Characteristics of Dyslexia Information & Data

According to Senate Enrolled Act 217: Beginning the 2019-2020 school year ALL kindergarten through second grade students will be given an Indiana Department of Education approved Universal Screener to assess for characteristics of dyslexia. The universal screener does not identify dyslexia, only the areas of weakness in phonological and phonemic awareness, sound symbol recognition, alphabet knowledge, decoding skills, rapid naming skills, and encoding skills. For additional guidance: https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/literacy/initial-dyslexia-guidance-revise d-319.pdf

Indiana’s  Definition of Dyslexia

In 2015 the Indiana General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1108. This law put in place an official definition for dyslexia in Indiana. This definition is based on the International Dyslexia Association’s definition of dyslexia. When referring to dyslexia, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) uses the language from HEA 1108.

House Enrolled Act 1108 defines dyslexia as: A specific learning disability that: (1) is neurological in origin and characterized by: difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities; (2) typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction; (3) may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and (4) may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with Article 7.”

https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/literacy/indianas-definition-dyslexia.pdf

For more information regarding SEA 217, please visit the Indiana Department of Education Dyslexia web page: https://www.doe.in.gov/literacy/dyslexia

LCIS uses the following (state-approved) to screen for dyslexia:

Universal Screener:

NWEA Map Fluency Dyslexia Screener will be given within the first 90 days of school to all students in grades K-2.

• • If a student is identified as “at risk,” specific interventions will begin or continue based on the 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:

NWEA Skills Checklists will be given to students who have been identified as “at-risk.”

• • 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 assessments. Documentation of these interventions will be shared with the student’s teacher and/or the MTSS team to track student’s progress.

Level 2 Screener:

Level 2 screener(s) can be conducted by the school psychologist or dyslexia specialist using various assessments.

• • Parents will be notified for consent before the Level 2 screener(s) are administered. Specific interventions will continue throughout the screening process to establish student’s progress in areas of weakness. Level 2 data will be shared with the student’s teacher and/or the RtI team.