Wise for Reading, MA

@JPass64 @karenvaites @lexingtonsuper @mass_potential @mmoriarty61 @MASchoolsK12 @s_e_schwartz There is NOTHING passive about the way she attacks the Science of Reading. Her track record is long and proven.

@karenvaites @lexingtonsuper @mass_potential @mmoriarty61 @MASchoolsK12 @s_e_schwartz If she’s speaking in good faith, it would be fine to use the state for cover. Part of why state initiatives are useful is because they guide and give cover to those on the front lines. It comes across like she’s undermining the state in a passive aggressive way. Not a good email.

What would you do if you were the parent of a dyslexic child struggling to read in 5th grade, in a district using @TeachersCollege Reading Workshop UOS for your curriculum, even after its founder Lucy Calkins had been on the cover of the NYT because her work was canceled by @Columbia… And you came across an email from the district Elementary director, telling another parents that TCRWP UOS “curriculum would not be great for a kiddo with a dyslexic profile”? After you’d hired lawyers to convince the district to remediate the harms it caused to your kid? Meet Kyle in Lexington. And his superintendent @lexingtonsuper. Lexington is Exhibit A for why the new Massachusetts bill needs to pass. Some districts are irrationally, almost religiously loyal to flawed programs. And they can show a callow disregard for the needs of children with dyslexia. @MissyPurcell @KJWinEducation @Veggievangelist @tarjaparssinen @mgpotente @meganbaci @brett_tingley @everyonereadste @Leegaul @BerrinchudaM @DDNJ12 @DDyslexiaMA @DDyslexiaMD

I am excited and honored to be moderating a panel discussion following this viewing tomorrow night. I am looking forward to the discussion with @ms_tarca, @mmoriarty61, and @METCOIncHq President Milly Arbaje-Thomas! #TheRighttoRead

@broncos ownership group - please pull the family money from this. Please. LLI has legitimately harmed so many students over the years and the BAS is no better than flipping a coin to “measure” progress of students. 🙏🏻 🙏🏻

@karenvaites @mandy_mclaren I am very thankful our district is no longer one of the ones using either of those curriculum tools. We were, just last year for K-2 and two years ago for 3-5. Thanks the DESE grant and ARPA funds, we switched to ARC Core - all Green on @EdReports and very strong on CuRATE too.

“Nearly half of all Massachusetts public school districts last year used a reading curriculum in their elementary schools that the state considers low quality, according to a new investigation by the Globe.” Welp. By ⁦@mandy_mclaren⁩: bostonglobe.com/2023/10/04/met…

@Say_Dyslexia This sounds intriguing … I hope it went well other than the door slammers.

@karenvaites Can we talk about the choice of name for the new company? Moss Flower? A rolling stone gathers no moss. A stone in a dark, dank area will gather moss. A reading expert that is constantly learning, gathers no moss. A stagnant, in the dark, “reading expert” flowers with moss. Hmmm

I’m taking for granted that my followers know that phonics – teaching children the sounds made by letters and letter combinations, in a way that allows them to decode new words – is NOT JUST TEACHING THE ALPHABET.

"Podcasts, articles, & editorials are scaring the public into thinking that somehow teachers have been hoodwinked... ... and Kinder and 1st grade teachers are not teaching kids their ABCs." – Lucy Calkins, via her new website 😳

@TracyNovick Yes, unfortunately. Demonstrates a lack of understanding of DIBELS/Acadiance.

(and "we want X as a Dibels score" is a lousy goal, in any case)

Coming to you live this morning from Westford Academy, Westford’s public high school, where the Board of Ed meets at 9.

@TracyNovick I agree. School Committee for the Superintendent and the District. School Council for the School with review and approval from the Superintendent after counseling with the School Committee. Roles and responsibilities of all parties can be a challenge for many to understand.

(note: goal setting = purview of school committee. It's a real shame that the Board of the whole dang state has members who don't know that)

@TracyNovick Why are you what the hecking this? Clearly, I am not there but there is absolutely trauma for students that cannot perform at grade level. Trauma and life long consequences. So, context may be key to the “what the heck” that I am not seeing. Curious to hear more here.

we talk about trauma: what about trauma of not being able to perform at grade level, Moriarty asks #MAEdu (what the heck?)

@smalltownpeddoc @KJWinEducation I will suggest an extension of this - get elected to the School Board, Committee or Board of Education. Just speaking to them will often fall on deaf ears or be explained away with excuses. Become part of the solution … twitter.com/wiseforreading…

@KJWinEducation What is better, trying to convince the teachers to push for change or going to the superintendent and board of education to push them to mandate change from the top?

Educators need the public to push a pro-literacy agenda. Otherwise, their institution may crush them. Teachers can lead, but the community must also demand it.

@KJWinEducation Too often, we see excuses for why children can’t read. We need to upset the apple cart of those excuses and not accept them. Paraphrasing @AngieHanlin, “We need to accept the test scores for what they are so we can celebrate them when they increase.”

@KJWinEducation … school board meetings get shushed or yessed to death with no action. We need people at the table. Setting the goals of the district and the superintendent. Helping to educate on the science and the possibilities of actually teaching ALL children to read. 🧵

Talking to the teachers they appreciate the structure but also the freedom to bring their art and knowledge to the implementation.

Seeing the complexity of the books that were read for the comparative writing was also encouraging. Teachers from other districts that observed with us were shocked at the books being used in fourth grade. 🧵

I just can’t put it into the proper words. Ironically I state that as there was great focus on vocabulary. 🧵

Moving on to fifth grade and we see the editing process. We see the teacher model it, but then the students execute it well too. The complexity of language use was encouraging to see. The explicit modeling from the teachers and the JOY the teachers demonstrated … 🧵

Excited to be at Killam Elementary (@Killamnews ) today for the “Seeing is Believing” showcase event demonstrating the work our teachers and students have been doing as we roll out ARC Core Reading for our 3-5 students. #knowledgematters #readingisacivilright 🧵