Reading Instruction

Families, early childhood teachers, or kindergarten teachers are often the first to notice children having difficulty with talking or learning at school. It is important to pay attention to potential signs that a child may have dyslexia. 

There are many myths about dyslexia. 

• Not related to a person’s intelligence or motivation
• It doesn’t look the same for everyone
• It’s not a vision problem (mixing up letters, mixing up words)

Students who show signs for dyslexia are NOT necessarily dyslexic. While any one sign does not necessarily mean your child has dyslexia, it is important to talk with your child’s teachers if you have concerns.

Sidney City Schools is using best practices for teaching students with dyslexic tendencies so that everyone can learn to read.

A second, intervention-based diagnostic assessment allows us to pinpoint the specific skill for us to focus on with your child to help them overcome their challenges in learning to read. 

Our phonics program is accredited by organizations that research best practices for helping people with dyslexic tendencies learn to read.

• Read aloud to and with your child (don't worry about reading the same book over and over)
• Have fun with rhyming
  • Learning about rhyming is a fun and important way for children to develop foundational reading skills.
• Encourage them to find the skills they have learned in print at home
  • To help your child learn that print has meaning, point to the text when you read. You can track the words with your finger. Or talk about the text as you see it on the page. For example, “I see many words on this page,” or “I see only one word on the page,” or “There is a capital ‘B’.”
• Point out letters in the world around you – on signs (a STOP sign), menus, or labels.
• Talk to your child often—talk about your day, describe what you are doing, and ask your child questions.

Ask your child’s teacher and reading specialists for ideas and resources. 

Sidney City Schools has dedicated staff working with students on strengthening literacy skills. These reading specialists are working with students one-on-one and in small group intervention to help fill the literacy skill holes the student may have. 

Dyslexia Resource Guide for Families

State law requires the State Board of Education to annually increase the promotion score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts until it reaches proficient for the 2024-2025 school year. Accordingly, the State Board voted to raise the promotion score for grade 3 English language arts to 690 for the 2023-2024 school year. Any student who scores 690 or higher on the English language arts scaled score will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

In addition, the Ohio Department of Education has set the reading subscore alternative assessment score for Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts test at 48 for the 2022-2023 school year. Any student who scores 48 or higher on the reading subscore will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, even if the student scores below 690 on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts.

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, a student’s parent or guardian, in consultation with the student’s reading teacher and principal, may request that a student be promoted to fourth grade regardless of the student’s score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts.

Students promoted to fourth grade through this exemption must continue to receive intensive reading instruction until the student is able to read at grade level.

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, districts must include the following information in the written communication to parents of students in grades K-3 who are not reading on grade level according to the reading diagnostic:

• A statement that connects the child’s proficiency level in reading to long-term outcomes of success related to proficiency in reading.

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Toolkit

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Roadmap