A parent has expressed concern that students who may be dyslexic are not receiving proper support from the Freehold Regional High School District in order to be prepared for college.
The Freehold Township resident, who said her 10-year-old son has dyslexia, approached the Board of Education recently about adopting a comprehensive dyslexia policy.
“I have a very close friend who has a son who graduated in the last few years from the district,” she said. “He was classified in elementary school [with a Specific Learning Disability].”
The parent said the student passed the High School Proficiency Assessment test and then attended Brookdale Community College, where he was unable to pass the Accuplacer placement exam.
“So he had to take remedial classes, was unable to pass the remedial reading classes at Brookdale, and is now told that [he is] not eligible to sign on for any more classes until [he] can pass the remedial reading classes,” she said.
“I wanted to add a human side because this is a child who graduated from this district. I understand we have a gem in our district of … learning academies that produce wonderful students who go on to accomplish many great things.
“Can you imagine being the lower 20 percent sitting at your high school graduation? We listen to the speech of the valedictorian, but who wonders what is going through that [student] who graduates high school, barely functioning on a middle school reading level?” she said.
Recent dyslexia laws adopted by New Jersey now allow students to be defined as dyslexic, rather than only classified under the category of Specific Learning Disability.
Additional laws also now require New Jersey schools to provide certain teachers — such as special education and basic skills teachers — with a minimum of two hours in dyslexia training.
But administrators have the option to construct an even more in-depth dyslexia policy for their individual district, according to the International Dyslexia Association.
“This is really, really important,” the parent said. “As a society, do we want to put out a generation of people who are barely literate? Is that what we want to say?”
The parent said a degree in special education does not mean a teacher has specific training in reading disabilities. She said many services currently being offered by the district are “not enough.”
Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson said administrators would be open to reaching out to parents with expertise in the subject.
“It is a community endeavor to get it right,” Sampson said. “When it comes down to making specific decisions on which way we are going to go, that is an administrative decision ultimately we would hope [would be] fostered with a lot of input from a lot of different folks.”
Renee Davis, director of special services, said the district offers a number of services to assist students who have dyslexia.
“The district currently provides supplemental classes, tutoring, enrichment programs, interventions and tools designed to assess and provide remedial support for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, that adversely affect their progress in school,” Davis said. “In response to the new [dyslexia] law, FRHSD will continue to make concerted efforts to identify struggling readers and provide educational supports to help optimize success.”
Board member Carl Accettola thanked the parent for sharing her concerns.
“The bottom line purpose of a board meeting is to improve the district and I would just like to say that I really appreciate you bringing awareness to this issue, because it is going to be looked at more carefully as a result of your presentation tonight,” Accettola said.