VA State Governor Terry McAuliffe recognized October as Dyslexia Awareness Month, and in observance, FCPS has made several resolutions to support community members affected by dyslexia. One of these resolutions involved the creation of the FCPS Online Dyslexia Handbook, which provides schools, families, and students with information and resources to better meet the needs of dyslexic students. The online handbook is broken into three sections that reflect dyslexia on multiple levels: an overview of dyslexia, resources for schools, and focus on student.

According to the FCPS Online Dyslexia Handbook, “The Handbook reflects a division-wide commitment to ensure that these students’ needs are met as a result of collective responsibility and collaboration across general and special education contexts.”

From elementary school to secondary school, the handbook offers several strategies and tools for teachers to help dyslexic students throughout their careers in school. FCPS uses a core instruction program that balances instruction meant to help with linguistic skills and intervention in literacy programs, slowly granting students more responsibility and control over their education as they mature to address their areas of need. Starting with elementary students, the handbook suggests that teachers explicitly demonstrate reading strategies using education techniques such as dictation, manipulation of sounds in words and multisensory instruction. Then as students progress into higher education, teachers provide dyslexic students with opportunities to independently read and solidify those strategies, continuing their core instruction with strategies such as determining importance, active listening and visualizing. Because dyslexia varies in severity from student to student, a balance between intervention and instruction also varies. Furthermore, the handbook breaks down the process of determining the correct intervention for each dyslexic student.

The FCPS Online Handbook states that, “Responsive Instruction helps schools recognize the characteristics of dyslexia and can be utilized to service the needs of student with dyslexia who do not require special education services.”

Responsive Instruction is a three tiered system, which categorizes students based on needs shown identified by performance data collected in the classroom. This system allows for students to receive the appropriate amount of intervention according to their needs. In the first tier, all students receive the same level of education and occasionally special instruction when needed. Students needing more intervention are broken into smaller groups for individual instruction. Finally, students in the third tier receive the intensive intervention and instruction, meant to address all areas of needs. This handbook is an impactful addition to FCPS.