Ohio

Local control?

Yes

Has your state passed legislation and/or non-legislated rule changes related to the science of reading?

Yes, Ohio passed legislation related to support for students with dyslexia in 2021 and additional legislation related to professional development, high-quality instructional materials and reading instruction and intervention aligned with the science of reading in summer 2023.

Information on Ohio’s Dyslexia Support Laws is available on the Department’s webpage.

Information on reading intervention requirements for students is available on the Department’s webpage, along with requirements for Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

Legislation was passed in 2023 requiring professional development in the science of reading for educators and administrators, the use of high-quality core curriculum and instructional materials and reading intervention programs aligned with the science of reading and the installation of literacy coaches in schools and districts based on academic performance.

Does your state have an approved curriculum list?

Yes, Ohio has an approved list of core curriculum and instructional materials in prekindergarten-grade 5 and an approved list of reading intervention programs in prekindergarten-grade 12.

Was evidence-aligned reading instruction a consideration for the curriculum review?

Materials and programs on the Department’s approved lists were required to demonstrate alignment with the science of reading and strategies for effective literacy instruction. The following rubrics were used in 2023-2024:

• Prekindergarten Language and Literacy Review Rubric (Core)
• K-5 ELA Foundational Skills Review Rubric (Core)
• Prekindergarten-Grade 12 Reading Intervention Program Review Rubric (Intervention)

Does your state mandate or provide guidance on early screening?

Yes. Ohio mandates screening for risk of dyslexia in early elementary school. Districts are required to screen students between the second half of a student’s Kindergarten year and the first half of 1st grade. Ohio has an approved list of assessments that can be used for dyslexia screening. Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook provides guidance on best practices and considerations for universal screening.

Please describe any other assessment work related to the science of reading with links, where applicable

Ohio law also requires a beginning of year reading screener for K-3 students called “the reading diagnostic”. It must be administered by September 30th for grades one, two and three and by the 20th day of instruction for kindergarten students. The reading diagnostic measures whether a student is on track or not on track for reading at grade level according to the previous year’s end-of-year standards.

Does your state have policy or guidance related to MTSS that incorporates information on the science of reading and/or evidence-based literacy practices?

Yes. Implementing Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement: A Guide for School Leaders, K-5 and 6-12 provide guidance and information on tiered systems of instructional support aligned with the science of reading. In addition, Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook incorporates information on supporting student needs in reading through a multi-tiered system of supports.

Ohio does not currently have an overarching state policy or guidance related to multi-tiered systems of support.

Does your state have policy or guidance related to instruction and/or professional development

Yes.

Professional Development in the Science of Reading

Districts and schools shall require all teachers and administrators to complete the Department’s course in the Science of Reading not later than June 30, 2025, Exception: Any teacher or administrator who has previously completed similar training, as determined by the Department, shall not be required to complete the course.

Information on the requirements for professional development in the science of reading is available on the Department’s website.

Dyslexia Professional Development Requirements (Ohio Revised Code 3319.077)
The following dyslexia professional development requirements apply to teachers in grades K-3 and special education teachers in grades K-12 who are employed by a city, local or exempted village school district, community school or STEM school.

Teachers hired before April 12, 2021, who provide instruction to students in the following grade bands must complete the required professional development in accordance with the following timeline:

• By the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year: Teachers of grades K-1, including special education teachers.
• By Sept. 15 of the 2024-2025 school year: Teachers of grades 2-3, including special education teachers.
• By Sept. 15 of the 2025-2026 school year: Special education teachers of students in grades 4-12.

Information on the requirements for professional development in dyslexia is available on the Department’s website.

Ohio’s Phonics Requirements
The Department must provide in-service training programs for teachers on the use of phonics as a technique in the teaching of reading in grades kindergarten through three.

Does your state have state-developed guidance documents or training courses related to the science of reading?

Yes. Ohio provides a free 18-hour course on dyslexia for Ohio educators in the Department of Education’s Learning Management System. Information is available on the Dyslexia Professional Development webpage.

Ohio provides access to short professional learning courses in literacy for kindergarten- grade 12 through Literacy Academy on Demand.

The Department provides multiple Introduction to the Science of Reading course pathways, depending on educator role and grade level(s) served.

The Department has provided a discussion guide on the science of reading for school and district teams, as well as implementation guides to support school leaders in operationalizing evidence-based practices in language and literacy instruction for emergent literacy, early and conventional literacy and adolescent literacy.

Please describe any grant work that names the science of reading and/or evidence-aligned instruction including links, where applicable

Ohio has received the following grants that focus on evidence-based literacy instruction:

• Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant
• Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Grant
• Model Demonstration Project for Dyslexia

Ohio has awarded the following grants using state or ESSER funding:

• Each Child Reads
• Reaching all Students through Language and Literacy

Has your state reviewed standards for alignment to the science of reading?

Yes, as part of Ohio’s Dyslexia Support Laws, the Kindergarten English Language Arts standards were reviewed for alignment to structured literacy. The draft standards have not been approved by the State Board of Education.

Please describe any other standards work related to the science of reading with links, where applicable

Ohio is currently revising its Reading Competencies to align with the Science of Reading. The Reading Competencies are standards for teachers.

Does your state have guidance or resources for families related to the science of reading?

Yes. Dyslexia Resource Guide for Ohio Families: Partnering with families is critical for supporting students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. View and download the Dyslexia Resource Guide for Ohio Families developed by Ohio families and educators in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University.

Ask an Expert video series: Check out the “Ask an Expert” video series to hear Jack Fletcher, Jan Hasbrouck and Maryanne Wolf address important questions about dyslexia screening and intervention.

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Family Resources Page: Students who need support in reading greatly benefit from their families’ involvement and help at home. The Third Grade Reading Guarantee’s Family Resources webpage provides information and resources to help families support children with reading difficulties.

Do you have policy or guidance regarding how to leverage evidence-based practices to support secondary students?

Yes. Implementing Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, A Guide for School Leaders: Grades 6-12 provides guidance for administrators in operationalizing evidence-based literacy practices in a secondary setting. Additional resources and tools are available to accompany the guide.

Does your state have licensure or program approval criteria to ensure Educator Preparation Programs are aligned to the science of reading?

Yes. ORC 3333.048: Requires the Chancellor, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to establish metrics to ensure that each educator training program includes evidence-based strategies for effective literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading, including phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development, and is part of a structured literacy program.

Ohio law requires the Chancellor to:

• Develop an audit process that clearly documents the degree to which each institution of higher education that offers educator training programs is in alignment with the literacy requirements described above.
• Annually create a summary of literacy instruction strategies and practices in place for all educator preparation programs based on the program audits.

Furthermore, Ohio law requires the Chancellor to revoke approval for programs that are found to be not in alignment and do not address the findings of the audit within one year. Requires all programs to be reviewed every four years after the first audit.

Do you have a “contact us” website that we can share publicly on TRL Compass?

Please see the Ohio Department of Education’s Literacy Ohio webpage