CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Education has announced the release of a new dyslexia resource guide. The documents aim to assist school districts and public charter schools in identifying and providing instructional support for students who have or are at risk of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is defined as a neurological learning disability characterized by difficulties with word recognition and spelling.
“The dyslexia guidance documents will help with serving students across our state who have dyslexia or are at risk,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “These efforts will positively impact the trajectory of students’ academic success.”
The Nevada Department of Education has posted guidance documents on its website covering various topics such as common myths about dyslexia, screening assessments, accommodations, Individualized Education Programs (IEP), instructional supports, and resources.
“It is so exciting to get these documents to the field,” said Julie Bowers, director of the Nevada Department of Education’s Office of Inclusive Education. “The Nevada Department of Education wanted to create documents that provide essential information in a new presentation that made it easier for the user to find the information and resources they were looking for quickly and easily.”
The dyslexia guidance documents were unveiled in late July during the Summer Literacy Institute hosted by the Nevada Department of Education and University of Nevada, Reno.
The release complies with state law NRS 388.447, which mandates that the Nevada Department of Education produce a dyslexia resource guide. Previous guidance was issued in 2015.
The development process involved collaboration with Sarah Benz and Jennifer Pierce from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Dr. Nathan Clemens from the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Special Education.
“The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is pleased to work with the Nevada Department of Education to help educators understand best practices and legal requirements for serving and supporting students with or at risk for dyslexia,” said Benz, a senior researcher at AIR. “We hope the work that Nevada is doing can serve as a model for other states who wish to better serve students with dyslexia and want to provide clear information and helpful resources for educators, administrators, and parents. We look forward to our continued partnership.”
The guidance documents are designed as one-pagers intended to be actionable and user-friendly. They can be used individually or together.
“The Nevada Department of Education has created a valuable resource for helping their educators better support students with or at risk for dyslexia,” Dr. Clemens stated. “Their guidance documents are concise, accessible, and driven by current research evidence.”