Dyslexia Law

Learning to read is a major milestone in a young child’s life and fundamental for long-term success. However, for some children, the process of learning to read is extremely difficult and becomes a barrier to their academic and social emotional development. A large and converging body of research now shows that early identification of children who may experience reading difficulties is possible and focused intervention and remediation efforts are effective for reducing negative long-term impacts. The 133rd Ohio General Assembly passed legislation concerning the screening of and intervention for children with dyslexia, effective April 12, 2021. 

Accordingly, and as reflected in the law, the recommended best practices and methods reflect a structured literacy approach across all levels of screening, instruction and intervention. This approach provides clear, explicit and systematic instruction for helping children understand the fundamental connections between sounds and letters, a concept referred to as the alphabetic principle. Children use this knowledge to map speech to print in order to spell, pronounce and store the meaning of words in memory, a cognitive process referred to as orthographic mapping. This ability to map speech to print is a core difficulty for students with dyslexia or dyslexic characteristics and tendencies and is a result of poorly developed or weak phonological awareness skills. Using a structured literacy approach can help activate and facilitate the orthographic mapping process for children experiencing difficulties as it helps children build their knowledge systematically and sequentially. 

In response to the Dyslexia Law, Fairfield City Schools screens students at the beginning of the year in grade 1 with a tier 1 dyslexia screener. Students in grades 2-6 are screened upon parent/guardian/custodian or teacher request and when parent/guardian/custodian permission is granted. If screening indicates potential dyslexic tendencies, students will receive diagnostic testing for further insight into skill development needs and remediation. Students will then receive intervention and progress monitoring based upon those identified skills.