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Abstract

Dyslexia policy has become prevalent across the United States in past years and influenced practices such as screening and intervention for reading difficulties, as well as professional awareness for current or prospective educators. At the time of the study, little research existed related to the influence Indiana’s dyslexia policy has had on reading instruction and outcomes for students. This quantitative study sought to determine the extent to which kindergarten through second grade teachers serving in Indiana public schools perceived Indiana’s dyslexia policy had influenced these elements. The sample represented in this study included kindergarten through second grade teachers in Indiana with at least five years of in-state teaching experience (n = 84). These participants responded to an 18 question Qualtrics survey with additional demographic questions. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics which included tests of central tendency and frequency distributions. These findings indicated that most teachers perceived that students who participated in interventions based on the results of universal screening would likely have been identified to participate prior to the enactment of statute and believed the required instructional elements were either much or somewhat more likely to occur in reading interventions. Median outcomes indicated a perception that educators believed students who participated in these interventions were somewhat likely to meet grade level outcomes by the end of the year, and the instructional elements required by state statute were either very or somewhat likely to contribute to students meeting these outcomes. The implications of the results included a recommendation for professional awareness in phonemic awareness. In addition, the researcher recommended a deeper investigation into the root causes for reading difficulty to determine barriers to reading acquisition and strengthen future iterations of policy.

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