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May 18, 2009 10:55 pm US/Central
Parents: GCISD Isn't Helping Dyslexic Students
GRAPEVINE (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Some parents of students in Grapevine Colleyville ISD say the district lags behind when it comes to testing and instruction for dyslexia. The parents say they want changes before more students fall behind in the classroom.
Board members met in a regular session On Monday when the issue was not on the agenda.
Julie Lawrence, who has two daughters with dyslexia, spoke during the open session portion of the meeting and shared her challenges with strengthening her daughters' reading skills.
Her oldest, Darby, is in sixth grade now and reading at the appropriate level. But the girl remembers how difficult it was for her to learn to read.
"It was always hard for me to get the d's and the b's," she said.
The Lawrences remember when the student fell behind her class' progress.
"I was reading these little, itty bitty chapter books and they were reading these really big chapter books. I couldn't understand why they could and I couldn't," Darby recalled.
Lawrence told board members she believes the district should test students in the first grade not the third and give them certified dyslexia instruction.
Darby has caught up to her classmates and several other parents look to her mom for inspiration with dealing with their own children's dyslexia.
Lawrence said home schooling is the answer. The girls were home schooled and enrolled in Scottish Rite's dyslexia program for two years.
Other parents relate to the out-of-pocket for special instruction.
"As a mother, you want to get the best for your child. You want them to read, so it's not something I would see as blazing the trail. It's something I saw as getting what my daughter needed," Lawrence said.
During Monday's meeting, parents filled the room and about 30 of them stood when Lawrence asked how many of them have paid out-of-pocket for specialized instruction.
One woman said she paid more than $90,000 for help for her daughter from the time the girl entered kindergarten through college.
GCISD officials defend their program.
"Our goal is to identify those needs early so we can help those students be successful in the classroom and among their peers," Megan Overman explained.
Overman also pointed out students in the district perform well on the reading portion of the TAKS tests.
Lawrence, however, said the numbers don't reflect how many parents have pulled their kids out of the district.
Both Darby and sister Addie returned to GCISD classrooms. Their mother just wants to see other mothers' children get the help they need early.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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