Sappho Dee Dee Calfas, M.Ed.

Education and Certification

Master of Education (emphasis teaching children with Specific Language Disability or Dyslexia)

 College of Notre Dame, Belmont, CA 1986

Bachelor of Arts

Social Sciences major with English minor, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 1967

Resource Specialist Certificate

Learning Handicapped Specialist Credential

Reading Specialist Credential

Administrative Credential

( Expired)

General Elementary Credential

Recent Course Work, In-service Training, Workshops

Lindamood-bell LiPS and  V/V (Visualizing and Verbalizing) training

Orton-Gillingham beginning and advanced training

Slingerland Training (6 years)

Success For All

Barbara Wilson Reading System training

Numerous workshops relating to Dyslexia yearly (see partial list near the bottom of this page)

Bay Area Writers Project

Literacy Implementation Team (to train or provide in-service to San Francisco Unified School District teachers in new reading program)

Math Solutions (Marilyn Burns)

AIMS

Flores whole language program 

Special Education Teaching Experience

Graduate Level Slingerland Teacher Training Course Instructor 1989-1993

This is an intensive all-day four-week, nine-quarter unit course, designed to help teachers learn effective methods to teach students with specific language disability (dyslexia).  Course highlights include:

Daily demonstration lessons with a group of LD children while teacher participants watch

Daily observation and coaching of teacher participants while they implement teaching  techniques they are learning

Daily lectures on theory and background of techniques - helping teacher participants understand why they are doing what they are doing, how to assess student work and adjust instruction accordingly

Resource Specialist Program, K-8, 1990 to 2002

Utilize specialized teaching techniques to remediate dyslexic RSP students.  Regularly “graduate” (demit) many children from the program having given them skills to be successful in their regular classes

Test and evaluate children to see if they meet eligibility criteria for Special Education Services and communicate results of tests to parents during IEP meetings

Present workshops at in-service days and/or faculty meetings to help other teachers learn techniques that will help them with high-risk students in their classrooms

Demonstration & collaborative teaching project with two first grade teachers in their classrooms to help them learn techniques that work well with high-risk students, 1999-2002

Educationally Handicapped Gifted Special Day Class

Implemented program designed to maximize potential of Dyslexic Gifted  students and help them develop skills which would allow them to return to mainstream and experience success. Was successful in returning students to mainstream.

Staff Development Teaching Experience

Literacy Implementation Team, 1997-1999

Participated in development of district-wide teacher in-service, conducted district staff development activities for implementing new language arts program.

Slingerland Teacher Training Course Instructor  (see above)

Mentor Teacher Language Arts, 1988-90

Served on Curriculum development teams, conducted district staff development activities, mentored beginning teacher

Program Resource Teacher, Federal/State Program (ESEA, SI programs)

Administered, under direction of principal, the school site Federal/State program that included the following duties:

Supervised and trained 16 paraprofessionals, including interviewing, hiring, scheduling, payroll, evaluation, and facilitating their effective use in the classroom.

Planned and conducted teacher training programs, facilitated use of effective teaching methods, materials, and management strategies, assisted teachers in assessment of students with suspected learning disability and in recommending or developing an appropriate program based on assessment.

Disseminated information about school's program to all parents and provided for parent feedback on a regular weekly basis.

Conducted School Site Committee elections.

Planned and conducted regular parent in-service program.

Guided and facilitated staff and parent input for writing of School Plan, including meeting required guidelines within limited budget restraints.

Developed the four Project budgets.

Purchased all project materials, supplies, and equipment. Was responsible for the accountability of funds for each program.

Directed and monitored Project implementation to assure compliance with Federal and State guidelines.

Prepared periodic reports for each program including evaluation, implementation, changes, etc. 

Interfaced with District School Volunteers program, trained and facilitated use of school volunteers in classrooms.

Directed and monitored implementation of ESL program for LEP students

Reading Specialist Experience

Miller-Unruh Reading Specialist

Worked with primary teachers, children, and parents to prevent reading failure via early intervention; performed in-depth assessment of students.

Conducted training programs for teachers and paraprofessionals and implemented parent workshops

Assisted in the planning and implementation of Miller-Unruh in-service training programs at the district/county level.

Performed on-going assessment of school reading program.

Assisted in the development of district test awareness materials for California Assessment Program (CAP).

District Reading Teacher 1977-78

Supervised and facilitated implementation of District's newly adopted basal reading program, including teacher training for 28 classroom teachers and working with them to maximize effectiveness of program in classrooms.

Organized inventory and distribution of materials.

Conducted on-going assessment of school reading needs including analysis and integration of information about student performance on tests. 

