Norwalk School District outlines expanded dyslexia training after state updates

NORWALK, Conn. — Norwalk School District special education staff on Tuesday described recent and planned training for teachers to support students with dyslexia, and outlined how state legislation and a newly created Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities are shaping local practice.

Dr. Jeanette Moore, the districtwide literacy specialist, told the district’s special education meeting that dyslexia is a phonological processing difficulty that affects about 20% of the population and that recent Connecticut law changes increase training expectations for teacher‑preparation programs. "Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population," Moore said, citing the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. "There is a continuum, and each student is different."

Moore said Norwalk has completed a local round of Orton‑Gillingham classroom educator coursework for about 20 special educators through Southport CoLab, and that the district will send an additional 16 staff to state‑provided structured‑literacy workshops over the next several months (eight in a Wilson introductory course and eight in an Orton‑Gillingham introductory workshop). "It’s an expensive opportunity, but we know that it’s worthwhile and we’re always willing to make this investment in our students," Moore said.

Why this matters: Connecticut’s Public Act 17‑3 (effective July 1, 2018) initially required that teacher candidates receive coursework on reading diagnostics and remediation; Moore said a May 2025 update has increased competency requirements for teacher‑preparation programs and created an Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities. That new office must report to the state education committee by Feb. 1, 2026, on evaluation and intervention best practices and student outcomes, Moore said — a timeline Norwalk staff called consequential for district planning and alignment with statewide practice.

District practice and numbers: Moore described a multilayered local approach: dyslexia screeners, formal evaluation pathways with multiple data points before referral, and targeted progress monitoring. She said specialized reading courses at the two comprehensive high schools serve "somewhere in the vicinity of 65 or so students" in any given year who receive specialized reading on their IEPs. The district also serves multilingual learners and students in the 18–22 program who may receive literacy supports.

Training details and partnerships: Norwalk partners with Southport CoLab for Orton‑Gillingham coursework and with Green River Literacy (Massachusetts) and other providers. Moore said the district has staff at multiple levels of Orton‑Gillingham and related structured‑literacy training (associate, certified and fellow levels), Wilson training, and other interventions such as Visualizing and Verbalizing. She said the Orton‑Gillingham classroom educator course completed by 20 teachers included a 40‑hour component and a practicum requirement exists for higher certification levels.

Staffing and monitoring: When asked how many instructors are currently certified, Moore said the district keeps a spreadsheet of trainings and can provide a precise count; she described a steady upward trend in staff seeking structured‑literacy training. Veronica Lenzen, identified by meeting organizers as a district lead on professional development, noted that many interventionists and multilingual learner teachers also have structured‑literacy training, extending the district’s capacity beyond the specialized learning department.

Community engagement and next steps: The district’s special‑education parent advisory group will meet Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Family Center with a virtual attendance option, Moore said. Moore and other staff said they will continue to track local screening and progress‑monitoring data and align training with the state office’s recommendations when they are released.

The meeting closed with a procedural motion to adjourn.