Universal Screening and Dyslexia Programming

Indiana Code (IC) 20-35.5 requires schools to administer a universal screener to all
kindergarten, first, and second grade students annually to identify students who may be “at
some risk” or “at risk” of not reaching reading proficiency. This early identification of students
who are not on track to be proficient readers allows early implementation of targeted support.

 

The screening of students shall include, as developmentally appropriate, the following:

 

(1) Phonological and phonemic awareness.
(2) Sound symbol recognition.
(3) Alphabet knowledge.
(4) Decoding skills.
(5) Rapid naming skills.
(6) Encoding skills.

 

If a student is determined to be at risk, or at some risk, of not reaching reading proficiency following the universal screener, a Level I diagnostic will be administered to gather specific information about the student’s needs and programming support. Parents may also elect to request an educational evaluation by the school. If the school determines that students should receive interventions that target learning characteristics of dyslexia specifically, the school must provide students with programming that meets all of the following requirements:

 

● Is systematic, sequential, and cumulative and does not assume prior skills or knowledge;
● Is evidence-based; and
● Includes the components of science of reading:

○ Phonemic awareness;
○ Graphophonemic knowledge;
○ Structure of the English language;
○ Linguistic instruction directed towards proficiency and fluency; and
○ Strategies for decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension.

 

Learn more:

Indiana Department of Education’s website.

Dyslexia Parent Resources Guide