September 25, 2023
In the spring of 2021, Ohio dyslexia support laws were established (ORC 3323.25, 3323.251, 3319.077 and 3319.078) by the 133rd Ohio General Assembly. This fall, our school district, along with schools across Ohio, will begin the implementation of these laws.
In addition to required dyslexia professional development for teachers, which our district began last school year, the new laws establish procedures to identify, and to provide early intervention for, students with dyslexia or who display dyslexic characteristics and tendencies.
Following Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook and the Ohio Department of Education’s approved assessments, this year our district will administer the aimswebPlus dyslexia screening measure to all students in grades K-3. Students in kindergarten and grade 1 will be screened in January, and students in grades 2 and 3 will be screened this fall. It is important to note that, “... students who experience risk for dyslexia do not necessarily have dyslexia. The goal of early identification of risk is the provision of early intervention that can prevent or minimize the impact of reading difficulties such as dyslexia.” (p. 12)
In addition to notifying parents/guardians, we will provide structured literacy interventions founded in the science of reading to students who are determined to be at risk from our dyslexia screenings, and progress to additional screenings and interventions as needed.
In Rocky River, our structured literacy classroom instruction and interventions include use of the explicit, systematic, research-based programs Heggerty (phonemic awareness) and Fundations (phonics, reading, spelling, handwriting), as well as our sequential language arts course of study which uses Wonders.
Our teachers, interventionists and administrators are dedicated to providing the quality instruction each child requires for success.
Visit these links to learn more about literacy in Ohio and dyslexia supports.