Bucks IU Provides Advanced Reading and Spelling Intervention

Not all student respond well, or the same to every type of intervention service.  In response to the growing need for intensive, researched-based reading and spelling intervention, the Bucks IU’s Special Education Department in partnership with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) services worked together to begin offering direct, 1:1 or small group instruction to students by a certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner (WDP).  This service, which will begin this fall, will be open to students from our 13 school districts and three charter schools within Bucks County.

The WDP will prepare lessons, assess student progress, monitor this progress, and participate as a member of the IEP team. All of the WDP’s work will be in-line with the Wilson Reading System (WRS).

To become a WDP, a candidate must go through a rigorous year-long process.  This process requires that the candidate must:
– Complete a 3-day introductory course that provides an overview of the WRS (this is a pre-requisite for receiving the rigorous WRS Level I certification needed to become a WDP)
– Finish a comprehensive on-line 90 hour course in WRS intensive instruction
– Conduct 1:1 WRS instruction with a practicum student for 60 lessons under the direction of a Wilson Trainer
– Generate 60 lesson plans for each required lesson
– Schedule and conduct five 1-hour lessons while being observed by a Wilson Trainer
– Submit a report on their practicum student at the beginning of the practicum experience
– Demonstrate mastery of the WRS Lesson Plan procedures as approved by their Wilson Trainer
– Prove their understanding of language concepts through their teaching procedures
– Show that their practicum student has made progress in decoding and encoding skills
– Conduct pre and post testing of their practicum student and share this information with their Wilson Trainer

By providing this service, the Bucks IU will continue to be responsive to the needs of the Bucks County students; in this case, students who have not responded to other reading
interventions.