Priority Overview
OSSE is committed to advancing excellence for all students by improving literacy instruction and access to High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM). A comprehensive suite of resources is now available to educators to support literacy from research to practice. The trainings being offered focus on the science of reading, structured literacy, and reading difficulties.
For questions, please contact Celina Ketelsen at [email protected].
Top Things to Know
LEA Requirements - Deadline Oct. 31, 2024
- Required - Dyslexia Awareness Training - All D.C. local education agencies (LEAs) are required to ensure that all educators complete Dyslexia Awareness Training for the 2024-25 school year. LEAs must provide OSSE with educator completion rates by Oct. 31 of every year. Dyslexia Awareness Training is offered in three modules to support educators serving students in grades pre-K through adult.
- Required – Adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials - All D.C. LEAs are required to adopt a science-based reading program for grades K-2 in accordance with DC Law 23-191 Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020. Each D.C. LEA must provide OSSE with requested information about the reading program it has adopted by Oct. 31 of every year.
Supporting Resources
- The high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) science-based reading programs list provides local education agencies (LEAs) with evidence-based curricula aligned with the science of reading. This requirement aligns with DC Law 23-191 Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020, which requires that “each LEA shall adopt a science-based reading program.”
- The high-quality instructional materials guidance provides LEAs with guidance to support the adoption of high-quality science-based literacy programs. The guidance document provides an in-depth look at how to score the rubric, interrupt the results, and plan for the next steps.
- The structured literacy training list provides LEAs with a comprehensive list of structured literacy training to support educators serving grades K-5.
- The structured literacy walkthrough tool provides LEAs with guidance on norming structured literacy practices grounded in evidence-based practices. It is not intended to serve as a formal, summative assessment evaluation but rather to deliver targeted feedback for educators in structured literacy instruction.
Key Resources
- Literacy DC Website
- DC Comprehensive Literacy Plan
- Literacy Task Force Report
- DC Dyslexia Website
- Dyslexia Compliance Templates
- Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020HQIM
- High-Quality Instructional Materials Science-Based Literacy List
- High-Quality Instructional Materials Rubric
- High-Quality Instructional Materials Guidance
- Structured Literacy Walkthrough Tool
- OSSE’s Learning Management System
Key Dates & Deadlines
- Oct. 31, 2024 - LEAs must demonstrate to OSSE that all educators have completed dyslexia awareness training
- Oct. 31, 2024 - LEAs must adopt a HQIM science-based reading curriculum for grades K-5