Costs & ROI

There are societal and economic costs of not fully addressing dyslexia within K-12 school systems.

Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California

The Boston Consulting Group partnered with the University of California San Francisco Dyslexia Center to study the economic cost of dyslexia to the state of California and published their findings in The Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California white paper.

The study identified that dyslexia will cost California $12 billion in 2020 and $1 trillion dollars over the next 60 years, and highlights the significant impact the lack of awareness and understanding of dyslexia has on learning issues and life outcomes.

Recommendations from the California Study Include:

• Early Screening - pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade

• Teacher training - evidence-based literacy practices for all pre-kindergarten to eighth grade reading teachers

• Assistive Technology - targeted intervention and access to audiobooks

Analysis showed that investing in early screening, teacher training, and assistive technology to address dyslexia would produce dramatic savings, equivalent to unlocking 5% of California’s existing state budget.

Multifaceted short- and long-term positive impacts of addressing dyslexia within K-12 schools were also identified, including:

• Reduced social and racial inequity in schools

• Higher test scores

• Improved mental health

• Increased access to higher education

• Lower incarceration rates

• Reduced homelessness

• Improved economy

• Improved overall physical and mental well-being of residents

In addition, topics for further exploration were shared, including:

• Integration of education and healthcare to address all learning differences, including dyslexia, and mental health

• Innovative definitions of at-risk for early learners, which trigger further screening rather than special education

• Public and private partnerships

• Piloting and sharing learning

• Inclusion of teachers to ensure solutions are manageable and produce results

Marysville Exempted Village School District - Ohio

The cost/benefit analysis from a pilot conducted over the course of four school years (2015-2016 to 2018-2019) in the Marysville Exempted Village School District (MEVSD) in Ohio identified a realistic 25-year total cost savings of 12 million dollars for identifying and appropriately intervening with children with dyslexia.

MEVSD built its work on five Core Tenets:

1. Dyslexia can be identified at a very early age (K-2).

2. We will provide equitable access to Structured Literacy for all students.

3. Our efforts are driven by the social-emotional wellness of our students and community, not just reading.

4. We will build lean and dynamic systems to effectively address the needs of every reader (Tier 1 & 2) and allow Special Education (Tier 3) to operate as it was originally designed. In other words, we’ve unshackled ourselves from the Reading Wars and a bureaucratic nightmare.

5. This begins, and ends, with leadership (state, district, building).

• Total conservative savings of $6,180,824.96 over 25 years for K-5 student population at MEVSD (2,302 students)

• Total realistic savings of $11,908,351.25 over 25 years for K-5 student population at MEVSD (2,302 students)

• Total savings of $18,954,434.45 over 25 years for K-5 student population at MEVSD (2,302 students)

*Savings related to IDEA funding and Ohio School Medicaid reimbursement.

Additional information about target population, financial sources, students served, time, materials, MTSS funding, SPED funding and the cost differential are available on pages 43 and 44 of Dyslexia Screening Intervention, and Teacher Training Roadmap 1.0: A Guide for School Districts Serving Learners with Dyslexia.

Ohio Dyslexia Pilot Project

The Ohio Department of Education began a Dyslexia Pilot Project in the 2012-2013 school year which involved eight school districts in urban, rural, and suburban areas and spanned four school years.

The goal of the Ohio Dyslexia Pilot Project was to:

• Evaluate the effectiveness of early screening and reading assistance programs for children at risk for reading failure, including those students exhibiting risk factors associated with dyslexia.

• Evaluate whether those programs can reduce future special education costs.

External evaluator, Julie Q. Morrison, Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, found cost savings attributable to the pilot.

In addition, all participating school districts that met the requirements for the project in the third year demonstrated meaningful gains in student growth rates that are likely be sustained.

Over time, all school districts will have cost savings that exceed the initial investment (Morrison, 2015).

Additional information is available from the Ohio Department of Education: Dyslexia Pilot Project.

