PC READS promotes structured literacy in all classrooms, along with early screening and intervention that is effective for dyslexia. This article is a good summary of expert advice and what some other school districts are doing to support struggling readers.
“If we use a wait-to-fail model and we don’t flag students until third grade, they’re already three years behind,” Zecher says.
“In kindergarten, if you do a half-hour a day of intensive instruction, that can have a very beneficial effect,” Moats says. “In first grade, it might be 45 minutes but in second and third grade, it’s more like an hour. Beyond third grade, it’s an hour and a half to two hours.”
“Districts are seeing success from early identification and intervention. Fort Worth ISD in Texas provides intensive help for about 1,400 students in elementary and middle school, says Sara Arispe, associate superintendent for accountability and data quality.
The district is in its second year of offering students two years of structured literacy instruction for one hour per day, five days per week, in groups no larger than six. The district hired 60 teachers last school year and another 60 this year and provided extensive PD.”