Supporting Every Reader: Literacy & Dyslexia Resources for Families

Welcome to our Reading Support Hub! Every child learns to read at their own pace. Our goal is to ensure every student in our school district gets the exact tools, instruction, and encouragement they need to become confident readers and writers.

How We Check In on Your Child’s Growth (Screening & Progress)

DIBELS Reading Screener (K–5)

  • What it is: A quick, 1-on-1 assessment given three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring) to all K-5 students.
  • What it measures: Key reading building blocks appropriate for your child’s grade level, including letter sounds, phonics, reading accuracy, and fluency.
  • Why we use it: DIBELS helps us instantly spot students who might need extra practice with specific skills, and lets us measure how well our reading interventions are working.

MAP Growth Assessment (K–8)

  • What it is: A computer-adaptive assessment administered periodically throughout the school year.
  • What it measures: Your child’s overall academic performance and learning growth over time in subject areas like Math and Reading. Because it adapts to your child’s answers—getting harder when questions are answered correctly and easier when they aren’t—it accurately measures growth regardless of whether your child is performing on, below, or above grade level.
  • How MAP Growth & DIBELS work together: While DIBELS focuses on specific early reading mechanics (like sounding out words and reading speed), MAP Growth gives teachers a broader, big-picture view of your child’s cumulative academic progress over the entire school year.

Understanding Dyslexia and School Support

What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a neuro-biological learning difference that makes matching spoken sounds to written letters difficult. We recognize that dyslexic readers possess a “sea of strengths” in reasoning, critical thinking, vocabulary, and creative problem-solving.

Oregon State Requirements (SB 612 & SB 1003): Oregon state law requires public school districts to screen all Kindergarten students, and any First Graders new to Oregon public schools, for early dyslexia risk factors. Because early identification is so vital, our district goes beyond the state minimum by using DIBELS to check in on all students in grades K–5. DIBELS directly measures key risk factors, such as phonological processing and letter-sound mapping, ensuring every child receives prompt support.

No Medical Diagnosis Required: You do not need a clinical diagnosis for your child to receive reading help. When screening flags a skill gap, students receive immediate Structured Literacy support—the gold-standard approach for dyslexic learners.

Our Multi-Tiered Intervention System (MTSS)

Tier 1 (Whole Class): Daily core reading instruction using explicit, systematic Structured Literacy (phonics, vocabulary, comprehension) grounded in the Science of Reading.

Tier 2 (Targeted Small Groups): Targeted practice in small groups using evidence-based tools to address specific DIBELS skill gaps.

Tier 3 (Intensive Support): Specialized, individualized instruction for students requiring deeper, sustained intervention.

Assistive Technology & Accommodations: Classroom tools like audiobooks, text-to-speech tools, graphic organizers, and extra processing time.

What to Do If You Have Concerns

Talk to Your Child’s Teacher: Share observations from home and review recent DIBELS and MAP Growth scores.

Inquire About Small-Group Skill Focus: Ask what specific phonics or fluency programs are being used during intervention.

Request a Student Support Team Check-In: You are always invited to meet with our support team to look at assessment data, celebrate growth, and ensure instruction continues to evolve alongside your child’s needs.