Early Literacy
At Dublin City Schools, the goal of literacy instruction is to develop students who are skilled readers, writers, speakers, and listeners.
Knowing every child’s learning journey is unique, teachers offer personalized, explicit, systematic reading and writing instruction while promoting students’ ability to transfer acquired literacy skills to various personal, professional, social, and academic environments.
Phonics Program
Our K-5 classrooms are currently implementing the 95 Core Phonics Program. The 95 Core Phonics Program is grounded in the science of reading and the principles of structured literacy and will be utilized during the District's literacy blocks. This program serves as a phonics and word study strand that enriches the other important components of literacy being taught in Dublin City Schools. Through explicit, systematic, and direct phonics instruction, reading skills can be enhanced so that students can comprehend grade level materials with greater ease in grades K-5. For more information, please see 95 Core Phonics Program.
Literacy Instruction
The Dublin City Schools English Language Arts Program includes a variety of curriculum and intervention opportunities in reading, writing, speaking and listening. It emphasizes a strong literacy-based classroom environment as well as the importance of early intervention. Universal screeners combined with classroom assessments allow the teachers to tailor instruction and intervention to meet the needs of individual students. Our Multi Tiered Systems of Support helps students become successful through the identification of specific interventions and by monitoring the effectiveness of these interventions. For more information on the intervention process, see the MTSS site.
Assessments and Dyslexia Screening
The State of Ohio passed Senate Bill 316 which requires actions for elementary schools regarding the "Third Grade Reading Guarantee." Districts are required to administer assessments in order to evaluate student performance, notify parents and develop progress plans in partnership with parents.
The State of Ohio passed House Bill 436 which requires the screening of and intervention for children with dyslexia or dyslexic characteristics and tendencies. Districts are required to administer screening assessments and notify parents, guardians or custodians of students who are determined to be at risk from the universal screening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the universal screener?
Dublin City Schools utilized mClass DIBELS 8 (Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills) as the universal screener. This screener is a standardized set of measures used to assess early literacy and reading skills designed for the purpose of prevention of reading failure. The universal screener at your child’s grade level includes a combination of the following measures.
What does it mean to be flagged?
Students are flagged in the mClass DIBELS 8 universal screener based on their composite score. Based on Ohio law, an overall composite score of red indicates a “flagged” status. Classroom teachers will share specific details about each child.
Why is my child taking additional measures?
The mClass DIBELS 8 universal screener indicated a red composite score. Based on these results, additional measures were administered to learn more about your child’s individual reading needs. These measures include:
- Oral Language-Identifies students who struggle with the language structures commonly found in early reading texts.
- Vocabulary-Assesses each student’s depth of knowledge of grade-level high utility and content-specific words.
- Spelling-Assesses a student’s level of general spelling skills
- RAN- RAN stands for Rapid automatized naming and measures how quickly children name a variety of familiar items.
What does it mean to be at mild risk for reading difficulties?
When the mClass DIBELS 8 universal screener indicates a red composite score, and the additional measures do not indicate a deeper level of concern, then the student is considered to be at mild risk for reading difficulties. These students should receive reading instruction from their teacher and may qualify for additional instruction from a reading support teacher. Parents of students at mild risk should discuss the specific details with their child’s teacher.
What does it mean to be at an elevated level of risk for reading difficulties?
When the mClass DIBELS 8 universal screener indicates a red composite score, and the additional measures indicate a deeper level of concern, then the student is considered to be at an elevated risk for reading difficulties. These students should receive reading instruction from their teacher and are the top priority to receive additional instruction from a reading support teacher. Parents of students at an elevated risk should discuss the specific details with their child’s teacher.