The School Buzz: New D-20 school uses new app to catch learning disabilities earlier

A first-of-its-kind Academy D-20 program to catch learning disabilities made its debut this last week.

Encompass Height Elementary School, which just opened this month, is using a new app called Early Bird. It screens kindergarteners and first-grade students for dyslexia to detect a child's risk for developmental literacy challenges.

It's a relatively novel approach, considering most literacy difficulties aren't identified until around 3rd grade. And the kids have fun taking the tests, as the app is disguised as a game.

"It's highly engaging. We've assessed over one hundred kids. Almost ninety-nine percent of them probably think it's just like a game,  it's just for fun. while it's giving us a ton of information," said Jodi Champagne, a dyslexia specialist at the school.

Teachers get data and results right away on a dashboard. That information allows them to take immediate, proactive steps to ensure struggling students get the reading help they need right away. 

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