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Dyslexia

Dyslexia Guidance

Dyslexia Programming Guidance for Schools

IDOE has updated the Dyslexia Programming Guidance for Schools to provide additional guidance for supporting English learners. Refer to Appendix D (page 14) for details. As a reminder, all students in kindergarten through grade two must be screened for learning characteristics related to dyslexia within the first 90 calendar days of school. Additional resources can be found on IDOE’s Dyslexia webpage. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Assessment for support with assessments related to dyslexia screening and Office of Teaching and Learning with general questions regarding dyslexia.

 

Screening 

A school corporation and charter school must have a plan that include indicators to screen for risk factors of dyslexia. The school corporation must use a screening tool approved by the department that screens for characteristics of dyslexia.

  • This mandatory universal screener, approved by the IDOE, shall include indicators for dyslexia and must be reported for grade levels Kindergarten through Grade Two.
  • This screening shall include, as developmentally appropriate, the following:
  • Phonological and phonemic awareness
  • Sound symbol recognition
  • Alphabet knowledge
  • Decoding skills
  • Rapid Naming skills
  • Encoding Skills
  • If a student is determined to be at risk or at some risk for dyslexia, after the universal screening, the school corporation or charter school shall administer a Level 1 Dyslexia Screening to the student. Based on the results of the Level 1 Screener, a school may administer a Level 2 Screener. Both level 1 and 2 screeners must include the assessment components listed above:
  • Students who must be screened are:
  • Students in kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2
  • A student in kindergarten through grade 2 who transfers to a new school; and has not previously been screened during the school year.
  • A student in grade 3 or higher who has difficulty as noted by the classroom teacher the tested areas listed above.
  • A student in kindergarten through grade 2 from another state who enrolls in an Indiana school for the first time unless the student has documentation that he/she has a dyslexia or similar screen during the school year or is exempt from the screening.
  • A school corporation is not required to administer a universal screening if the parent objects to the screening or the student is already receiving intervention services for dyslexia.
  • A parent/guardian must consent to a level 1 or 2 screening before it is administered.

 

Screeningponer en pantalla

Gary will be using the following state approved screeners

 

Universal Screener: MindPlay; If a student is identified as “at risk” or “at some risk” specific interventions will begin or continue based on student’s academic needs.  The Level 1 screener will be given to identify more specific weaknesses than determined during the universal screener. 

Level 1 Screener:  Mindplay; Screener will be given.  Parents will be notified for consent regarding students determined to be “at-risk” after completing the universal screener.  Students will receive interventions / explicit-direct instruction to address the areas of weakness identified in the Level 1 assessment. 

Level 2 Screener(s): Is given if the team feels it is necessary or if the team feels the child needs to have a formal education evaluation.  It is conducted by the school psychologist.  Parents will be notified for consent before the Level 2 screener is administered.  Specific interventions will continue throughout the screening process to establish student’s progress in areas of weakness. 

What Does Dyslexia Look Like in the Classroom?

K-1st Grade

K- 1st Grade

  • Difficulty with developing basic foundational reading skills (producing rhyming words, phonological awareness, recognizing common words by sight)
  • Not uncommon for students to recognize their weaknesses, begin to develop anxiety, and try to avoid reading altogether

2nd/3rd Grade

2nd/3rd Grade

  • Difficulty identifying sight words automatically, sounding out or decoding words
  • Spelling may have sounds omitted, letters used incorrectly for sounds
  • Typically continue to demonstrate difficulties with reading, writing, and spelling

Upper Elementary

Upper Elementary

  • May still struggle with skills listed in previous grades
  • May also experience difficulty with timed oral reading fluency tests
  • Dysfluent reading may persist, even after or while receiving appropriate instruction and intervention

Secondary

Secondary

  • May still struggle with skills listed in previous grades
  • Often have issues with note-taking, time management, and organization
  • May experience a slower reading rate which results in an increased time needed to complete literacy tasks when compared to peers

Some Accommodations to Support Students Exhibiting 

Risk Factors for Dyslexia

  • Time & Scheduling: extended time, segment/chuck work time
  • Reading Accommodations: audio/video books, preview story with partner, introduce specific vocabulary
  • Classroom Environment: preferred seating, classroom routines for predictability, visual labels and instructions
  • Writing: teacher grades for content not spelling, use speech-to-text software, accept oral answers, use fill in the blank questions with word banks, provide a copy of teacher’s notes

Notification and Services

  • If the student’s performance on the universal screener indicates he/she is determined to be at risk, or some risk, for dyslexia, the school shall:
  • Notify the parent/guardian of the results of the screening(s)
  • Provide the student’s parents/guardians with information and resource material that includes:
    • Characteristics of dyslexia
    • Appropriate classroom interventions and accommodations for students with dyslexia
    • A statement that the parent/guardian may elect to have an educational evaluation by the school

For more information regarding GCSC Characteristics of Dyslexia & Intervention programming,

please contact:

Dominique Israel

disrael@garyschools.org

Dyslexia Data