• Dyslexia Screening and Intervention

    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.  

    Beginning in the 2019-20 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” for dyslexia. 

    Parent Information:

    2019-2020 was the first year of SEA 217 implementation. 

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

     

  • During the 2023-2024 school year kindergarten, first, and second grade students were screened in all six subsets. 

    • 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)

    School City of Hobart uses Fundations by Wilson as its intervention program for students in general education.  Students in special education may receive Fundations and/or specialized instruction as determined by their IEP goals and programming.