Candace S. Bos Innovative Project Grants Winners

DLD’s Candace S. Bos Innovative Projects grants support doctoral students, teachers, and other pupil services personnel who provide services to students with learning disabilities as they develop creative projects to enhance instruction, curriculum, action research, and service delivery. DLD allots a yearly total of $5,000 for support, funding individual projects from $100 to $1,000. Applicants must be members of DLD. Applications are due 15 October of each year.

2009-10 Candace S. Bos Innovative Grant Award Winners

Recipient: Alison Whitely
Slater Elementary
Lakewood, CO

Project Title/Description: Improving Reading Comprehension
Improving Reading Comprehension focuses on using direct instruction and metacognitive strategy instruction to raise students with disabilities’ reading comprehension scores. The goal of this project is to improve the reading fluency and comprehension of 4th- through 6th-grade students with reading disabilities using the Neuhaus Education Center’s Developing Metacognitive Skills curriculum.

The average growth the nine students made on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) was 13 months. Students made as much as 24 months growth and as little as no growth. A comparison of Colorado state test scores showed that, in reading, seven students moved their previous reading scores by 3% and, in writing, five students moved their previous scores by 3%. Three out of the nine students had 3% growth in both reading and writing. All nine students took the Acuity reading test at the beginning and the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Six of the nine students demonstrated 3% growth.

Award: $225

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Recipient: Sara Burton
Beth Jacob School
New York, NY

Project Title/Description: Get Organized!
Get Organized! is designed to help students at risk improve their organizational and time management skills. The goals of this project include increasing time-on-task and reducing homework completion time, helping students prioritize and plan assignment completion, improving students’ self-efficacy and attitudes toward homework completion, and helping students with LD remain in general education classrooms by maintaining grade-level expectations.

Parents noted their children’s increased self-confidence and improved time-on-task in regards to homework. In addition, teachers reported that students improved their organizational and time management skills and requested funding from the Parent-Teacher Association to continue this project for the coming school year.

Award: $570

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Recipient: Holly Baker Hill
University of Texas
San Antonio, TX

Project Title/Description: Making the Connection: Working with Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities
Making the Connection focuses on an intervention with parents who are on active duty with the U. S. military. The goals of this project are to (1) increase parents’ knowledge regarding current LD research, (2) introduce and model research-based literacy strategies that parents can implement at home, (3) build a resource library for parents to access using Moodle, (3) offer support and guidance to parents of children with LD living in a military community, and (4) empower parents in making future educational decisions for their children with LD.

Award: $1000

2004-2005 Winners

Recipient: Teresa M. Bitti
Clawson High School
101 John M. Street
Clawson, MI 48076

Project Title/Description:Literacy for All Students
Literacy for All Students provides high school students with learning disabilities access to the general education curriculum through assisted technology. The goals of this project are to: (1) build student’s confidence, (2) provide knowledge to organize their thoughts, and (3) build their vocabulary and word comprehension.

Award: $1,000

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Recipient: Linda Johnson
Crescent High School
9104 Hwy. 81 S.
Iva, SC 29655

Project Title/Description: Dressed to Work
Dressed to Work focuses on strengthening critical job skills to be successful in the world of work. The goals of this project are: (1) to prepare students to recognize the dress expectations associated with certain jobs (2) to prepare the students to exhibit appropriate work habit and behaviors (3) to prepare students to be responsible for personal hygiene and appearance.

Award: $1,000

2003-2004 Winners

Recipient: Barbara Pfeiler
Dubuque Senior High School
1800 Clark Dr.
Dubuque, IA 52001

Project Title/Description: Organization Binder and Success in the Classroom
Students each receive a binder to help their organization in general education classes. Organization strategies will be taught. Study skills teachers will also establish communication with parents to reinforce the study skills and use of the binder.

Award: $1,000

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Recipient: Jodi Thurman and Gretchen Gerfen
Hazelwood West Middle School
1 Wildcat Lane
Hazelwood, MO 63042

Project Title/Description: Kids Are Readers
The Read Naturally program will focus on speed of reading within a given passage, improve oral reading, and boost reading confidence. Improvement in comprehension will also be a focus.

Award: $1,000

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Recipient: Christina Godard
Biglerville Elementary School
3270 Biglerville Road
Biglerville, PA 17307

Project Title/Description: Literacy Learning Kits: School to Home Connection
Literacy kits will be developed and sent home with students who have been identified as needing intensive support to reach grade level benchmarks. These kits may include: KEEP BOOKS©, word study cards, making words mats, decoding notebook, games, writing folders. Parents will be trained to provide support at home.

Award: $1,000