The introduced version of House Bill 3090 clarifies that acceptance of a Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship will have the same effect as parental revocation of consent to service through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and that the amount of a scholarship will be prorated to reflect the number of school days remaining if the scholarship is granted after the beginning of the school year. The measure specifies that the State Department of Education will notify private schools of the amounts for scholarships within 10 days after receiving the request when total State Aid factors have been determined for the current fiscal year.

The measure also extends until May 31, 2013, the Special Education Statewide Cooperative Task Force and requires a draft report by December 31, 2012, and a final report by May 31, 2013.

An act to amend the education law, in relation to the certification or training of teachers, administrators and instructors in the area of dyslexia and related disorders. PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill would require school districts to diagnose students with dyslexia and to provide such students with teachers trained to instruct dyslexic students.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section one amends section 3004 of the education law to authorize the commissioner of education to certify or the required training of teachers and school administrators in the area of dyslexia and related disorders. The section also provides a definition of dyslexia.

Section two amends section 4402 of the education law to provide that if a committee or subcommittee of special education believes that a student may be suffering from dyslexia, the student must be sent to an evaluation for dyslexia or related disorder.

Section three amends section 4402 of the education law to provide that if a student is determined to have dyslexia, the recommendations on programs or placement for the student must be made by a team that is knowledgeable in instructing children with dyslexia.

Section four amends section 4402 of the education law to require a school district to provide a teacher trained in dyslexia to any student who has been determined to suffer from dyslexia.

Section five provides that this act shall take effect 30 days after it has become law.

A bill to establish the Mississippi Dyslexia Education Scholarship Program for the purpose of identifying and recruiting qualified university and college students from the state for schooling in education with a focus on dyslexia instruction.

Establishes the Mississippi Dyslexia Education Scholarship Commission, with powers and duties to:

(a)  Develop administrative policy for the commission and the Mississippi Dyslexia Education Scholarship Program;

(b)  Promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to the implementation and operation of the Mississippi Dyslexia Education Scholarship Program;

(c)  Develop and implement strategies and activities for the identification and recruitment of students and for marketing the program and for the implementation of the program.

(d)  Establish a budget to support the activities of the program;

(e)  Review progress of participants in the program and mentor  students participating in the program.

Up to ten (10) students will be admitted to the program each year, beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year.

Establishes pilot projects for dyslexia screening and intervention and teacher training. Each project will be implemented in three school districts selected by the state superintendent of education. 

“Dyslexia” is defined as “a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities not consistent with the intelligence, motivation and sensory capabilities of the person, which difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language.”

Each participating school district, through early childhood reading instruction and reading assistance programs, shall screen children six years of age or younger for indications of dyslexia, provide appropriate reading intervention services for those children identified as having risk factors for dyslexia and administer assessments, approved by the state superintendent, to ascertain whether the intervention services improve those students’ reading and learning.

The pilot project shall run for three full school years, beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

The teacher training programs shall provide teachers of grades kindergarten through fourth in the selected school districts with programs  designed to train teachers on the indicators of dyslexia and the types of instruction that children with risk factors for dyslexia need to learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structured language programs.

Designates October of each year as “Dyslexia Awareness Month” in New Jersey.

WHEREAS, Dyslexia is a learning disability that can hinder a person’s ability to read, write, spell, and sometimes speak; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life with 10 percent of the population or one out of every 10 people in the United States suffering from dyslexia; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia affected some of the world’s most famous artists, innovators and leaders, including Thomas Edison who began his career as an inventor in Newark, New Jersey and opened the first industrial research lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey; and Woodrow Wilson who attended the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University, served as the President of Princeton University, then as the Governor of New Jersey and was the 28th President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia is identifiable with over 90 percent certainty in children ages five and one-half to six and one-half; and

WHEREAS, Children with dyslexia who are identified as dyslexic and provided with effective reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade, will have significantly fewer problems learning to read at grade-level than children who are not identified as dyslexic or provided help until third grade or later; and

WHEREAS, Children with untreated dyslexia suffer devastating personal consequences as it is the primary reason teenagers drop out of school, is a contributing factor to juvenile delinquency, and can lead to adults unable to achieve at their fullest capacity; and

WHEREAS, Proper diagnosis, early and appropriate intervention and support from family, teachers and friends will greatly increase a child’s academic success and self-esteem, however it is never too late for adults with dyslexia to learn to read, process and express information more efficiently; and

WHEREAS, October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month, reminding students and their parents that difficulties encountered in living with dyslexia can be overcome with early intervention and can lead to successes in adulthood; and

WHEREAS, During the month of October conferences are held around the United States promoting awareness, research, and early identification of dyslexia; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1.    October of each year is designated as “Dyslexia Awareness Month” in New Jersey.

