Iowa-2020-SF2356-Dyslexia Education

Iowa

A bill for an act relating to the education of students with characteristics of dyslexia and to the preparation and licensure of practitioners for such instruction, and establishing an Iowa dyslexia board. 

Requires state education board to set standards and procedures for teacher training in preparation for advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement.

Requires hiring of full time dyslexia consultant by education board, by July 2024.

Establishes Iowa dyslexia board to guide, facilitate, and oversee implementation of dyslexia instruction in Iowa and make recommendations for continued improvement of
such instruction.

Requires establishment of an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement and specifies general requirements for such endorsement.

Amends statutory definition of dyslexia, as follows: “dyslexia means a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin, is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities, and may include difficulties that
typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom
instruction, as well as secondary consequences such as problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”

Requires all primary level and ESL teachers to complete a dyslexia overview course.