North Carolina Dyslexia Law: Technology Accommodations with LucidRead

Last updated: February 2026

Decoding Dyslexia North Carolina

This guide exists because of Decoding Dyslexia North Carolina. Founded in 2013 by Penny and Neil Auchmuty — described as founders of the broader Decoding Dyslexia movement — DD NC gained new leadership in summer 2015 with Jessica Flegel, Linda William, Lisa Eakins, and Christie Eakins. DD NC is a non-profit 501(c)(3), 100% volunteer-run. Their sustained grassroots advocacy achieved a universal dyslexia definition in state education code through HB 149 in 2017.

That legislative victory created the mandate. This guide bridges that mandate to the technology accommodations that make compliance achievable. The law tells districts what to do. LucidRead provides a concrete, free, evidence-based answer to how.

The Law: Excellent Public Schools Act and HB 149

North Carolina mandates dyslexia screening from Kindergarten through Grade 6 and has trained over 44,000 educators in LETRS since 2021.

North Carolina's dyslexia framework is built on multiple legislative actions. HB 950 / S.L. 2012-142, the Excellent Public Schools Act (2012), established Read to Achieve. HB 149 (2017) defined dyslexia and dyscalculia in state education code and mandated identification and screening. SB 387 / S.L. 2021-8, the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021, mandated the Science of Reading for K–3 literacy instruction. HB 947 (2025) is a pending bill for further screenings and interventions.

Key Requirements

  • Every Kindergarten student screened for dyslexia and dyscalculia
  • Grades 1–6 screened if not previously screened (age-appropriate instruments)
  • Students identified with dyslexia must receive intervention strategies through IEP
  • Science of Reading mandated for K–3 literacy instruction (SB 387)
  • PD on dyslexia identification and intervention required since 2017–2018
  • 44,000+ teachers completed LETRS training (2021–2024)
  • Individual Reading Plans required for students with reading difficulties

Implementation Timeline

July 2012

HB 950 (Excellent Public Schools Act) — Read to Achieve established.

2013–2014

Read to Achieve program begins in all schools.

2017

HB 149 — dyslexia definition and screening requirements.

2017–2018

Teacher PD requirement begins.

2021

SB 387 — Science of Reading mandate.

2021–2024

44,000+ educators complete LETRS training.

2025

HB 947 pending — additional screening/intervention.

The Gap

North Carolina mandates screening and intervention through IEPs but does not define assistive technology standards within its dyslexia legislation. The laws focus on instructional strategies and Science of Reading methodology. Technology accommodations are handled at the individual IEP level without state guidance on specific tools.

Despite legislative efforts, NC reading proficiency on NAEP has been declining since 2013. Only 48.6% of 3rd graders achieved grade-level proficiency; only 17% of Black students scored at or above Proficient. This matters because IEPs and Individual Reading Plans require specific, named interventions — not generic references to "assistive technology." LucidRead eliminates the technology accommodation cost entirely: it is free, requires no accounts, and runs on the Chromebooks districts already own.

Three Core Deficits of Dyslexia

Dyslexia manifests through three interconnected deficits that affect reading performance. Effective technology accommodations must address each deficit specifically rather than treating dyslexia as a single, undifferentiated condition.

Decoding Difficulty

Difficulty mapping letters to sounds (grapheme-phoneme correspondence). Students struggle to break unfamiliar words into component parts, making fluent reading effortful and slow. This is the hallmark deficit of dyslexia, affecting approximately 80% of students identified with specific learning disabilities in reading.

Visual Stress

Perceptual interference when reading standard black-on-white text. Symptoms include letters appearing to move or swim, blurring, pattern glare, and headaches during sustained reading. Research estimates this affects 20% of the general population and a significantly higher proportion of dyslexic readers. Color overlays and tinted backgrounds have been shown to reduce these symptoms in controlled studies.

Tracking Loss

Difficulty following text sequentially across and down the page. Students lose their place, skip lines, re-read lines, or drift within paragraphs. This is distinct from eye-movement disorders and relates to visual-spatial processing demands during reading. Reading guides and line isolation tools directly address this deficit.

