Online Learning and Snow Days

School districts are turning to online learning opportunities to prevent lost class time when weather closes schools.  In New Hampshire, "If 80 percent of students and staff participate online, the day will not have to be made up in June, according to the district’s website." "Ohio districts that exhaust their five annual “calamity” days can use up to three “e-learning days” during which students read through lessons and complete assignments at home.  At the end of 2013, only 95 districts out of the 614 statewide (Ohio) had submitted plans to use e-learning days to the state Department of Education. That number jumped to 246 by the beginning of February.  Students have two weeks after the e-learning day to complete any assignments, so those who don’t have internet access at home are not penalized."

Anyone have experience with this yet?  We do not have this in our district.

Link to Article

Improving Executive Functioning with Games

Thanks to a recommendation on the School Psychology listserve, I was introduced to this great game.  FLUXX!  My family including an 11 year old and soon to be 9 year old, love this game.  Playing this game is an intense workout for our executive functioning skills.  It requires planning, problem solving, deep concentration, and shifting from rule to ever changing rule.  Don't play if you are tired, you will lose badly...very badly.  It is a testament to how important alertness is to performing well with complicated tasks.  I love that I can teach my kids these skills in a fun game format.  As a school psychologist, I am intrigued watching others play this game and how people adapt to the changes.  Maybe, I will include it in my test battery or run a group for kids with EF deficits.  Work can be fun!   Fluxx Board Game

Coaching Students with Executive Skills Deficits (Guilford Practical Intervention in Schools)

Dyslexia and the Visual System

An interesting article from Georgetown University Medical Center, June 6, 2013 evaluates visual processing deficits seen in people with dyslexia.

"A new brain imaging study of dyslexia shows that visual system differences do not cause the disorder, but instead are likely a consequence."


Joint Statement—Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, and Vision from the American Academy of Pediatrics article.



Link to Article

Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention

School Reports: US and State Grades

Edweek's annual report:  "Tracking key education indicators and grading the states on their performance and outcomes. This year’s report also focuses on school district governance and
operations as its special theme, examining the impact of the increasingly complex fiscal, political, and technological forces that are challenging school districts and prompting efforts to cope with new pressures."

Link to 2014 Report:  District Disruption and Revival

Past Reports cover topics such as:
2013: Code of Conduct

2012: The Global Challenge

2011: Uncertain Forecast

2010: Fresh Course, Swift Current

2009: Portrait of a Population

2008: Tapping Into Teaching

2007: From Cradle to Career

2006: Quality Counts at 10: A Decade of Standards Based Education

2005: No Small Change, Targeting Money Toward Student Performance

2004: Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards

Link to Article