MILLSTONE — Help may have arrived for students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia or other reading problems and who may have fallen under the radar in the Millstone Township K-8 School District.
Director of Special Services Laurie Hall came up with a new idea involving the formation of a partnership between the school district and Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) to kick off a reading and spelling program that uses a method called the Orton Gillingham approach.
Hall said she was impressed with this approach because it uses a phonics-based method of direct instruction for teaching reading and spelling.
“Fairleigh Dickinson University had one of the best-known established programs,” she said. “If we were going to partner with anyone it would have to be the best of the best.”
Superintendent of Schools Scott Feder said it is wonderful that Hall’s plan was inspired by the district’s strategic plan.
“Laurie Hall has done all of the legwork,” Feder said. “This creative, intelligent plan is her brainchild.”
Hall said that in January, the first group of teachers and professionals will begin the first course, Multisensory Reading One.
The program involves one year of training and has a four-course requirement. Staff members who are selected to participate will be eligible for tuition reimbursement from the district, according to Hall.
The program uses a cohort training approach in which a team, or cohort, of educators will go through the courses together. Cohort training is based on the concept that people learn better in groups.
There is a limitation of eight instructors in the first cohort, and those educators will give the first 32 students individual instruction.
“I find this incredibly exciting,” Hall said. “It will boost staff training and skill levels, and at the culmination of the courses they will have certification. Our students will be able to attend different programs with teachers trained in these multisensory strategies so we can support our struggling readers in all settings.”
One of the largest areas of classification in Millstone and most public school districts is that of learning disabilities in the areas of reading and literacy, according to Hall. Dyslexia is one reading disability; however, there are many other types of disabilities.
Staff members who are selected from any of the schools in the district for this program would undergo training at the Millstone Township Primary School, where FDU instructors would come to teach.
Staff members from Millstone met with FDU instructors for an information session on Nov. 17.
The first group of participants in Millstone will include general-needs and special needs teachers, child study team members, remedial teachers, and speech and language specialists so these strategies can be immediately implemented in a variety of settings, according to Hall.
“It was a successful meeting,” she said. “I am very excited about this opportunity for our district. I am grateful for the positive response and support.”