School districts expend tremendous resources assessing students for reading difficulties, including dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association estimates that up to one in five students has a neurobiological condition that impairs reading and language abilities.
Yet, in some schools, more than 80% of students struggle with decoding and word recognition. When we see a majority of students in a school or district requiring reading interventions, we must redirect our focus from diagnosing learning issues to examining how we’re teaching reading from the start.
Dyslexia or dysteachia?
While students with dyslexia may process language differently, research shows that we can realign instructional methods to benefit most students. Rather than dyslexia, students are more apt to struggle with reading due to “dysteachia,” or instruction that does not align with how our brains learn to read.
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Unfortunately, dysteachia results in massive numbers of children who cannot read and causes districts to become so overwhelmed with providing intervention that they may inadvertently overlook the issues in general education instruction.
Even experienced educators might not recognize the misalignment. I’ve worked with district leaders reporting 60% proficiency on state reading tests who believe they’re doing well because they score similarly to districts with comparable demographics.
Yet science of reading research tells us that about 95% of all students should be able to read proficiently by fourth grade. Before pulling students out for intervention or assigning labels, evaluating our literacy practices is crucial.
Structured literacy: Ensuring effective reading instruction for all
As of August, 39 states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws requiring districts to teach reading using evidence-based instruction rooted in the science of reading, thanks to the research and advocacy efforts of the International Dyslexia Association, the Dyslexia Foundation, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and other organizations. Adopting a structured literacy approach to instruction ensures that no student falls through the cracks, regardless of their risk for dyslexia.
To be effective, structured literacy instruction must be explicit, systematic, and cumulative:
- Explicit means directly teaching students the skills we expect them to learn.
- Systematic refers to the protocol for teaching skills and the order in which they are taught.
- Cumulative means starting with the basics, building on each skill, and reinforcing previously taught skills.
Literacy skills should follow a clear scope and sequence, progressing from simple to complex. Teachers should incorporate a multisensory, multimodal approach, using resources such as sandpaper letters for tactile learning support or digital tools for reading practice. Schools also need access to reliable data to improve both individual and classroom instruction.
By providing structured literacy to all students, we can significantly reduce the number of students who need more intensive intervention and allocate more time and resources toward students with dyslexia and other learning differences. The International Dyslexia Association supports the idea that by explicitly, systematically, and sequentially teaching literacy skills, teachers can give all students—including those with dyslexia—the support and tools they need to master foundational reading skills.
School districts still struggle to shift from balanced literacy to structured literacy. To successfully transition, teachers need ongoing professional learning to equip them with the necessary tools and knowledge to boost reading proficiency. At the same time, district and school leaders should identify student literacy gaps, along with opportunities to improve core instruction, before focusing on additional support and solutions.
Take a literacy health check
With this four-step literacy health checklist, K-12 school and district administrators can pinpoint areas of improvement in their literacy programs.
1. Analyze your data
- If less than 95% of your 3rd-5th-graders score below proficient on state tests, examine their foundational reading skills.
- Oral fluency rates below 90 words correct per minute could indicate weak decoding skills and a need for targeted foundational literacy support. Oral fluency rates below 75 words correct per minute point to a need for intensive intervention.
- Identify whether students scoring basic or below basic on state assessments are ready for comprehension-focused intervention or need foundational decoding support first. Striving readers may benefit from structured, multisensory instruction grounded in Orton-Gillingham principles.
2. Observe classroom practices
o Students should receive at least 150 minutes of explicit literacy instruction each week in grades K-5.
o Students in grades 6-12 should be able to read grade-level materials; if not, they could be struggling with foundational reading skills.
o Students should engage in both purposeful (skills-based) reading practice and ongoing independent reading practice in complex, connected text.
3. Review your literacy materials
- For students who have not yet mastered decoding, materials must include explicit instruction across all five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).
- Incorporate multisensory strategies for tier 3 and students with disabilities.
- Use screeners to identify students who need intervention, including those at risk of dyslexia.
4. Evaluate student access and resources
- Provide staffing for small-group or one-on-one intervention as needed.
- Determine whether reading intervention should be delivered in general classrooms to benefit all students.
- Train staff in structured literacy and multisensory strategies.
- Consider training paraprofessionals to assist with literacy instruction and intervention.
Every student deserves to grow into a confident, capable reader. By implementing effective instructional strategies, we can provide the necessary resources to all students, including those with dyslexia.
