Can BUSD teach students with dyslexia?
Hi all,
After two years of fighting with the district to support my struggling reader, I found out through an IEE that my son is dyslexic. Now he has an IEP and is receiving a number of interventions including 45 min x 4 days/ week of Wilson with a SPED teacher who completed a 3-day online training. He is also in a daily Orton GIllingham group with the Literacy coach plus a small group that meets three mornings per week for math--all of that at school in addition to our private tutor who is doing Seeing Stars and a hybrid of other programs. While I appreciate the abundance of services that my child is now receiving at BUSD it feels like they are all over the place (no alignment) and too much for a 7 year old to manage in addition to the rest of school and childhood.
We are looking at North Bridge Academy in Marin where they understand how to teach children with dyslexia. Their structure is such that all academic needs are met in the classroom during the school day--no outside tutoring or pull outs. But in this case the promise of integrated academic support comes with huge logistical hurdles (cost and commute, not to mention leaving my son's community of friends).
Even after the lawsuit and settlement it seems like kids with reading (and math) challenges in Berkeley are still floundering.
My central question is: Can BUSD meet the needs of students with dyslexia?
Are some BUSD elementary schools better equipped than others to meet the needs of struggling readers? Why is the process of navigating this so difficult and left on families to shoulder outside of our well-resourced public schools? Are there any other non-public schools (in the East Bay) that know how to teach students dyslexia?
Thank you!
Parent Replies
Hello,
I am in the same boat and don't believe BUSD has the personnel to help children with dyslexia. I thought the lawsuit would help matters but I don't think it has. I am not aware of non-public schools in the area. My research has unearthed the following schools for children with dyslexia: 1) Hope Academy in Concord; they are smaller than North Bridge and have a gigantic waiting list, 2) Livermore Valley Academy in Livermore, 3) North Bridge Academy in Mill Valley, and 4) Armstrong in Belmont. All school are designed to teach children with dyslexia and the first 3 (Hope, North Bridge and Livermore Academy) use Slingerland. I have not toured Livermore Academy or Armstrong because they just seem too far. I toured North Bridge and Hope Academy and applied to both for my son who is going into middle school next year. He is at Cragmont Elementary. While my first choice is Hope Academy since we can avoid crossing the San Rafael Bridge, I was told my son is #40 on the waitlist so I'm hoping North Bridge is an alternative. My son has had an IEP since the end of 2nd grade; we were originally living in El Cerrito which was a total disaster in terms of reading instruction. We moved to Berkeley in 2022 hoping it would be better because of the lawsuite and I'm not seeing it. He also goes to tutoring 2x a week with a private OG tutor but that's just not enough. My fear is he needs to make progress before he enters high school and I don't think he will if he remains at BUSD. I wish I had better news. I am sorry.
I am confused. It seems like BUSD is providing lots of extra support with programs that are the cream of the crop in terms of researched-based dyslexia instruction. I can't actually imagine that your child could get more support and maybe it is too much? Could he be exhausted from all of this intense instruction? It seems like one of those programs should suffice. Progress takes time and you won't see it immediately. I don't mean to be judgmental but I wouldn't say the district is floundering...instead it seems like they are offering everything they possibly can. Remember that BUSD has other students, with many different and disparate needs that teachers and specialists seek to meet, and they can't design the entire day around only your son's needs. I do find fault with him being pulled out of the regular class so much as he will certainly fall behind if he is away from the classroom so much. There can be such a thing as too much intervention. Sometimes the brain needs a little rest and fun and relaxation...especially when a person is only seven years old.
First off you are doing a fantastic job advocating for your son! I've been there and it is exhausting. I cannot speak to BUSD however my now 9th grader is dyslexic and we are constantly struggling to duct tape together the right support for him while also balancing his self-confidence, commutes, cost etc. We opted for a smaller private school. In our search when he was in 3rd grade we looked at Prospect Sierra, The Berkeley School, Park Day, St Paul's and Aurora. We ended up at one of these but still had a push in ET. These schools tend to have a very inclusive approach to learning so our son never felt stigmatized for the extra support. Many kids had different groups/tutors etc and the school was all about appreciating everyone for who they are and how they learn best. However I've always wished for a dyslexic focused school for him. Charles Armstrong and Northbridge were too far and Raskob at the time was on shaky ground. I would say that as we are grappling with finding the 'right' high school now (first one wasn't the right fit) I'm realizing that his dyslexia may be more moderate to severe than mild to moderate which frankly makes a huge difference in where our kids can do well. I know many kids with dyslexia who do fine at traditional schools, whether public or private, with minimal support or accommodations. Our son needs more and the closer you can get to fine tuning that element will help in the long run. Hopefully that is helpful. Hang in there!
I’m so sorry to hear you had to fight to get your child services and an IEP but I’m unfortunately not surprised.
We left BUSD because they were not able to support my child’s learning despite services.
You could look into the Sterne School in SF. It is also expensive and will have logistical challenges but it is another option.
You could also consider contacting an educational attorney who specializes in working w families whose kids have LDs. If BUSD is not able to provide your child FAPE, then you can receive financial assistance to have them privately placed.
I was a party in that lawsuit, and they are moving in the right direction but SO MUCH MORE SLOWLY than they should and more slowly than mandated by the settlement. They are all over the place. Our kid learned to read because we paid for outside services and then sued the district to pay for them.
Bayhill in Berkeley is for older kids w/ this type of learning disability. There used to be the school up at Holy Names, but they closed when the college did. The other options are going to be a distance away.
I think one day, BUSD may meet the needs of students w/ dyslexia but they do not now. The person who suggested " I can't actually imagine that your child could get more support and maybe it is too much?" must not have a kid w/ dyslexia because no one who's had a kid with dyslexia at BUSD would ever in a million years say that.
"they can't design the entire day around only your son's needs. " Hey, yes they can - they have an inclusive model and that's what it's meant to be, INCLUSIVE. By law schools need to teach children. If they are using curricula that only teach some children, they need a new curricula.
I've spent the past two years trying to find a school in the East Bay to teach our dyslexic daughter. Sadly, there is now nothing nearby outside of Lindamood Bell Academy, which is exorbitantly expensive and also more than what our child needs. Along the way, I've toured North Bridge, Hope, Sterne, Armstrong, Winston Prep and others, and have met families who have moved out of Berkeley (and the EB), just to be closer to a school that could teach their child.
I's so rong that the district is failing so spectacularly to meet kids' learning needs and that even the lawsuit hasn't yet brought real change.