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Ready to Read Act Information

Supporting Students with Reading Difficulties

The Ready to Read Act of 2019, Students with Reading Difficulties, and The Code of Maryland Regulation, 13A.03.08, Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties, requires local education agencies (LEAs) to provide screening for all kindergarten students and identified first grade, second grade, and third grade students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. It includes a provision of supplemental reading instruction for identified students; progress monitoring; annual reporting requirements; and evaluation of the screening program.  This information, as well as additional information from MSDE can be found here.

All WCPS primary grade students are screened at least annually to identify potential risks to reading achievement. In addition, increasingly intensive interventions and support are provided per grade. Upon enrollment, a Home Language Survey is conducted to determine whether a student needs English Language Support Services. 

For a printable version of the information below about Early Warning signs of Reading Difficulties and Dyslexia by Age, click here.

Checklist of Early Warning signs of Reading Difficulties and Dyslexia

Language Reading Writing Emotional
Does the student have difficulty: Does the student have difficulty: Does the student have difficulty: Does the student have difficulty:
- Learning the alphabet - Naming letters - Learning to write and copy at an age-appropriate level - Poor self-confidence
- Rhyming words - Matching letters to sounds - Writing letters in correct order - Low self-esteem
- Repeating what has been said - Learning to read at expected age - Writing numbers in correct order - Poor social skills
- Staying focused - Remembering printed words - Spelling correctly and consistently - Making & keeping friends
- Learning to speak - Remembering sight words - Writing neatly - Easily frustrated

 

Supplemental Instruction

For a printable version of the information below about Supplemental Instruction available to support students who are at risk for reading difficulties, click here and see intervention descriptions below.

Grade Level Screener Fall: At Risk and Require Supplemental Instruction Winter: At Risk and Require Supplemental Instruction Spring: At Risk and Require Supplemental Instruction Recommended Supplemental Instruction
K DIBELS 8 Below Composite 280 Below Composite 356 Below Composite 406

 

  • Stepping Stones 
  • Sound Partners 
  • Lexia Core 5
  • CKLA Skills Units
1 DIBELS 8 Below Composite 321 Below Composite 377 Below Composite 427

 

  • Sound Partners 
  • Benchmark Phonics Intervention
  • Lexia Core 5
  • CKLA Skills Units
2 DIBELS 8 Below Composite 316 Below Composite 373 Below Composite 421

 

  • Sound Partners 
  • Benchmark Phonics Intervention 
  • Lexia Core 5
  • Read Naturally 
  • Wilson
  • CKLA Skills Units
3 DIBELS 8 Below Composite 314 Below Composite 377 Below Composite 424

 

  • Sound Partners 
  • Benchmark Phonics Intervention 
  • Lexia Core 5
  • Read Naturally 
  • Wilson
  • CKLA Skills Units

 

Supplemental Reading Instruction Grade Level Description
Stepping Stones K-1 Stepping Stones to Literacy  (25 lessons) is an effective, research-based program for early learners who have been identified as at risk for reading failure.
Sound Partners K-2 Sound Partners is a phonics-based tutoring program that provides individual explicit instruction in early reading skills to students who need it most.
Fundations K-3 Fundations® is a multisensory and systematic phonics, spelling, and handwriting program.
Wilson 2-12 An  intensive Tier 3 program for students with word-level deficits who are not making sufficient progress through their current intervention; have been unable to learn with other teaching strategies and require multisensory language instruction; or who require more intensive structured literacy instruction due to a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia.
Lexia Core 5 K-5 Lexia® Core5® Reading is an adaptive blended learning program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities, helping them make that critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
Benchmark Phonics Intervention 1-5

This intensive phonics intervention program is designed for students two or more years below grade level expectations. Lessons are designed to be delivered one-on-one or in small groups by an intervention specialist or resource teacher.

It is built on the Science of Reading research and aligns to the tenets of Structured Literacy, shown to be beneficial for students with dyslexia.

 
CKLA Skills Units K-5

The skills strand of CKLA follows a developmental progression for foundational skills in the areas of phonics, fluency and comprehension, and early writing. Students who struggle to master earlier skills will build adequate mastery of previous unit objectives.