Ask about this one thing at your struggling reader’s IEP meeting...

Now that you’ve made sure that your student’s IEP goals are formulated with a science of reading approach (based on my article), you’ve gotten to the end of the IEP meeting and are ready to ask the IEP team some questions. What should you ask to ensure your struggling reader’s continued literacy development and future success?

The one thing mentioned in this article’s title is seldom mentioned in the IEP, in the data, in the PLEP, or even in the goals. In fact, special educators are instructed specifically to NOT put it in the goals. In the hundreds of IEP meetings I’ve attended in my career, I could count those parents who have even asked about it on one hand. It could be a vehicle of joy and healing or even a vehicle of harm. What is this significant thing that you simply must ask about before the meeting is over?

CURRICULUM.

What is curriculum?

Very few parents ask about curriculum but should. In order to help your child learn to read and meet their IEP goals, teachers often use a curriculum or several curricula. According to the Rhode Island Department of Education, curriculum is “a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where students practice and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills.” In short, it’s the approach, lessons, materials, and scope and sequence that your student’s teachers are using to help your child learn and access your state’s academic standards. Do you know what curricula the school is using to help teach your struggling reader?

ABCs and 1-2-3-s of curricula

There are several kinds of ELA curricula and varying degrees of teacher autonomy to go along with them. The first kind you want to ask about is the Tier 1 curriculum, also known as the Core curriculum or the Whole Class curriculum. This is the curriculum, usually purchased as an entire district or school, that every student in a general education classroom receives. This is what the general educators use during their 90+ minute literacy block to help students master their state academic standards for ELA. Usually, teachers have little say in choosing the Tier 1 curriculum. It often depends on administration how closely the curriculum needs to be followed in each classroom and how much autonomy teachers can have when delivering the Tier 1 curriculum.

If you have a struggling reader and/or a student with dyslexia, a specific learning disability, developmental language disorder, or other disability affecting their ability to read, they will also receive a Tier 2 and/or a Tier 3 ELA curriculum, also known as the Intervention curriculum. Tier 2 and 3 curricula are more concentrated, intense, and targeted and are designed to be administered to small groups or even individually. They are meant to reteach, fill gaps in learning, and get students to the end goal of proficient reading. They may be focused on the foundational reading skills (phonological awareness, phonics, spelling, and high frequency word reading), vocabulary, or another pillar of reading. Only those who are struggling need Tier 2 and 3 curricula, usually between 10-15% of the school population for Tier 2 and 1-5% for Tier 3. Often interventionists and special educators have a little more autonomy in choosing and executing these curricula. After all, we’re meeting individual needs, so we need a more individualized approach.

Often, districts and/or schools will elect to purchase one or more Supplemental curricula. These are a supplement to what is already in place. They may be computer programs/software or similar to a traditional curriculum but focused on a specific pillar of reading or skill, such as phonological awareness or even handwriting. These may be for everyone (Tier 1) or for select learners (Tier 2 or 3), depending upon the curriculum, its purpose, and what was purchased.

Why does it matter?

Now you know about the types of curricula (Tier 1, 2, 3, and supplemental) and that you need to ask about all of the curricula your student is receiving at school. But why? Just like IEPs, not all curricula are created equally. Some are amazing and effective, if they’re based on a science of reading approach and paired with a trained, knowledgeable teacher. Other curricula, that may be based on a whole language or balanced literacy approach, will likely lead your struggling reader down a path of frustration. There’s also many that are in between with some great attributes and other attributes that are not-so-great. With thousands of ELA curricula on the market, how’s anyone to know which are the good, the bad, and the ugly?

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Recently, J. Richard Gentry, Ph. D. wrote an article called “5 Popular Reading Programs May Be Harmful to Children” in Psychology Today. In it, he shares that five frequently purchased ELA curricula in the U.S. have been found, time and again, to be “unsupported by cognitive science." Translation: these five curricula DO NOT WORK. The curricula mentioned in his article use approaches that conflict with the science of reading and the way the brain learns to read, based on the latest cognitive research. The approaches included in these curricula are ineffective at best but are especially harmful for struggling readers as they often teach and encourage habits that poor readers use.  Believe it or not, many school districts in the U.S. continue to use and purchase these curricula (using our tax dollars, mind you), despite the fact that they have been proven as ineffective. Are one of these five popular ELA curricula being used to teach your struggling reader?

What's a parent to do?

In your student’s next meeting, or even in your next email to the IEP team, ASK about the Tier 1, 2, 3, and supplemental curricula being presented to your student. It may not be mentioned anywhere in the IEP, as they can and do change from year to year. Write them down in your advocate binder. Then, DO YOUR RESEARCH on these programs. Great places to research ELA curricula include:

• Edreports.org
• CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers (CURATE)
• EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products)
• The Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Tool
• Scienceofreadinginfo.com
• Colorado’s Science of Reading approved curricula list

Are the curricula being utilized to teach your student based on the science of reading or another not-so-effective approach? Is the daily instruction going to help your student learn to read or frustrate them? Don’t be afraid to SPEAK UP if you have concerns. Call another IEP meeting to discuss if you need to. Ask for an administrator to attend. Your student’s literacy and future are on the line. They deserve to be taught with science of reading based curricula and approaches that WORK.

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By: Susan Dunbar, M.Ed.

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