HARRISBURG, Ill. (WSIL)-- While most kids will have a chance to continue their education through summer reading, teachers in our area will have the chance to learn new skills as well.Â
The Illinois Specific Learning Disabilities support project will be hosting a for educators on June 18th, and ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois Native Kellyn Sirach is excited to host the large event here.Â
“I knew that I wanted to help support ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois teachers and bring really cool national speakers to ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois,â€� Sirach said.
The symposium is meant to help teachers stay current with educational practices. They will learn how to better support students who have learning disabilities like dyslexia.
“¾ÅÓÎÌåÓ� Illinois teachers can come one day for free to learn more about those evidence-based practices that are aligned with the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy plan to really refine, and shift their instruction to ensure that all of these students learn how to read,â€� Sirach said.
Sirach says they will have speakers from all over the country including Dr. Maryanne Wolf the director of the Center for Dyslexia and Social Justice at UCLA. They will have speakers discussing utilizing data to help support the students.
“We have a math content specialist, and other regional specialists that we'll be talking about writing and then also math,� Sirach said.
Sirach says around the state students are not doing well in literacy.
“It is our moral imperative as educators to ensure that every single one of our students, they have the access to learn how to read regardless if they are a gifted student or if they are a student with an IEP,� Sirach said.
The Illinois Board of Education says 70% of third graders are not reading at grade level. And over at Harrisburg's library, they say they have several programs to fix that, including their summer reading program.
“And so we encourage kids to come and read, participate in library events because when you read as few as six books over the summer, if you're in school, it helps you be better prepared to start school in August,� Bergman said.
Harrisburg's children's Librarian Emily Bergman says through summer reading the kids are exposed to more than just words.
“These books have concepts and themes of science and math running throughout them that kids don't even realize that they are pulling in, and learning about as they're reading a book about apples or a book about Lego or history,� Bergman said.
And Bergman says while summer reading can help, seeing adults reading at home can also help.
“They become more open to reading too because they see reading materials around the home,� Bergman said.
Bergman adds research shows when the kids read for fun over the summer they score higher on their assessment test in the fall.
Sirach says while the summer reading program is great it doesn't fix the problem for everyone.
“For some of our students, that simply is not enough because unfortunately,� Sirach says. “Not just sitting a student in front of a book is gonna teach them how to read, especially for our students who do have dyslexia.�
Sirach says the symposium will also help address burnout within the education system. Something she says she experienced when she was an 8th-grade teacher.
“I was frustrated, nothing was working, their behaviors were increasing,� Sirach says. “And once I learned more about evidence-based practices and really truly how to teach students how to read my personal job, satisfaction went way up because I was able to support these students.�
Sirach says the Illinois SLD is a federally funded grant project.
It's through the Illinois State Board of Education in partnership with Eastern Illinois University. Sirach says they go all over the state to host training and support coaching.
"One day professional development is not going to absolutely change the world," Sirach says. "However it might spark a little glimmer within them to continue learning or to continue reaching out for support in regard to coaching or training.
The deadline to register for the ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois Symposium is this Friday.