Evidence-Based Technology Accommodations

Each LucidRead feature maps to a specific dyslexic deficit. This is not a generic toolbar — every feature has a purpose grounded in reading research, and every feature can be named and documented in an IEP or Individual Reading Plan.

For Decoding Difficulty

Syllables

Visually splits words into syllable boundaries using color-coding, helping students decode unfamiliar words by reducing them to manageable phonological units.

Morphemes

Highlights prefixes, roots, and suffixes in distinct colors, teaching structural word analysis and building vocabulary through pattern recognition.

Bionic Reading

Bolds the first portion of each word, guiding visual fixation to the most informative part and reducing decoding effort.

Picture Dictionary

Provides visual image definitions when students click unfamiliar words, supporting meaning-making for students who struggle with text-only definitions.

Text to Speech

Reads text aloud with synchronized word-by-word highlighting, providing an auditory model of fluent reading while the student tracks visually.

Simplify

Reduces complex sentence structures and vocabulary to grade-appropriate language, removing barriers to comprehension.

For Visual Stress

Color Overlays

Applies customizable color tints (cream, blue, yellow, green, pink) over the page, reducing pattern glare and visual discomfort.

Typography

Adjustable fonts (including Lexend, designed for readability), letter spacing, word spacing, line height, and text size to reduce crowding effects.

Dark Mode

Light-on-dark color scheme reducing overall luminance and eye strain.

High Contrast

High-contrast color modes improving text visibility without pattern glare.

Line Tracking

Alternating background colors on text lines, creating visual separation that reduces crowding between adjacent lines.

For Tracking Loss

Reading Ruler

Focus ruler or screen mask isolating the current line of text, preventing visual wandering.

Line Tracking

Colors alternating lines and highlights the active line, providing a continuous visual anchor.

Line Focus

Dims all text except the current 1, 3, or 5 lines, creating a strong focus zone.

Bionic Reading

Within-word bold anchoring creates a rhythmic visual pattern, making it easier to follow text left-to-right.

Progress Bar

Persistent position indicator providing macro-level orientation for sustained reading.

MTSS Tier Configuration

Michigan's MTSS framework organizes interventions into three tiers of increasing intensity. LucidRead features map directly to each tier, allowing teachers to configure the extension to match the student's current level of support.

Tier 1 — Universal

Universal Supports

Non-stigmatizing settings that benefit all readers in the general education classroom.

  • Reader Mode
  • Typography (Lexend font, 1.6 line height)
  • Progress Bar
  • Paragraph Numbers
Tier 2 — Targeted

Targeted Supports

Moderate supports for students identified through dyslexia screening who need additional reading intervention.

  • All Tier 1 features
  • Color Overlay (cream or yellow)
  • Reading Ruler
  • Text-to-Speech with word highlighting
  • Syllable breakdown
  • Preset profile: Dyslexia Ease or Visual Stress
Tier 3 — Intensive

Intensive Supports

Full suite of individualized supports for students with identified dyslexia receiving intensive intervention.

  • All Tier 2 features
  • Bionic Reading
  • Morpheme highlighting
  • Line Focus (1-line mode)
  • Picture Dictionary
  • Custom saved profile
  • Vocabulary Builder
  • Cloze exercises for comprehension checks

IEP / Individual Reading Plan Language Templates

North Carolina's IEP or Individual Reading Plan documents require the specific name, type, content, frequency, and duration of each intervention. The following templates provide ready-to-use language that satisfies IEP or Individual Reading Plan documentation requirements. Copy, customize the bracketed values, and paste directly into your district's IEP or Individual Reading Plan form.

Text-to-Speech

Student will use LucidRead text-to-speech with word-level highlighting for [20/30] minutes daily during independent reading to support decoding fluency and listening comprehension. Progress will be monitored through teacher observation and reading level assessments [weekly/biweekly].

