Minnesota has incorporated new provisions concerning dyslexia screening and teacher education in the Omnibus Education Finance act signed into law by after a special session of the legislature.
The new dyslexia provisions include:
Required Dyslexia Screening
(Effective July 1, 2020)
(a) Each school district must identify before the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 all students who are not reading at grade level. Students identified as not reading at grade level by the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 must be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia.
(b) Students in grade 3 or higher who demonstrate a reading difficulty to a classroom teacher must be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia, unless a different reason for the reading difficulty has been identified.
Teacher Education
(Effective June 1, 2020)
Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary education,early childhood education, special education, and reading intervention must include instruction on dyslexia. Teacher preparation programs may consult with the Department of Education, including the dyslexia specialist, to develop instruction under this paragraph. Instruction on dyslexia must be modeled on practice standards of the International Dyslexia Association, and must address:
(1) the nature and symptoms of dyslexia;
(2) resources available for students who show characteristics of dyslexia;
(3) evidence-based instructional strategies for students who show characteristics of dyslexia, including the structured literacy approach; and
(4) outcomes of intervention and lack of intervention for students who show characteristics of dyslexia
