Dyslexia Screening
Tier 1 (Universal) Screening
Universal screening, referred to as a tier 1 dyslexia screening measure in Ohio’s dyslexia support laws (ORC 3323.251), identifies the students whose current level of skills indicate they may be at risk of reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
Screening Timelines for the 2024-2025 School Year and Beyond
Screening requirements by grade level :
- Kindergarten students: Universal (tier 1) screening must occur between the first day of January of their kindergarten year and prior to the first day of January of the following school year.
- Transfer kindergarten students: During the school's regularly scheduled screening of the kindergarten class or within 30 days after the student's enrollment if the screening already has been completed, or within thirty days after the student's parent requests the screening or grants permission for a screening.
- Grades 1-6: Upon parent request or teacher request with parent permission.
- Transfer students in grades 1-6: Within 30 days of a request for screening by the student's parent/guardian or teacher (with parent/guardian permission).
Note: A district or school is not required to administer a tier one dyslexia screening measure to a student in grades K-6 who transfers into the district or school midyear if the student’s records indicate a screening was administered to the student by the district or school from which the student transferred during that year. If a student transfers into a district with no record of being screened by the previous district, the current teacher may request screening with parent permission.
Assessing Students with Disabilities
As stated on page 46 of Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook assessing children with complex communication needs, as well as those with visual impairments, may require adaptations to standardized procedures. If the assessment you are using does not offer instructions for how to adapt the assessment protocol to serve diverse learners, assistive technologies may be used to meet individual access needs.
The document "Administering Literacy Assessment for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs" (January 2024 version) provides resources and recommendations for accommodations and scaffolds districts may use when administering district wide literacy screenings and benchmarks or reading diagnostics. These can be used when administering the required tier 1 dyslexia screener, as well as the reading diagnostic required under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and other district assessments. The purpose of these is to ensure these assessments provide proper data related to the reading abilities of students with complex communication need and low incidence disabilities.
The following additional resources may be used to learn more about these adaptations:
Progress Monitoring and Tier 2 (Intervention-Based Diagnostic) Screening
Students identified as at risk must be progress-monitored for up to six weeks and an intervention-based diagnostic (tier 2) screener must be administered to students who continue to exhibit risk for dyslexia.
Note: In lieu of the progress-monitoring period, an intervention-based diagnostic (tier 2) screener can also be administered immediately to any student who received a universal (tier 1) screener.
Districts and schools must use a universal (tier 1) screener from the list of approved assessments. There is no approved list of tier 2 screeners but districts and schools can refer to Section 2 and Appendix B of Ohio's Dyslexia Guidebook for guidance in making their selection.
The Literacy Assessment Selection Tool K-6 is a useful tool for schools and districts looking to identify and choose their tier 1 and tier 2 dyslexia screeners. It describes the different skills that each screener should identify.
Communication with Families
There are several requirements for districts to maintain consistent communication with families regarding students’ screening results and reading progress. These include:
- Sharing results of the universal (tier 1) screener for students identified as at risk.
- Sharing results of progress monitoring for students who continue to demonstrate risk and will be administered the intervention-based diagnostic (tier 2 ) screener
- Results of the intervention-based diagnostic (tier 2 ) screener, along with information about reading development, the risk factors for dyslexia and a written explanation of the district or school's structured literacy program.
Templates and examples of written notification can be found on the OSU Family Engagement Center website. Please note that these are examples and templates only; districts are not required to use these templates but are encouraged to review them as a resource and adapt as desired and appropriate.
Additional Resources
Last Modified: 1/30/2025 11:27:29 AM