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Marple Newtown board approves Read 180 for elementary students after discussion of dyslexia concerns
Summary
The Marple Newtown School Board voted unanimously May 26 to implement Read 180 at the elementary level to establish a districtwide reading intervention; administrators said IEP teams will continue to determine individualized special-education services after parents raised dyslexia-related concerns.
The Marple Newtown School Board voted May 26 to implement Read 180 across its elementary schools, a measure administrators described as creating a consistent, research-based reading intervention framework for students with significant reading needs.
Brook Tachi, a teaching and learning supervisor, told the board the recommendation aims to align elementary supports with programs already in place at the middle and high school levels and to provide “explicit systematic support in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, word recognition, fluency, and spelling.” Tachi said learning-support teachers have been “enthusiastic” about bringing Read 180 to younger students and that the program fits the district’s MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) approach.
Tachi acknowledged that “a small number of parents” — particularly parents of children with dyslexia — have expressed concerns that Read 180 may not meet every student’s needs. She emphasized that Read 180 includes a code component to address phonics and decoding, and she repeatedly stressed that individualized decisions will remain the prerogative of students’ IEP teams: “Decisions about individualized needs of special education students will continue to be the prerogative of their IEP teams,” she said.
Board members asked whether the district would be able to provide more specialized programs, such as Wilson-type supports, when an IEP team determines that is the best fit for a child. Administrators responded that the district is prepared and equipped to fulfill such needs on an individualized basis.
A motion to approve item 13.05 — the implementation of Read 180 at the elementary level — was moved, seconded, and carried by voice vote. The board’s roll call earlier in the evening recorded seven members present.
The board did not specify an implementation timeline or detailed rollout plan during the meeting; administrators said implementation would be monitored and adjusted based on student need. Further operational details and timelines were not provided in the meeting packet or on the record.
What’s next: the district will proceed with implementation steps outlined by the teaching and learning team and continue to handle individual special-education determinations through established IEP processes.
