(Phoenix, Ariz., April 24, 2017) – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas today unveiled The Dyslexia Handbook, a new resource available for families and teachers to help identify and support students with Dyslexia.
The development of this handbook was the result of recent legislation sponsored by State Representative Jill Norgaard (R) LD-18 in House Bill 2202, permitting the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to create a resource to educate families and teachers about dyslexia.
“When I’ve toured the state during my We Are Listening Tour for the last two years, I’ve heard overwhelmingly that parents need more resources to help their children succeed,” said Superintendent Douglas. “I am appreciative of Representative Norgaard’s leadership on this issue to bring together parents and education organizations from around the state to collaborate with ADE and develop this important new resource.”
To celebrate this handbook launch, Representative Norgaard presented to the State Board of Education (SBE) about this new resource available and shared her next action to help decode dyslexia, which includes an increase of professional development opportunities for classroom teachers in the early identification of dyslexia. By her side at today’s SBE presentation were the many parents and education organizations that helped develop this new resource.
”I am very honored to have been a part of this team over the past nine months,” said Representative Norgaard. “This handbook will provide teachers and parents with a great tool to be able to decode dyslexia at an early age, and to provide focused intervention and resources to improve our literacy rates. I look forward to the success that this effort will yield.”
Improved student and parent resources were also priorities of Superintendent Douglas’ 2017 AZ Kids Can’t Wait!, an education plan to help shape education policy based on citizen feedback.
Access to the new dyslexia technical assistance handbook to support families and teachers, as well as additional literacy resources, can be found at www.azed.gov/dyslexia.