Dyslexia and the Nonsense Word Conundrum ◯ DTI

Dyslexia and the Nonsense Word Conundrum

Dyslexia Training Institute: 3.31.2017 by Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley

The use of nonsense words in intervention programs for reading and spelling to struggling readers is ubiquitous. It is ubiquitous in assessments too. Publishers use the rationale that nonsense words help the teacher and assessor know whether or not the student is able to transfer what they have learned about decoding to new words and this signals progress. The problem with this is twofold. First, many of the nonsense words that are used are not possible letter strings in the English language. (For a detailed and well-support description of this, please read Gina Cooke’s article). Secondly, the English writing system is based on meaning before phonology, so when a student is reading a word with no meaning, it can be impossible to really determine what the correct pronunciation is. In teacher trainings, we always ask the group, how do you pronounce the letter string *? The answer we always get is /chom/ or [ʧɑm] in IPA. The problem with this answer, is that the correct answer is really, we can’t know what the correct pronunciation is until we know what the word is. In the case of a digraph like the meaning and etymology of the word will drive the pronunciation. Look at the following three common words: chip, machine and ache. Their histories drive their pronunciations, so how in the world can a student know which is correct?

Today I observed a very good teacher using letter tiles to teach spelling. She was dictating a list of real words and then veered into the nonsense word territory. What happened during this time is not inconsequential, it is downright confusing to students. Here is the list of words she dictated.  READ MORE >>

Dyslexia Virtual Conference

April 20 - May 8, 2020

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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 8.7

Lexical Density: 55.8%

Total word count 278

Unique word count 155

21 hard words

Sentence count 17

Carlsbad Library ◯ New Year, New Beginnings

New Year, New Beginnings

Learning Connection: Jan/Feb 2020 by Carrie Scott, Community Outreach Supervisor

Happy New Year! For many, this can be a time of new beginnings. We often want to set goals for our health, finances and learning, but it is easy to get overwhelmed and then  not do anything!

One of my favorite personal mottos is, “You have to start before you can finish.” So as you think about what goals you want to set for the new year, consider starting small. Start by walking one minute. Start by drinking one cup of water. Start by saving one dollar. Start by writing one sentence. Start by reading one paragraph. Pick any goal that you want, then start today and repeat tomorrow. Before you know it, you will be building on your success!

As you plan which goals to work on, consider investing in yourself by meeting consistently with your learning partner this year. We require that each pair meet nine hours per month, which is about 100 hours per year.

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Why so much focus on attendance? Because it makes a big difference in learning. Adults who participate in a literacy program show future increases in literacy levels, income, and future enrollment in education, especially for those who meet 100 hours or more.

We encourage you to start 2020 with an emphasis on attendance: Make it a priority to attend all of your scheduled sessions. Schedule make-up sessions when you miss. (Remember that we are open on Saturdays!) At the end of each month, review and discuss your attendance as a pair. Wishing you a great 2020!  READ MORE >>

Next Tutor Orientation

Feb 13 ◯ 6 pm

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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 6.7

Lexical Density: 62.4%

Total word count 250

Unique word count 156

7 hard words

Sentence count 21

Average sentence length 11.9

Governor Newsom Releases 2020-21 State Budget ◯ CLA

State Budget

Governor Newsom Releases His 2020-21 State Budget

News From the Capitol: 1.10.2020 by Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

This morning Governor Gavin Newsom presented his 2020-21 State Budget and left no stone unturned with the press corps, as the Governor laid out details and took reporters’ questions for an unprecedented three hours.  The Governor stated that he was “excited about this year and for California’s future” as he highlighted components of his new Budget.

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Of importance to CLA, the Budget contains good news for public libraries.  The Governor continues to support two programs that he provided support for in the 2019-20 Budget – “Lunch at the Library” and Zip Books.

For “Lunch at the Library: $1 million in “one-time” General Fund dollars (meaning that it must be spent in Budget Year 2020-21 and is not “ongoing” in nature) would be provided for libraries to “develop summer meal programs for students in low-income communities.”

For Online Service Systems:  the Governor is proposing $1 million in one-time General Fund dollars in order to “support the online purchase and delivery of books through the Zip Books program.  This no-cost service is an alternative to traditional interlibrary loan and enables library patrons to more efficiently request and receive books not available at their local library.”

The Governor is also proposing $500,000 in ongoing General Fund dollars for the purpose of supporting the services provided by the Braille Institute of America in Los Angeles.   Finally, the Governor also includes $170,000 in ongoing funds for a technical issue relating to Public Utility Commission fees pertaining to the State’s public library broadband connectivity program in conjunction with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC).

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The legislature will now begin the process of reviewing the Governor’s Budget over the course of the next few months.  Budget Subcommittee hearings will be held to discuss and analyze the various proposals.  In May, the Governor will release his May Revision of the State Budget, which essentially allows him to make funding/program adjustments after having received the April tax receipts.  The Budget Subcommittees will wrap up their work in late May and the full Budget Committees and Budget Conference Committee will craft the final Budget, in consultation with the Governor’s Office.  The Budget must be passed by the constitutional deadline of June 15.  We will continue to keep CLA members updated as these issues proceed through the Budget process in 2020.  READ MORE >>

Summary of the Governor’s Proposed 2020-21 Budget

Senator Holly J. Mitchell Chair

California State Library (p 24)

Local Assistance. The budget provides the following local assistance adjustments:

• An increase of $1 million one-time General Fund to support the Lunch at the

Library program;

• An increase of $1 million one-time General Fund to support the online purchase

and delivery of books through the Zip book program;

• An increase of $500,000 ongoing General Fund to support the Braille Institute of

America in Los Angeles; and,

• An increase of $170,000 ongoing General Fund to continue participation in the

Adult Learners, Budget, CA Budget, California, CLLS, Economics, Funding, Government

Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee

Senator Holly J. Mitchell Chair

Senator Jim Nielsen Vice Chair

Assembly Committee on Budget

Assembly Member Phil Ting Chair

Assembly Member Jay Obernolte Vice Chair

Sub 2 Education Finance Committee Members

Kevin McCarty Chair

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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 13.9

Lexical Density: 55.0%

Total word count 398

Unique word count 219

27 hard words

Sentence count 15

Average sentence length 26.5