President's Message
September, 2012
To our members of the Colorado Council of Learning Disabilities: It is with great pleasure that I have accepted the position of CCLD Board president and am honored to serve in this capacity. It is a bit daunting to follow in the footsteps of such excellent leaders over the years! I hope that I can fulfill the obligation to continue the mission of CCLD in its endeavors to support the instruction of our students with learning disabilities and the community that envelopes them.
These are both exciting and challenging times. The advent of RTI has redefined the process for identifying students. As the districts in the state refine processes to intervene early with appropriate interventions the hope is that we prevent the misdiagnosis of "instructional casualties" as learning disabled. It is a challenge across the nation to identify learning gaps, differences and disabilities and intervene with the "proper dose" of the "proper treatment" to close achievement gaps for students. This is certainly an opportunity for us all to combine the art and science of teaching as never before.
During the 2012 legislative session the Colorado Reading To Ensure Academic Development Act (Colorado READ Act) was passed. The READ Act repeals CBLA as of July1, 2013. To learn more about the changes this will bring about and resources, be sure to visit CDE's website.
Over the years, and with the tightening economy, many organizations have seen membership dwindle. CCLD is no exception. We appreciate your continued membership and welcome your input. We are all ears to build and offer opportunities to strengthen our community. If you have ideas to share or would like to join a leadership team or steering committee, do not hesitate to contact us. The more the merrier!
We are excited to continue to offer the Math on the "Planes" conference again this year. Please see the flyer in the newsletter and sign up to attend. We hope to see you all there! Dr. Mary Pittman will help us grow in our skills to understand and apply the Common Core Standards to our mathematical instruction.
Speaking of math, if you have not read the recent LDForum, be sure to do so. Here we find an excellent article that provides an overview of subitizing and important information for teachers. The LDForum is our bi-monthly newsletter and an excellent resource.
This month I am honored to represent CCLD at the CLD International conference in Austin. I am not sure how I will choose from the 150 presenters at this two day conference! I hope to share some of my learning in our next newsletter.
As we "go to press" for this newsletter I want to wish the best for you and your students during this 2012-2013 school year.
Jane Duggan Ed.S.
President, Colorado Council for Learning Disabilities