Modifies legal defintition of “specific learning disability”. As enacted, the bill provides this definition:
“Specific learning disability” means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing or motor disabilities, of intellectual disability, of emotional disturbance or of environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage;
An Act relating to the establishment of the Legislative Task Force on Reading Proficiency and Dyslexia. Establishes 12 member task force to report findings on dyslexia by March 29, 2019.
There is hereby established the legislative task force on dyslexia. The task force shall advise and make recommendations to the
Makes various changes to the K-3 Reading Program.
To define necessary terms, to require the state department of education to provide a universal screening tool for use by local school districts to screen students in kindergarten through second grade for characteristics of dyslexia beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
Requiring certain county boards of education, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, to ensure that a certain student is screened to identify if the student is at risk for reading difficulties; authorizing a county board to use a screening instrument that includes a normed rapid automatized naming assessment for certain students; requiring a county board to monitor a student who receives structured literacy reading instruction for an appropriate time period; requiring a county board to provide certain progress reports; etc.
Provides that the State Department of Education shall develop and distribute a technical assistance document to provide guidance for school districts and teachers on how to understand and provide evidence-based interventions for dyslexia. Also provides that students exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia shall receive evidence-based structured literacy instruction using a multisensory approach as provided in the technical assistance document for dyslexia.
Creates a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define “dyslexia” and “qualified dyslexia screening tool”.