Ohio’s Statewide Training Surge – A Foundation for the Future

Ohio’s 2023 law, embedded in the state budget (HB 33), takes a massive, workforce-focused approach. By mandating and funding training for every early-grade educator, Ohio is attempting to create a unified front of teacher expertise. For neurodivergent families, this represents a promising move toward a future where your child’s teacher is far more likely to be a knowledgeable first responder to reading difficulties.

The Law: Ohio’s Science of Reading Requirement (HB 33, 2023)

The scope of the training mandate is vast:

• Universal K-5 Training: Requires all K-5 teachers, reading specialists, and principals to complete a state-approved, intensive Science of Reading training program by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

• Curriculum Shift: Requires districts to adopt curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading starting in the 2024-25 school year.

• Approved Materials List: Tasks the Department of Education with creating and maintaining a list of approved curricula and screening tools.

Implementation: A Logistical Marathon Ohio is in the process of training tens of thousands of educators simultaneously. The success of this law hinges almost entirely on the quality and depth of this training. Districts are working through cohorts, balancing the daily demands of teaching with the significant time commitment required for programs like LETRS.

Potential & Our Neurodivergent Lens

Key Opportunity	What It Means for Neurodivergent Families
Training mandate for all K-5 teachers and principals by 2025.	Systemic knowledge uplift. This isn't training for a few specialists; it's for every educator in the early grades. This dramatically increases the chance that signs of dyslexia or other reading challenges will be correctly identified and addressed early.
State-approved list of curricula and screeners.	Raises the floor of instructional quality. It helps prevent districts from using unproven or disproven materials, ensuring a better baseline of instruction for all students.
Creates a common framework across the state.	Facilitates advocacy and transition. As families move or as children advance grades, there will be greater consistency in the instructional language and approaches they encounter.

The Neuro Navigation Takeaway:

hio is making a historic investment in human capital. By betting big on teacher knowledge, they are addressing the root cause of instructional inconsistency. For a parent, a teacher trained in the Science of Reading is a teacher who can have a more informed conversation with you about your child’s specific strengths and struggles in decoding and comprehension.

What’s Missing & Our Call to Action:T

raining is an input, not an outcome. The law lacks strong, specific requirements for how schools must respond to the data from new screeners for students with disabilities.

• The Gap: A teacher may be trained and may identify a problem, but without a mandated, school-wide intervention protocol, the student may not receive a sufficiently intensive or specialized program.

• Our Advocacy: As the training rolls out, ask informed questions: "With your new training, what do you see as my child's primary barrier to reading? What Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention program will you use to address it, and how will its effectiveness be monitored?" Push for the school’s system to match the teachers’ new knowledge.

Ohio is upskilling its entire early-grade workforce. Our job is to ensure that new knowledge translates into decisive action for every child who needs it.