The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has added K-12 Intervention and Dyslexia programs to the Approved Science of Reading Curriculum List. This work is based on the Right to Read Act, amended by the Arkansas Legislature in 2019, which requires DESE to provide a list of “curriculum programs that are supported by the science of reading and based on instruction that is explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic, including without limitation: (1) dyslexia programs that are evidence based and aligned to structured literacy or grounded in the Orton-Gillingham methodology, (2) evidence-based reading intervention programs, and (3) evidence-based reading programs that are grounded in the science of reading.”
A Guidance Document has been provided to support school districts with how to use the list. A webinar recording, linked to this memo, has been developed to provide an overview of the Approved Science of Reading Curriculum Programs. The approved list is nested in two tables. One table contains Core, Supplemental and K-12 Intervention Programs, and the other table comprises the approved Dyslexia Programs.
Each program on the Approved List has a Program Provider Profile (PPP) based on the submission and review of each program. Profiles are provided to inform districts of approved components of each program. Districts will need to consider the presence of essential criteria or the lack thereof for each program to ensure that core instruction and interventions are provided as required by law.
The approved list of reading curriculum consists of researched-based programs that were submitted for review by publishers. The list is dynamic and additional programs may be included through additional review processes. Future reviews of programs will be announced by Commissioner's Memo and other forms of communication.
What are the next steps for school districts?
DESE encourages districts to coordinate efforts to support core instruction and intervention practices. Efforts could include but are not limited to determining the need for enhancing core instruction and intervention with training and coaching, through purchasing supplemental programs, or with the development of additional resources and tools.
Overview Webinar_Approved Reading Curriculum