Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic-Type Difficulties

Sylvia Phillips, Kathleen Kelly, Liz Symes

SAGE Publications, Aug 20, 2013 - Education - 344 pages

This comprehensive guide enables teachers to understand a range of approaches to the assessment of children with dyslexic-type difficulties. Linking theory, research and practice, practitioners will gain critical knowledge of procedures to analyse, interpret and use in appropriate assessments which will facilitate setting targets for teaching.

The book covers:

- how to use both informal and formal assessment procedures

- frameworks for evaluating published and teacher-made assessments

- the professional development needs of any teacher involved in assessment

Ideal for those training to be specialist teachers of learners with dyslexia, this text is equally useful to all teachers and SENCOS (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) and complements the authors' book Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia to provide comprehensive guidance for assessing and teaching learners with dyslexic-type difficulties.

Sylvia Phillips is an experienced Special Educational Needs educator, and currently leads Glyndwr University's specialist course for teachers of learners with dyslexia. Kath Kelly is Programme Leader for the Masters in Specific Learning Difficulties, Manchester Metropolitan University. Liz Symes is Senior Lecturer in SEN (Special Educational Needs) and Professional Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University.

About the author

Sylvia Phillips, BA, DASE, MEd (SEN), AMBDA, began her career as a teacher of English in secondary schools where she first became interested in why some learners had severe literacy difficulties. She later joined Manchester Metropolitan University where she was a Principal Lecturer, Head of SEN, and then Head of Continuing Professional Development. At MMU she developed the first courses for specialist dyslexia teachers at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. During her time there, she also continued to work in primary, secondary and special schools both with teachers and directly with pupils. She developed and taught on SEN courses for teachers in the UK and was the UK partner (with Italy, Belgium and Spain) developing and teaching EU courses on ‘Inclusion and SEN’ for European educationalists. She has served on the Accreditation Board of the British Dyslexia Association and has also been involved in several dyslexia research projects. She is currently course leader of the specialist dyslexia teachers’ course at Glyndwr University, Wales. She has co-authored Putting the Code to Work (Primary and Secondary editions, 1998, MMU – MET Publications), Inspection and Beyond (1997, Pearson), Management Skills for SEN co-ordinators (1999, Falmer Press), and A Multi-sensory Teaching System for Reading (1998, MMU Publishing), a fully scripted set of materials for teaching small groups of pupils with dyslexia. Sylvia’s other main areas of interest lie in ‘learner voice’, pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and supporting teachers undertaking enquires into their practice. Dr Kathleen Kelly PhD, MA (SEN), Dip TESL, AMBDA, is a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the Centre for Inclusion and Special Educational Needs. She is Programme Leader for the MA in Specific Learning Difficulties and has presented papers at a number of international conferences in this area. For several years she has taught courses on specific learning difficulties (dyslexia) to undergraduates as part of the initial teacher training programme in addition to postgraduate awards. She has considerable experience in delivering courses to meet the criteria set out by the British Dyslexia Association for Approved Teacher Status (ATS) and is Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA). Kathleen has taught a wide range of learners with dyslexia, from children as young as four years to those at Key Stage 5. She has worked in both mainstream and special schools, for language support and learning support services, as a SENCO in a primary school, and as Head of Sixth Form in a special school. She has many years’ experience of supporting multilingual children with special educational needs (including specific learning difficulties). Multilingualism and dyslexia is a particular area of interest and her doctorate was also in this area.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Assessment of Learners with Dyslexic-Type Difficulties
• Authors: Sylvia Phillips, Kathleen Kelly, Liz Symes
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, 2013
• ISBN: 1446287041, 9781446287040
• Length: 344 pages
• Subjects: Education / Special Education / Learning Disabilities