- Kent School District
- Dyslexia
Dyslexia
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What is Dyslexia?
As outlined in RCW 28A.320.250, "dyslexia" means a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities that are not consistent with the person's intelligence, motivation, and sensory capabilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological components of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities. In addition, the difficulties are not typically a result of ineffective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge." RCW 28A.320.250: Dyslexia definition. (wa.gov)
What Is Required for School Districts?
The Kent School District Dyslexia Advisory Group presented to the School Board recommendations to support the implementation of the Dyslexia Law, ESSB 6162. Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, each school district in Washington State will screen students in grades K-2 for weaknesses in the following areas:
- Phonological Awareness
- Phonemic Awareness
- Letter / Sound Knowledge
- Rapid Automized Naming (K-1)
RCWs that outline the requirements:
How We Are Implementing the New Law
As we work together to start the school year and continue implementing the expectations of the Dyslexia Legislation Law for our K-2 students, here are a few important points to know:
- Kindergarten teachers administer WaKIDs in the fall.
- DIBELS is the K-2 screener beginning in the 2022-23 school year. All kindergarten and second-grade students should be screened with DIBELS and data entered in the Amplify mClass platform.
- This process will not provide a diagnosis of dyslexia.
View more information on the DIBELS assessment.
What happens with the data after assessments?
Data Analysis Cycles will be scheduled to support principals with the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support - Academics (MTSS-A) process and identify students with reading difficulties and/or possible indicators of dyslexia. Tools, resources, and professional learning will be available for our K-2 teachers and administrators.
Multilingual Education (MLE)
Students will be assessed using the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA). Please see the current guidance from The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding best practices for supporting our MLE students. Further guidance and support are expected to be forthcoming from OSPI.
How can families and caregivers support?Through conferences and getting to know students and families, we are also learning more about each family's history of difficulty with reading and language acquisition.
For more information on this process, please see the following informational document developed by OSPI.
- Educational Information for Parents and Families
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Khmer)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Korean)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Punjabi)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Russian)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Somali)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Spanish)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Tagalog)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Traditional Chinese)
- Educational Information for Parents and Families (Vietnamese)
We extend our gratitude for your flexibility as we begin our work piloting a new assessment and implementing new requirements around the dyslexia law.
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