Performed diagnosis, prescription, and remediation of students.

Conducted teacher and parent workshops on district's newly-implemented Minimum Standards Testing Program.

General Education Teaching

Early Intervention Experiment 1986-1990

Designed and implemented an effective early intervention program

in which reading, writing and spelling were presented in one integrated structured, sequential multisensory program in a regular classroom setting for learning disabled students

simultaneously functioned as an extremely effective program for LEP and regular-to-gifted students. 

integrated all of the above with a district literature-based instructional approach.

Approximately 60% of students scored below 50% on standardized tests at beginning of year and only 4% were below 50% at end of year

Also functioned as a master teacher in the Clinical Schools program in collaboration with San Francisco State University.

Family Grouping Program 1973-77

Sparked the development, design, and implementation of this program.

This team - teaching, ungraded program focused on academics, personal development, art, music, social studies, and multicultural awareness.

 Provided ESL instruction in the regular classroom.

Students typically improved an average of 25 percentile on standardized tests in a year.

First/Second Grade regular classroom, 1969-73

Other Professional Activities

International Dyslexia Association (previously known as The Orton Dyslexia Society)

Past member Board of Directors, Northern California Branch.

Served as treasurer for six years

Was in charge of branch computer data base for five years.

Was On-Site Administrator of the 1987 International Conference held in San Francisco

Advisory board member of Northern California Branch 1987 to 2001

Chaired regional conference in October 1990

Presenter at International conference, November 1990

Chaired regional conferences in March 1992

Presenter at International conference, November 1997

One of Five Key Local Arrangements Committee Chairpersons for 1998 International Conference held in San Francisco

Presenter at International conference,, November 1999

Slingerland Institute

Demonstration teacher advanced continuum course, Northridge, CA 1989

Assistant Director Teacher Training, San Francisco, CA 1990

Director Walnut Creek Slingerland Training 1992

Co-Director, San Francisco, 1993

Alpha Delta Kappa 

Served as Treasurer, Vice-President, Secretary, President

Regularly Attend International Dyslexia Association Conference to get up-to-date information presented by national leaders and researchers in the field.

Here are some examples of some of the sessions:

No One to Play With: Social Competence and the Learning disabled Child—Research to Practice.

Research has shown that LD students, as a group, are less accepted and more rejected or neglected than their non LD peers. The developmental variations that contribute to the academic difficulties of LD students may also contribute to the social difficulties experienced by these students…This symposium and its participants are dedicated to furthering the understanding of social competence as it relates to the LD student and to translating this understanding into best practice for intervening where needed. Social behavior, like academic skills, must be learned and can be taught.”

“Fostering Motivation, Hope and Resilience in Children with Learning Disabilities”, A keynote address

Effective Treatment of Dyslexia/ADD/ADHD With or Without Medication: Toward Clarifying the Controversy

The Language Processing Spectrum from Dyslexia to Hyperlexia to Autism,” is a presentation by Nanci Bell, of the Lindamood-Bell program

Black English Vernacular: Teaching Standard English to Its Speakers

Studying Better, Not Harder: Computer-based Study Strategies for Students with Dyslexia

Pattern of Attentional Disorders in Children with ADHD and CAPD [Central Auditory Processing Disorder]

The development of personal competency and our roles in promoting/inhibiting competency

The latest research on the brain and implications for understanding the nature of learning differences and appropriate strategies for their nourishment

The NCLD Inventory of Pre-literacy Skills for Four-year-old Children

TOOL TIME: Study Skills Tools:

“Organizational tools to learn effective study habits for home and school.  Learning how to read, comprehend, and love textbooks, and tips on filling a Tool Box of study skills.” 

“The Report of the National Reading Panel: An Era of Evidenced-based Education”  presented by Sally Shaywitz author of the book Overcoming Dyslexia, and a Scientific American article on Dyslexia.

 “On April 13, 2000, the Report of the National Reading Panel was presented to Congress. The Report, ‘An Evidence-based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction’ is a landmark study, providing for the first time a comprehensive, rigorous review of the research data on various approaches to teaching reading. It marks a new era of evidence-based education: the methods and findings of the Report will be discussed.”

Making Section 504 User Friendly for School Districts

Nonverbal and Social Disabilities (NVSD): Guidelines for Diagnosis, Education and Treatment

Functional Brain Imaging: Developmental Dyslexia and Reading Intervention

recent data from intervention studies using current reading-related intervention techniques 

G. Reid Lyon “Converging evidence on reading instruction from the NICHD and the National Reading Panel (NRP) summarized.

Conditions critical for linking these findings to instructional practices discussed.”

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