be determined by the state.
Does each local council need to have a specific number of ILA members? There is no minimum number of ILA members for local groups. However, state chapter board members must be ILA members.
Do the local councils need their own bylaws? Local councils should draft their own procedures (including how they wish to operate) with the state chapter’s approval. They will no longer need bylaws because they will operate under the state’s bylaws.
Do we need to file our 990 forms this November? Yes, all locals and state chapters must file a final 990 form and check the “Final Return/Terminated” box in Section B. The IRA group exemption will officially end at this point.
This process is new for everyone, and we are here to help work through it. If you have any comments, suggestions, ideas, or questions about the local transition process, or would like to set up a call, please do not hesitate to contact Glenda Nugent, ILA Coordinator, or Tammy Rhomberg, MLA President.
Glenda – glenda.nugent@gmail.com
Tammy – tjrh3@earthlink.com
We cannot wait for you to explore this issue of The Missouri Reader and we hope you are as excited about what you find as we are to share it with you. The Special Section – Differentiation features a review of the research along with practical suggestions for meeting the needs of ALL of your students. Just as we strive to meet all of our learner’s needs, we have tried to meet your needs by providing full-length articles ranging from scholarly articles that present research, theory, and practice, written by experienced professors and teachers, to shorter articles that give you a glimpse into the classrooms of teachers of all experience levels.
The Missouri Reader is fortunate to have so many diverse educators willing to take time to share what works for them. If you would like to share your research or experiences, be sure to read Dr. Beth Hurst’s article, “Writing for the Missouri Reader.” The Call for Manuscripts can be found on the last page of this journal.
Check it out with the link below! We are sure you will find just the right article to inspire you!
https://joom.ag/8cML
