Keith

I feel very strongly that dyslexia tutors should not proof read students' work or alter students' work in any way at all.  It is fine to provide editing skills that will enable students to correct their own work, but not to correct it for them.  That would be giving the students an unfair advantage, in my opinion. On an individual basis we do talk through coursework with students and point out any errors of grammar and sentence structure, and explain why it is wrong - we do not offer alternatives.  Perhaps that is the same thing and it is the term 'proof reading' which is being interpreted differently! I perhaps read more into the term than you do - proof reading  could be seen as just pointing out mistakes and not correcting them.

Janet
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Janet Skinner
Co-ordinator of Dyslexia Services
University of Southampton
9 University Crescent
[log in to unmask]
023 80595 562 (internal 25562)
Dyslexia Services Reception 023 8059 2759
(internal 22759) [log in to unmask] 

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Silvester [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 06 June 2003 14:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Sympathetic marking


Janet,

I'm surprised that proof-reading is such a no-no.  I recommend that a student finds someone to do this, if they don't have immediate access to a dyslexia tutor.  On occasion, I have done this for a student facing a tight deadline with no access to a tutor.  After all, proof-reading is only an advanced form of spellchecker.  Eventually, spellcheckers will become even more sophisticated!

Keith Silvester

-----Original Message-----
From: Skinner J.P. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 06 June 2003 09:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sympathetic marking


Re: recent communication about sympathetic marking.

At the University of Southampton if  dyslexic students are eligible for extra time in examinations, they will also be eligible for 'sympathetic marking' in examinations.  Under examination conditions they are likely to make more errors than their non-dyslexic peers because of slow sleed of information processing etc. We feel this consideration is totally justified. The coloured sticker system is meant to ensure that in anonymous marking a dyslexic student is not penalised for typical dyslexic spelling and syntax errors.  The sticker system is simply to bring to the attention of the marker that it is a dyslexic script and that there may be errors in written expression.  If, however, language skills are being assessed, then no consideration is given.  

Sympathetic marking is not allowed for coursework because there is the opportunity for students to receive academic study skill tutorials with our dyslexia tutors. Dyslexia Services can provide help with editing skills.  Dyslexia tutors can also read students' work aloud to them so that they can hear whether they have written what they have intended to write.  Guidance can be given about the kind of grammatical, structural errors individual students are making.  Under no circumstances would we undertake to proof read students' coursework, however, or comment on the subject matter of the work.

Janet
----------------------
Janet Skinner
Co-ordinator of Dyslexia Services
University of Southampton
9 University Crescent
[log in to unmask]
023 80595 562 (internal 25562)
Dyslexia Services Reception 023 8059 2759
(internal 22759) [log in to unmask]