Massachusetts General Law Chapter 71 Section 57A directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to issue guidelines that support district development of screening procedures for students demonstrating one or more potential signs of a neurological learning disability including, but not limited to, dyslexia. These Guidelines have been developed as a clear and practical set of organized, relevant, and research-based best practices for the early screening, instruction, and accommodation of students with reading difficulties, learning disabilities, and dyslexia. The Guidelines are intended to assist district administrators, all educators, regardless of their role, and families to make informed educational decisions that will result in supportive, effective practices and the best possible outcomes for students
Section 57A. The department of elementary and secondary education, in consultation with the department of early education and care, shall, subject to appropriation, issue guidelines to assist districts in developing screening procedures or protocols for students that demonstrate 1 or more potential indicators of a neurological learning disability including, but not limited to, dyslexia. M.G.L. Chapter 71, § 57A.
In many school settings, dyslexia is not identified until a student has experienced prolonged reading failure. This process, often referred to as a “wait to fail” model is predicated on the notion that targeted and sometimes specialized interventions cannot be put into place until a student meets the eligibility criteria for a learning disability. A wait to fail framework is problematic for several reasons, including the negative impact reading challenges can have on the emotional well-being of struggling students and the difficulty students face in meeting grade-level expectations when reading interventions are initiated in later elementary school
The Massachusetts Dyslexia Guidelines serve three purposes:
- To provide a set of screening guidelines for all students, including students demonstrating one or more potential signs of a neurological learning disability including, but not limited to dyslexia
- To provide a framework of intervention for students at risk of dyslexia and other learning difficulties that is timely and responsive
- To provide a comprehensive resource of evidence-based practices aimed at all educators to support students at risk of dyslexia and those identified as having dyslexia, consistent with and linked to other guidance from DESE.
The Nashoba Regional School district remains committed to adhering to these guidelines and providing opportunities to screen early learners for signs of any disability and has implemented a new dyslexia screener tool this year. The district is using a DESE Approved Literacy Screening Assessments. The district selected the Lexia RAPID to utilize to screen students as it is a universal screener that provides reading and language information for all students and is administered three times per year in order to provide the most meaningful analysis of student data.
You can review the assessment of skills here:
Link the tab: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1--hKXquKB9VC8lbAFul5rQsWwKS5Uw97