Kentucky Dyslexia Screening Law and School Services: A Parent's Guide

Your child is in second grade and still struggling to connect letters to sounds. Their teacher says they're working hard. The reading interventions haven't moved the needle. And somewhere you've heard that Kentucky has a dyslexia screening law — but no one at the school has mentioned a screening, a plan, or what happens next.

Here's the practical answer to what Kentucky actually requires, what it doesn't, and what parents can do when the school system falls short.

What Kentucky's Dyslexia Law Requires

Kentucky's KRS 158.305 establishes kindergarten-through-grade-three reading screening and intervention requirements. It is broader than a dyslexia-only mandate: districts must select at least one reliable and valid universal reading screener and one reading diagnostic assessment for use in the MTSS process.

The universal screener assesses essential components of reading. It is an instructional screening tool, not a clinical dyslexia diagnosis or a special education evaluation. Students identified as needing accelerated interventions receive a reading improvement plan with intensive instruction, progress monitoring, and supports.

What the Screening Law Does Not Guarantee

Reading screening is not diagnosis. It identifies instructional needs; it does not by itself establish dyslexia or special education eligibility. The statute separately provides for diagnostic assessment through the MTSS process and reading-improvement plans for students needing accelerated intervention.

A positive screening does not automatically trigger special education eligibility. It does not automatically produce an IEP or a 504 plan. And it does not require the district to use the word "dyslexia" in any educational document, which is a source of genuine confusion for families.

If a child is later evaluated and qualifies under the Specific Learning Disability (SLD) category, the IEP is based on that eligibility determination; a positive reading screen alone does not establish SLD eligibility.

What Services Schools Are Required to Provide

For students who qualify for special education as a student with a Specific Learning Disability in reading, Kentucky regulations (707 KAR 1:350) establish a resource-room class size maximum of no more than 10 students per period for SLD students. These limits exist precisely because students with reading disabilities require individualized, intensive instruction — not just a seat in a group.

The specially designed instruction should be based on evidence-based reading programs that incorporate structured literacy principles: systematic phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The KERA-era commitment to evidence-based reading instruction in Kentucky has increased district adoption of structured literacy approaches, but implementation varies significantly by district and school.

For students who do not qualify for special education, a 504 plan can provide accommodations that support access: extended time, audio versions of texts, text-to-speech technology, reduced written output requirements, and alternative ways to demonstrate knowledge. These accommodations do not change the instruction; they change how the student accesses and demonstrates learning.

ASD and ADHD Accommodations: The Connection to Reading Disabilities

Dyslexia rarely travels alone. Students with ADHD frequently have co-occurring reading difficulties. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have hyperlexia — decoding words they don't comprehend — or may struggle with the language comprehension demands of grade-level reading. Kentucky school districts are required to address all of a student's educational needs in the IEP, not just the "primary" disability.

For students with ADHD in Kentucky schools, accommodations typically provided through an IEP or 504 plan include extended time, preferential seating, access to fidget tools or sensory supports, chunked assignments, frequent check-ins, and the option to take assessments in a lower-distraction environment. A student with both ADHD and dyslexia should have accommodations addressing both conditions in a single document.

For students with ASD in Kentucky, accommodations go further to address sensory processing differences, communication supports, social-emotional needs, and often behavioral supports through a BIP. An ARC team that focuses exclusively on cognitive/academic accommodations while ignoring a student's sensory environment or communication access is not writing a legally compliant IEP.

When the District Isn't Following Through

If your child screened positive for reading risk and the district has not provided the reading diagnostic or reading-improvement process required by KRS 158.305, you have grounds to request that process in writing. If you suspect a disability, you can separately request a full special education evaluation.

Reference the reading screening results in your request letter. State that you suspect your child may have a disability and request a full and individual evaluation across all areas of suspected disability including reading, language processing, and phonological awareness. Under 707 KAR 1:320, after signed parental consent the district has 60 school days to complete the initial evaluation; if the child is eligible, the ARC must develop the IEP within 30 days of that determination.

If the district evaluated your child and found them ineligible, but you disagree with the evaluation's methodology or conclusions, you can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. The district must either fund the IEE or immediately file for a due process hearing to prove its evaluation was appropriate.

The Kentucky IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook includes templates for requesting evaluations, demanding IEEs, and documenting the gap between what Kentucky's dyslexia law requires and what the school is actually providing.

Get the complete toolkit at specialedstartguide.com/us/kentucky/advocacy/

The Rural Access Problem

In rural Eastern and Western Kentucky, the reading-services problem is compounded by a severe shortage of qualified reading specialists and licensed special educators. Research on rural Kentucky education has documented that teachers in these areas frequently lack specialized training in structured literacy approaches, and that districts may implement the reading-screening requirements without having the instructional capacity to do anything meaningful with the results.

If you are in a rural district and the school has acknowledged your child's reading difficulties but cannot provide qualified instruction, you have the right to demand that the district explain how it will deliver the legally required services. If the district lacks local providers, it still must explain how it will deliver the services in the IEP; lack of local staff does not by itself eliminate the FAPE obligation.

Explore the Kentucky IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook

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