Board hears literacy update tied to Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act; district adopts new screener and 90-minute ELA blocks

Miss Ziegler, presenting the district's literacy update, told the board the Liberty County School System is implementing the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act (House Bill 307) with several changes to instruction and screening.

Ziegler said the district adopted Savvas MyView for K'5 ELA instruction, trained teachers on structured literacy and the science of reading, and will run coaching cycles and monthly implementation checks with Savvas representatives. The district is using the Georgia DOE's free universal screener, Amira, for grades K'3 and has also purchased Amira screening and tutoring tools for grades 4 and 5 for progress monitoring and remediation. "We do not diagnose and say they have dyslexia. They have the characteristics of dyslexia," Ziegler told trustees, explaining that screenings flag characteristics and that a tiered reading intervention plan is then developed and shared with parents.

Ziegler also described a district requirement that K'5 classes have at least a 90-minute ELA reading block to allow direct instruction and small-group interventions; district literacy coaches and academic specialists support implementation. She said the district finished the first cohort of LETRS (language and literacy training) and has a second cohort underway, with a plan to develop district trainers to continue instruction.

Board members asked practical questions about screening timelines and parent notification. Ziegler said initial screeners were completed in the first month of school, letters to parents will be sent within 30 days of screening, and interventions typically begin after the tiered plan is developed.

Next steps: the district will continue coaching cycles, share screening results and parent letters, and report on the next round of progress monitoring in January.