In April, 2021, House Bill 436 enacted legislation to strengthen dyslexia support for Ohio children. The laws required the creation of the Ohio Dyslexia Committee and apply to schools in all Ohio school districts. Each school district is required to provide professional development to identify dyslexia and establish effective instruction, implement dyslexia screening measures, and offer a structured literacy certification process for teachers.

Ohio’s Department of Education and Workforce’s Report on Dyslexia is a comprehensive overview of the legislation implementation and progress with regards to tier 1 and tier 2 screening results and instructor professional development in identifying and instructing students with dyslexia.

Structured Literacy is defined as a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction that research has shown to be effective for all students and essential for students with dyslexia. It is also beneficial for English learners (Baker et al., 2014; Gersten et al., 2008; Kamil et al., 2008; Vaughan et al., 2006).

Programs that use structured literacy as their foundation are those advised for use in OH schools as districts begin to implement HB 436.

Visit our HB 436 page to learn more about the specific requirements.

2023 Updates

Proposed OH budget allotments to fund state literacy initiatives have been announced. The OH Dyslexia Guidebook plan for screening, intervention, and remediation of children with dyslexia or displaying dyslexic characteristics and tendencies goes into effect for the 2023-24 school year.

As reported on Cleveland.com: