[senco-forum] dyslexia

'My point was that this is assessment to inform intervention  - not 
assessment with a purpose of identifying 'dyslexics', or a special group of 
students who qualify for a particular type of support.'

Julie - I have wrestled with this statement, but still hate it.  In order to 
inform intervention, assessment has to identify needs.  And the notion of 
'qualifying' for support (rather than simply 'needing' it) is definitely an 
LEA construct that schools have been forced to embrace.

A few days back, Martin (Miles) asked the forum about ways in which SENCOs 
seek to use and deploy the EP resource.

In my first few years as a SENCO I hoped to draw on the expertise of the EP 
in identifying the nature and scope of a child's needs, and we would then 
put our heads together to identify the type of support interventions that 
would meet the needs.  The EP knew stuff that I didn't about the nature of 
children's learning difficulties; I learned to devise individual, small 
group and curriculum-based support interventions.  But it started with the 
EP making an assessment of the individual child's difficulties and needs, 
and this always involved (her) spending some time in the child's company. 
The more completely I could describe the child's difficulties initially, the 
more refined and focused the EP's assessment could be (and it might only be 
an observation of and a chat with the child).

In later years (and with different EPs) more of the EP time came to be 
allocated (by the LEA) to 'systemic' bits - assistance in understanding and 
completing the latest new whizz of a paperwork scheme for 'monitoring', 
looking at 'criteria' for placement at a particular support stage, 
moderation processes etc.  There was more discussion about longer lists of 
children (and the longer the list, the shorter each segment of the 
discussion).  Inexorably, less and less time was spent by the EP with 
children.

You say that, 'we promote a careful process of assessment through teaching 
and appropriately targeted support for any pupil who needs it.'  And therein 
lies a summary of the change in the role.  What is 'assessment through 
teaching', and who is carrying out the assessment that the EP is 
'promoting'?

As to your previous message about the usefulness of 'dyslexia' as a label 
(long discussion issue that has cropped up often on the forum), I'd still 
find it more useful as a starting point than 'shares some of the same 
difficulties as the common or garden poor reader'.

Regards

Biff Crabbe

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "julie cozens" <juliecozens at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "senco forum" <senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 9:11 PM
Subject: Re: [senco-forum] dyslexia - screening/testing/assessment

Hello Phillipa

  I have a copy of your book and I have heard about your successful work in 
Dubai.
  I am also aware of Martin Turners work.

  I certainly didnt mean to give the impression in my posting that we never 
assess children in Devon! I did say in my email that we promote a careful 
process of assessment through teaching and appropriately targeted support 
for any pupil who needs it.

  My point was that this is assessment to inform intervention  - not 
assessment with a purpose of identifying 'dyslexics', or a special group of 
students who qualify for a particular type of support.

  Hope this clarifies

  best wishes

  Julie

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