Decoding Dyslexia-MA

08/31/2026

Literacy is not optional!

Full implementation of this legislation will take time, but the cost of inaction is a generation of children denied the fundamental right to become confident, lifelong readers able to reach their fullest potential.

08/30/2026

IDEA due process hearings are supposedly designed so that parents can represent themselves.

So what does that look like in the real world?

Here is a glimpse behind the scenes of a due process hearing scheduled to begin Monday:

• 18,802 documents produced by the school
• More than 15,000 of those documents disclosed less than one week before the hearing
• More than 20 hours of audio to review
• 885 exhibits marked by Petitioners
• 416 exhibits marked by Respondents
• More than 60 designated witnesses between the parties
• 14 total hours allotted to present the entire case for each side
• And all of it has to be organized, admitted, presented, challenged, and managed remotely through WebEx.

On top of all that, the school’s law firm on the Friday before the hearing files a motion seeking to dismiss a significant number of exhibits and witnesses.

That is more than 1,300 potential exhibits, tens of thousands of documents, dozens of witnesses, and only 14 total hours in which both parties must present their entire cases.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that is a parent trying to prove what happened to her child and what her child needs.

The IDEA gives parents the right to represent themselves in due process.

But there is an enormous difference between having a right on paper and having meaningful access to that right.

08/30/2026

08/27/2026

Schools are told they're using 'Science of Reading' but is it just ...

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

Dyscalculia: from a team in Arizona, an education policy brief. Link's in a comment below.

-- excerpts --

“To help leaders seize this opportunity, we organized our brief around what dyscalculia is, how it differs from more general math difficulty, why schools miss it, and what early identification, intervention, and policy each requires.”

“The cost of missing this window is not abstract. When dyscalculia goes unidentified, repeated failure can generate math anxiety, erode self-confidence, and progressively narrow the academic paths that students believe are available to them.”

08/23/2026

IDEA is not MTSS! IDEA is an obligation of the district AND important rights for parents!

MTSS is not a bypass, first step or alternative to the rights and obligations of IDEA!
MTSS has no accountability or legal standing.
MTSS can not delay or deny an evaluation or services under IDEA .
Do not wait for the district to do MTSS if you think your child is behind in reading, writing, or any other SLD skill( speaking, listening, thinking, basic reading, written expression, math computation or math problem solving) ! A deficit in any one of these skills is enough to initiate an evaluation and qualification for an IEP..
For these skills kids do not need to be "failing to achieve "!!
There is no requirement that there must be no progress or no achievement !!
That may be true for other IDEA categories but not SLD!!