PSD presents districtwide plan to screen and support students with dyslexia; staff training under way

The Poudre School District R-1 presented a multi-year plan Feb. 11 to expand screening, diagnostics and professional learning for students who show indicators of dyslexia.

Nora Love, integrated services assistant director of teaching and learning, told the board that dyslexia "impacts people on a continuum" and is present to some degree in about 20% of students. Shauna Stahl, curriculum, teaching and learning facilitator, emphasized that PSD's recent elementary adoption of structured-literacy materials aligns classroom instruction with the evidence-based "science of reading." The district said its goal is to provide that instruction as the "best first" approach for all students and layer diagnostics and targeted interventions for those who need more intensive work.

Why it matters: District leaders said early, universal screening and targeted diagnostic testing let schools identify the specific decoding, phonological awareness or fluency barriers that most strongly predict reading difficulties often associated with dyslexia. That allows teams to match interventions precisely and to monitor progress every four to six weeks.

What the district described:

- Screening and diagnostics: PSD screens students K'023 three times per year with the state-approved DIBELS screener to flag indicators of reading risk, including dyslexia. Students identified by screeners receive tailored diagnostic assessments (phonological awareness, phonics, rapid naming) so teams can map individual strengths and needs.

- Instructional framework: The district uses a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Universal instruction in structured literacy (explicit, diagnostic, multisensory, cumulative, sequential) is delivered in elementary classrooms as the first layer. Targeted and intensive interventions are aligned to the same scope-and-sequence and vary by intensity (longer duration, smaller groups, increased repetition) when needed.

- Professional learning: PSD formed a dyslexia core team and rolled out a three-year professional learning plan. As of the board meeting, the district reported that about 91% of elementary general education teachers had received dyslexia-focused professional learning; 75% of integrated services teachers and 81% of school psychologists had training; reading interventionists were at 43% so far and will have additional workshops in March; roughly 14% of classified staff had participated to date. The district plans targeted secondary training next school year and an asynchronous class for broader access.

- Special education and identification: District staff said Colorado does not have a separate eligibility category named "dyslexia"; teams would consider eligibility under "specific learning disability" when data from screening, diagnostics and progress monitoring indicate special-education needs. PSD emphasized that dyslexia is primarily a word-level (phonological/phonics) difficulty and that reading comprehension is a frequent secondary consequence.

Board questions and district responses: Board Director Scott Schoenbauer asked whether screening was already happening; presenters said universal screening occurs now (three times a year) and that diagnostics and targeted instruction are in active use. Director Carolyn Reed asked for clarification on DIBELS and how it flags risk; the presenters explained it includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabet naming/rapid automatic naming and nonsense-word fluency to assess application of phonics. Director Connor Duffy asked what steps parents should take if they suspect dyslexia; presenters advised families to begin by speaking with the student's classroom teacher and to request that the educational team review the screening and diagnostic data.

Quotes: "Dyslexia impacts people on a continuum from more mild to more profound impacts," Nora Love said. The presentation also quoted the International Dyslexia Association (as adopted by the Colorado Department of Education): "Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin..." (presentation slide read aloud).

Next steps and family outreach: PSD said it has begun family and community outreach, updated its dyslexia web pages, and will continue training through 2025 and 2026 with additional secondary-focused sessions and an asynchronous course for staff and families. Progress monitoring cycles and documentation will be used to guide whether a special-education referral is appropriate.

Ending: District staff asked the board for support as the training expands and for continued engagement from families and school teams as PSD moves toward consistent, evidence-based identification and support practices.