August 8, 2024

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Education is pleased to announce that a new dyslexia resource guide has been released.

The documents serve as a guide for school districts and public charter schools to identify and provide instructional support for students who have or are at risk of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a neurological learning disability characterized by difficulties with word recognition and spelling.

“The dyslexia guidance documents will help with serving students across our state who have dyslexia or are at risk,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “These efforts will positively impact the trajectory of students’ academic success.”

The Nevada Department of Education has guidance documents posted on its website covering topics such as common myths and misperceptions about dyslexia, screening assessments, accommodations, Individualized Education Program (IEP), instructional supports, and resources.

“It is so exciting to get these documents to the field,” said Julie Bowers, director of the Nevada Department of Education’s Office of Inclusive Education. “The Nevada Department of Education wanted to create documents that provide essential information in a new presentation that made it easier for the user to find the information and resources they were looking for quickly and easily.”

Dyslexia guidance documents were unveiled in late July during the Summer Literacy Institute hosted by the Nevada Department of Education and University of Nevada, Reno.

The new documents are being released in compliance with state law, NRS 388.447, which requires the Nevada Department of Education to produce a dyslexia resource guide . Previous guidance was issued in 2015.

The Nevada Department of Education worked with Sarah Benz and Jennifer Pierce from the American Institutes for Research and Dr. Nathan Clemens, a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin, to develop the guidance documents.

“The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is pleased to work with the Nevada Department of Education to help educators understand the best practices and legal requirements for serving and supporting students with or at risk for dyslexia,” said Benz, a senior researcher at the American Institutes for Research. “We hope the work that Nevada is doing can serve as a model for other states who wish to better serve students with dyslexia and want to provide clear information and helpful resources for educators, administrators, and parents. We look forward to our continued partnership.”

The guidance documents are one-pagers that are designed to be actionable and user-friendly. They can be used separately or together.

“The Nevada Department of Education has created a valuable resource for helping their educators better support students with or at risk for dyslexia,” Dr. Clemens said. “Their guidance documents are concise, accessible, and driven by current research evidence.”

Documents will be translated into Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese-Zhongwen, Vietnamese, and Amharic, and those will be posted soon on the Nevada Department of Education’s website.

The Nevada Department of Education also plans to offer professional learning opportunities focused on dyslexia. To view the guidance documents, visit doe.nv.gov/offices/office-of-teaching-and-learning/dyslexia-guidance-documents.

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About the Nevada Department of Education

The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates with Nevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators. Learn more at https://doe.nv.gov/ and join us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.