November 10, 2021
TOMORROW, Texas State Board of Education member Dr. Audrey Young will be speaking with parents about the changes to dyslexia education in our state. As the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Instruction, Dr. Young was instrumental in updating the Texas Dyslexia Handbook this summer. She also serves as a Director of Student Support Services for students with IEPs and 504 Plans with a distinguished career spanning over 27 years in education.

The Dyslexia Handbook is what educators must follow when evaluating, identifying, serving, and supporting students with dyslexia and related disorders. It’s very important for parents to understand how recent changes to the handbook will impact students in HPISD and across the state of Texas. All parents of students identified with, or suspected of having, dyslexia or a related disorder are invited to attend. Educators are also welcome.

While registration for this free event is not required, it is encouraged - PLEASE REGISTER HERE.
LITERACY NEWS
As many of you may know, the literacy curriculum in HPISD is becoming a hot topic in our community now, but this is not new to many of you. Members of this group have been talking about the challenges of HPISD's literacy curriculum for years. In December of 2019, and after many earlier discussions with administrators, more than 15 parents spoke publicly to the school board and presented a report that highlights concerns with the district's literacy curriculum for all students, not just those with dyslexia - click here to read the report.

Lucy Calkins Units of Study is the primary English-Language Arts curriculum used in HPISD in kindergarten through eighth grade and it is also known as Balanced Literacy. The curriculum is NOT approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), has been widely criticized by reading experts across the country, and its use is outlawed in some states. Still, HPISD continues to use it as the primary literacy curriculum and many teachers use it exclusively. Parents in this group were originally concerned with how the curriculum impacts students with dyslexia, but once they researched it more, it was clear that it impacts every student, not just those with learning challenges. Fountas & Pinnell is also a major component of literacy instruction in HPISD, and other states prohibit its use as well. Structured Literacy is based on the science of reading and that is the approach we would like to see HPISD embrace because decades of research demonstrates that it benefits all students.

We are thankful that parents outside of this group are realizing how detrimental the current literacy curriculum is to all HPISD students. Parents who lead DDPC are helping to facilitate the gathering together of many different parents all with a common goal of improving literacy in HPISD. If you would like to be added to the email distribution list for the HP Literacy Coalition, sign-up here. To view the handout from the group's first meeting on November 5th, click here to view the handout.

To learn more about about Lucy Calkins' Units of Study and Balanced Literacy, we encourage parents to read the article EdReports.org - Units of Study Overview or do a simple Google search of the term "Lucy Calkins Controversy."
DDPC 2021-2022 Parent Leaders
President - Rebecca Holmes, HPHS
Advocacy - Alex Wagner, HPHS
Communications - Ashlie Seabolt, MIS
PCLDA Liaisons - Brooke Rojas, Bradfield
Parent Meetings - Brook Thompson, MIS and UP
Literacy - Carolyn Chapman, HPHS and UP Elementary
Campus Liaison Chair - Lindy Pierre, MIS & Hyer; Elizabeth Longo, Armstrong