Minnesota has enacted a new law requiring the Department of Education to employ a dyslexia specialist to provide information and support for schools. The law provides:
The department must employ a dyslexia specialist to provide technical assistance for dyslexia and related disorders and to serve as the primary source of information and support for schools in addressing the needs of students with dyslexia and related disorders.
The dyslexia specialist shall also act to increase professional awareness and instructional competencies to meet the educational needs of students with dyslexia and shall develop implementation guidance and make recommendations to assist general education teachers and special education teachers.
The “dyslexia specialist” is defined as a dyslexia therapist, licensed psychologist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or certified dyslexia training specialist who has a minimum of three years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related disorders. The dyslexia specialist shall be highly trained in dyslexia and related disorders and in using interventions and treatments that are evidence-based, multisensory, direct, explicit, structured, and sequential in the areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