2.    The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.

Establishes a pilot program for testing for dyslexia and related learning disorders. Requires county boards to provide specified services to students with dyslexia. 

Defines dyslexia as “A language processing disorder that may be manifested by difficulty processing expressive or receptive, oral or written language despite adequate intelligence, educational exposure, and cultural opportunity, including difficulty with the  alphabet, reading comprehension, writing, or spelling.”

Specifies that services provided to dyslexic students shall be in the form of  ”educational remediation in an appropriate multisensory, systematic  language–based education program that is pertinent to the student’s disorder.”

An act to establish the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for students with dyslexia. Provides for terms of scholarship and student eligibility requirements.  Requires that all school-age children be screened for dyslexia between kindergarten and first grade.  Requires that school diagnosticians receive additional training in the identification of dyslexia. Requires the state department of education  to establish appropriate curriculum guidelines to meet the unique learning needs of children with dyslexia. Requires recognition of dyslexia as a learning disability by schools. Requires  that students with a diagnosis of dyslexia be provided an individual educational plan for receiving appropriate intervention services.

Defines dyslexia therapy as being Orton-Gillingham based; defines Dyslexia Therapist as a professional with training in Orton-Gillingham. Dyslexia scholarship supports attendance at public or private schools offering Orton-Gillingham based therapy.

Update, House Committee Substitute:  Eliminates reference to “Orton-Gillingham” based therapy. Provides that Dyslexia Scholarship is available to students with a 504 Plan rather than an IEP.  Adds requirement that dyslexia therapy in public schools be provided by a state licensed therapist, but does not specify specific requirements for dyslexia training leading to licensing.

This resolution would create a seventeen (17) member special legislative study  commission whose purpose it would be to assess the educational needs of children with reading  disabilities and dyslexia.

The purpose of the commission shall be to conduct a comprehensive study of the i implications and consequences of dyslexia and to provide a comprehensive report with recommendations to the House of Representatives on the educational needs of children with reading disabilities and dyslexia and all aspects of providing education to these children,  including:

(1) Increasing awareness of dyslexia;

(2) Early assessment and identification of students with literacy challenges, including dyslexia;
(3) A tiered continuum of intensity for research-based instructional interventions for dyslexic students within the Response to Intervention model;

(4) Diagnosis, assessment, and progress monitoring procedures for students with reading disabilities and dyslexia;

(5) Scientifically-validated interventions to address the needs of students with literacy
24 challenges, including dyslexia;

(6) Wide-scale personnel training plans that would increase the number of Rhode Island teachers who possess the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading;

(7) Consistency of compliance with federal law regarding eligibility for services available  for persons with specific learning disabilities; and

(8) Encouraging coordination and collaboration between the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, teacher preparation programs at Rhode Island institutions of higher education

This act would enact the Rhode Island dyslexia act to establish policies and treatment for students with dyslexia in Rhode Island schools.  Provides that local education agencies must consider symptoms and diagnosis of dyslexia in developing literacy intervention plans and individual education plans.Sets standards for  instructional plans for students with reading disabilities and dyslexia based on legislative finding that scientific evidence supports systematic phonics based instruction.

AN ACT relating to reading assessment and intervention; requiring assessment and early intervention for dyslexia and other reading difficulties; requiring a report; and providing for an effective date. Provides: Each school district shall design and implement a  reading screening program that measures student reading progress and attempts to identify dyslexia and other  reading difficulties as early as possible in kindergarten  through grade three (3).  In addition to a universal screening instrument, the department of education shall identify standardized assessment instruments utilized to identify dyslexia and other reading difficulties.  The program shall be multi-tiered and shall include various interventions to encourage remediation of any reading difficulty as early as possible.