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.  Link to House Enrolled Act 1108.  Beginning in the 2019 - 2020 school year, Senate Enrolled Act 217 requires schools to universally screen all kindergarten, first, and second-grade students annually to identify and predict students who may be “at some risk” or “at risk” for dyslexia.  Link to Senate Enrolled Act 217.

Before July 15th of each school year, each school corporation shall report the following information: 

 *This information shall not be provided if fewer than 10 students are identified.
 

Kindergarten, first, and second-grade students are screened in all six subsets using Dibels 8.

• phonological and phonemic awareness (ability to separate and change sounds in words)
• alphabet knowledge (name different letters)
• sound-symbol relationship (phonics)
• decoding (reading)
• rapid naming (quickly name common objects)
• encoding (spelling)

Scott County School District 2 uses McGraw-Hill Wonders and Saxon Phonics for core instruction and Orton Gillingham and Burst as its primary intervention programs. Students in special education may receive OG instruction and/or specialized instruction as determined by their IEP goals and programming. 

For more information about Dyslexia screening and services, contact your elementary school Title 1 Coordinator:

• JES: Wendy McIntosh 812-752-8923 
• LES: Mandi Wade 812-752-8924
• SES: Christy Semmont 812-752-8922
• VFES: Tammy Staser 812-752-8925