Lessons Learned

Common lessons learned from schools who have begun implementing the Science of Reading in the United States, the Midwest, and Wisconsin include:

• Reallocating existing funding is usually more effective than finding new funding.

• The superintendent’s vision and leadership is essential.

• Collaboration among building, curriculum, and special educational administrators is essential.

• Quality curriculum and programs allow schools to scale more quickly.

• Coaching and professional development have the greatest impact on student outcomes.

• Incentives for practicum training spur interest and growth.

Return on investment of the cost of screening, training teachers, and addressing dyslexia early is significantly less than the cost of intensive remediation in the later school years. Above all, it’s the right thing to do for children.

Wisconsin Journeys Into the Science of Reading

Share Your School's Story

How is your school district beginning its journey into the Science of Reading? Email us your story.

References

Boston Consulting Group & UCSF Dyslexia Center. (2020, July). The Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California. Boston Consulting Group. https://media-publications.bcg.com/The-Economic-Impact-of-Dyslexia-on-California-Whitepaper-Final.pdf

International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. (2020, November 2). Dyslexia Screening, Intervention, and Teacher Training Roadmap 1.0: A Guide for School Districts Serving Learners with Dyslexia. https://coh.dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/11/Dyslexia-Roadmap-Guide-for-School-Districts-single-page-copy.pdf

Morrison, J. Q. (2015, September). Evaluation of the dyslexia pilot project: Year 3. University of Cincinnati. https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Special-Education/Students-with-Disabilities/Specific-Learning-Disability/Dyslexia-Pilot-Project/DPP-Year-3-Evaluation-and-Final-Report.pdf.aspx

Schools Cubed. (2021, August 18). Great update from School District of Thorp. They continue to implement #scienceofreading as measured by the Schools Cubed Literacy Evaluation [Facebook status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/SchoolsCubedx3/photos/370250434572352

Images

Figure 1. Boston Consulting Group & UCSF Dyslexia Center. (2020, July). Dyslexia's Prevalence Among Learning Issues Facing School Children [Graph]. The Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California. Boston Consulting Group. https://media-publications.bcg.com/The-Economic-Impact-of-Dyslexia-on-California-Whitepaper-Final.pdf p. 14

Figure 2. Boston Consulting Group & UCSF Dyslexia Center. (2020, July). Representation of Dyslexic Learners in Negative Life Outcomes [Graph]. From The Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California. Boston Consulting Group. https://media-publications.bcg.com/The-Economic-Impact-of-Dyslexia-on-California-Whitepaper-Final.pdf p.15

Figure 3. Boston Consulting Group & UCSF Dyslexia Center. (2020, July). Cumulative Impact of Intervention on Costs to the State ($B), Base Case Assuming 40% Effectiveness [Graph]. From The Economic Impact of Dyslexia on California. Boston Consulting Group. https://media-publications.bcg.com/The-Economic-Impact-of-Dyslexia-on-California-Whitepaper-Final.pdf p. 23

Figure 4. International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. (2020, November). 25 Year Cost Savings - MEVSD Model [Graph]. From Dyslexia screening, intervention, and teacher training roadmap 1.0: A guide for school districts serving learners with dyslexia. https://coh.dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/11/Dyslexia-Roadmap-Guide-for-School-Districts-single-page-copy.pdf p. 44

Figure 5. International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. (2020, November). Total Savings at 25 Years - MEVSD Model Implemented at K-5 [Graph]. From Dyslexia screening, intervention, and teacher training roadmap 1.0: A guide for school districts serving learners with dyslexia. https://coh.dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/11/Dyslexia-Roadmap-Guide-for-School-Districts-single-page-copy.pdf p. 45

Figure 6. Morrison, J. Q. (2015, September). Table 9 [Table]. From Evaluation of the dyslexia pilot project: Year 3. University of Cincinnati. https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Special-Education/Students-with-Disabilities/Specific-Learning-Disability/Dyslexia-Pilot-Project/DPP-Year-3-Evaluation-and-Final-Report.pdf.aspx p. 25