The Massapequa School District is recognizing Dyslexia Awareness Month in October with a commitment to strong literacy practices that support all students. Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects a person’s ability to read, spell and recognize words accurately and fluently, despite having typical intelligence and educational opportunities.
Over the past several years, the district has been providing additional training to elementary, special education and reading teachers in the Orton Gillingham method, a structured, multisensory approach to reading instruction that helps students with dyslexia learn language skills by using sight, sound, movement and touch. It supports their development in reading, spelling and writing. The first group of teachers were trained in 2022 with additional educators receiving training each year.
To expand on the training all reading and elementary specialists receive, several teachers are currently participating in an ongoing intensive Orton Gillingham practicum under the guidance of a certified mentor. Several teachers who took part in a September workshop with an Orton Gillingham representative found it to be very beneficial. Berner Middle School reading teacher Nicolette Wilson said it deepened her understanding how to respond to individual student needs. She learned strategies to break down advanced reading, spelling and word structure concepts in clear and manageable steps.
East Lake Elementary School special education teacher Paula Findlay added that the training emphasized ways to provide immediate and constructive feedback for students.
Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Dr. Michelle Walsh and Supervisor of Literacy Patricia Quinn-Hendry noted that the training and ongoing professional development is intensive and prepares teachers to effectively respond to struggling readers of all ages, including those with dyslexia.
Ms. Quinn-Hendry noted that Massapequa’s core literacy curriculum aligns with science of reading and focuses on phonics and phonemic awareness. The district’s multi-tiered system of supports framework, commonly known as MTSS, recognizes that students have varied needs in literacy and expands available tools and resources.
“We look at all students and we recognize that they grow and learn at different rates,” Dr. Walsh said. “We now have a wide variety of tools to meet those needs.”
Unqua Elementary School reading teacher Crysta Klein, who has worked in the district for 17 years, authored a book about dyslexia, “Letters in the Leaves.” It is centered on fictional character Otto, a bright young owl who loves school but has a hard time learning to read. His peers soar effortlessly through books while, Otto struggles to decode letters, growing anxious and sad. Otto is surrounded by a supportive team, learns that his struggles do not define his intelligence, and gains the confidence to read at his own pace so he can discover the pure joy of the worlds that books can open.
The goal of the book is to remind children that struggling with reading does not mean they aren’t smart, they don’t have to learn at the exact same pace as everyone else, asking for help is a sign of strength, progress takes time and every step forward matters, and there is always someone who believes in them.
“I wrote ‘Letters in the Leaves’ to give those children a mirror and a voice,” Ms. Klein said “I want them to know that struggling doesn't mean you aren’t capable – your brain might just learn a little differently, and asking for help is one of the strongest things you can do. Otto’s challenges are fictional, but the heavy emotions he carries are very real and drawn directly from the children I’ve had the privilege of supporting.”
The Massapequa School District is continuing its emphasis on building awareness of dyslexia and learning disabilities. Educators are committed to taking a proactive approach to support all students, and recognizing and nurturing each child’s strengths.
