Will dyslexia become one of the disability categories for special education?
No. Dyslexia will not be added as a disability category for special education.
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Will an individualized education program (IEP) need to be written if a child is identified as “at risk” by the dyslexia screener?
No. The determination of “at risk” by a dyslexia screener is not a diagnosis. If a parent or guardian thinks his or her child may have a disability that is affecting the child’s education, a request can be made to the district to evaluate the child to determine whether he or she would be eligible for special education.
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How do districts find reliable screening measures?
In the coming months, the Ohio Dyslexia Committee will develop a list of approved dyslexia screeners. The approved list will be communicated to the public and posted on the Ohio dyslexia supports website. Currently, there are no assessments approved to fulfill the requirements of the law.
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What is a tier one or tier two dyslexia screening measure? When does a district use a tier one or tier two screening measure?
Information about what qualifies as tier one or tier two dyslexia screening measure is described in Ohio's Dyslexia Guidebook. Under Ohio law, tier one dyslexia screening measures will be used by districts to identify each student who is at risk of dyslexia. Districts also must administer a tier two dyslexia screener if no progress is observed during the progress monitoring period after the tier one dyslexia screener was administered.
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What must a district do if a student is identified as at risk for dyslexia according to a tier one screening measure?
If a student is identified as at risk for dyslexia based on the student’s tier one screening measure results, districts are required to do the following:
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Notify the student’s parent, guardian or custodian that the student has been identified as being at-risk for dyslexia;
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Monitor the progress of each at-risk student toward attaining grade-level reading and writing skills for up to six weeks.
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The district or school shall check each at-risk student's progress on at least the second week, fourth week and sixth week after the student is identified as being at risk.
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If no progress is observed during the monitoring period, the district or school shall notify the parent, guardian or custodian of the student and administer a tier two dyslexia screening measure to the student.
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Report to the student’s parent, guardian or custodian the results of the tier two screening measure within 30 days after the screening measure’s administration.
In addition, districts will be required to follow the guidance in the forthcoming dyslexia guidebook regarding students identified as at risk for dyslexia.
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What must a district do if a student is identified as having dyslexia tendencies under a tier two screening measure?
Districts will be required to report to a student's parent or guardian the student's results on a tier two screening measure approved by the Ohio Dyslexia Committee within 30 days after the measure's administration. If, as determined by the tier two screening measure, the student is identified as having dyslexia tendencies, the student's parent or guardian will be provided with information about reading development, the risk factors for dyslexia and descriptions for evidenced-based interventions.
If a student demonstrates markers of dyslexia, the district must provide the student’s parent, guardian or custodian with a written explanation of the district’s structured literacy program. In addition, districts will be required to follow the guidance in the forthcoming dyslexia guidebook regarding students identified as at risk for dyslexia.
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