Visual Stress

Student will use LucidRead color overlay ([cream/yellow/blue]) and adjusted typography (Lexend font, [18]px, [2px] letter spacing) across all digital reading assignments to reduce visual stress and increase sustained reading duration.

Reading Tracking

Student will use LucidRead reading ruler and line focus features during sustained reading activities to support visual tracking, reduce line-skipping, and increase reading accuracy.

Comprehensive Dyslexia

Student will use LucidRead Chrome extension with the Dyslexia Ease profile applied across all digital reading platforms. Configuration includes: Lexend font at 18px, cream color overlay, reading ruler, line tracking, text-to-speech with word highlighting, and syllable breakdown. Teacher will review feature configuration and reading progress [weekly/biweekly] and adjust settings as documented.

Vocabulary and Comprehension

Student will use LucidRead dictionary, picture dictionary, and morpheme highlighting features during content-area reading to support word-level comprehension, vocabulary development, and structural analysis skills.

Teacher Monitoring

Effective IEP and Individual Reading Plan documentation requires ongoing monitoring of the technology accommodations in use. LucidRead provides several tools that support this process.

Verifying Feature Configuration

Open the LucidRead side panel on the student's Chromebook to review the current configuration. The side panel displays every active feature, the current profile name, and all settings in plain language. This takes less than 30 seconds and provides an immediate snapshot of what the student is using.

Documenting Progress

  • Record the specific profile name and active features at each progress monitoring checkpoint
  • Note any adjustments made to settings, along with the rationale for each change
  • Use the Text Stats feature to track the reading level of materials the student is engaging with
  • Document Vocabulary Builder word lists as evidence of targeted word study and vocabulary acquisition

Preset Profiles

LucidRead includes preset profiles designed for common accommodation needs. These provide a starting configuration that teachers can then customize for individual students:

  • Dyslexia Ease — Lexend font, cream overlay, reading ruler, syllable breakdown, text-to-speech with word highlighting
  • ADHD Focus — Line focus, bionic reading, progress bar, reduced visual clutter
  • Visual Stress — Color overlay, increased spacing, adjusted font size, line tracking

Classroom Assessment Tools

  • Cloze Exercises — Generate fill-in-the-blank comprehension checks from any reading passage to verify understanding
  • Vocabulary Builder — Track words the student looks up and studies, providing a record of targeted word learning
  • Text Stats — Analyze the reading level, word count, and complexity of any text on screen
  • Paragraph Numbers — Add visible paragraph numbers to any page for guided reading reference and classroom discussion

Deployment

LucidRead requires no accounts, collects no data, and is FERPA and COPPA compliant by design. There is nothing to configure on the privacy side — no data processing agreements, no student information systems to integrate, no vendor risk assessments required.

Individual Install

Teachers or students can install LucidRead directly from the Chrome Web Store. Installation takes less than 10 seconds. The extension works immediately with no setup, no account creation, and no configuration required.

District-Wide Deployment

IT administrators can force-install LucidRead across all managed Chromebooks using the Google Admin Console:

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin Console (admin.google.com)
  2. Navigate to Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions
  3. Select the organizational unit (OU) for your target student or staff devices
  4. Click the + icon, search for LucidRead in the Chrome Web Store, and add it
  5. Set the installation policy to Force install and save

The extension will automatically install on all Chromebooks in the selected OU within minutes. No student interaction is required.

Privacy by Design

No Accounts

No student accounts, no teacher accounts, no admin accounts. LucidRead works the moment it is installed. Settings are stored locally on the device and never leave it.

No Data Collection

No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry. LucidRead does not phone home. There are no servers, no databases, and no third-party services. The extension operates entirely on the local device.

FERPA & COPPA Compliant

Because LucidRead collects no student data of any kind, it is compliant with FERPA, COPPA, and all state student privacy laws by design. No data processing agreement is required.

Cost

Free. No premium tiers, no subscriptions, no hidden costs. Every feature described in this guide is available to every student at no charge, today and permanently.

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