Ohio Schools To Bring In Universal Dyslexia Screening  

Kicking off for the start of the 2022-2013 academic year in September, every school district in Ohio will have to screen its youngest students for dyslexia under new guidance from the Ohio Department of Education. The ODE have said that they want to ensure that school districts are guided in the process to ensure that the scheme goes as smoothly as possible, and ensure that students with dyslexia and literacy differences are able to access support  and interventions from an early age.

For the first year, all students in kindergarten right the way thorough to third grade will be required to take a Tier 1 dyslexia assessment under the new screener programme. Fourth to sixth grade learners will have access to the Tier 1 dyslexia assessment if a parent or teacher with parental permission specifically requests it. As of the 2023-2024 academic year start, only kindergarteners will be required to take the screener, but any first through sixth grade learners will be able to take it under the same request conditions.

The new programme is part of a new push by the Ohio Department for Education to recognise and support cases of dyslexia in the school system. It’s part of a much larger initiative designed to raise reading standards and promote literacy in Ohio as a whole. Earlier this month, Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 436 – a piece of legislation informally known as Ohio’s Dyslexia Law. As part of this new code, dyslexia screenings are mandated to make sure that students aren’t slipping through the cracks and going undiagnosed, which can lead to much greater problems in a learner’s educational and social lives further on down the line. The law also states that districts also have the obligation to provide relevant professional development in these kinds of areas for educators and specialists, and establish a multi-sensory instruction certification process.

On Tuesday 25^th of January, an 11-strong committee formed by the ODE has begin to put the finishing touches to Ohio’s newest written asset in dyslexia education, the Ohio Dyslexia Guidebook. In it, schools and other educational establishments under the district system will be able to find guidance on the best practises for screening students who may be at risk for dyslexia and for providing intervention and remediation to students who are identified as having dyslexia.

It’ll be exciting to watch just how many lives in Ohio are changed by early identification, intervention and a much greater focus on learner support.