BILL NUMBER: S6844
SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the "New
York individuals with dyslexia education act" and implementing a plan to
identify and support students with characteristics of dyslexia
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish statewide standards for the screening of students in grades
kindergarten through five for dyslexia, for the interventions required
for students identified as being at risk for dyslexia or having dysle-
xia, for parental notification regarding the outcomes of screenings and
interventions, and for the training of educators and other school
personnel regarding dyslexia screening and interventions.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 provides that the act will be known as the "New York individ-
uals with dyslexia education act."
Section 2 adds a new section 926 to the education law.
Paragraph 1 of this new section sets forth definitions including that
"dyslexia-specific intervention" means "evidence-based, specialized
reading, writing, and spelling instruction that is multisensory in
nature" and that it does not "include the three-cueing systems model of
instruction."
Paragraph 2 of this new section requires school districts throughout the
state to provide screening of students in grades kindergarten through
fifth grade for risk factors of dyslexia and sets forth the standards
for such screening.
Paragraph 3 of this new section includes provisions for parental notifi-
cation as well as provisions for students opting out of screening in
certain circumstances.
Paragraph 4 of this new section sets forth the requirements for inter-
vention for students identified as needing them. These interventions
must be evidence-based and use a multi-sensory structured literacy
approach such as an Orton-Gillingham based approach. Students identified
as having characteristics of dyslexia shall receive a minimum of forty-
five minutes of intervention services per school day in a small group
session in addition to core reading instruction provided to all
students. To meet this standard school districts are required to hire
one educator to provide dyslexia intervention services per every one
hundred general education students in grades kindergarten through five.
Paragraph 5 of this new section requires the State Education Department
to develop a handbook to provide guidance to families and teachers about
dyslexia.
Paragraph 6 of this new section sets forth training requirements for
school personnel regarding dyslexia interventions.
Paragraph 7 of this new section sets forth standards for teacher train-
ing in post-secondary institutions regarding dyslexia.
Section 3 of the bill sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Studies have shown that as many as one in five children have dyslexia or
another phonemic awareness issue, but there is no coherent statewide
approach to identifying and addressing their needs.
Educational research has unequivocally demonstrated that early identifi-
cation of dyslexia, coupled with intervention and multisensory sequen-
tial phonics instruction drastically improves educational outcomes. New
York State's broader literacy crisis with seventy percent of fourth
graders not reading at grade level according to the results of the
federal National Assessment of Educational Progress for 2022, is due in
part to the failure to adopt curriculum based on the science of reading
for both students with characteristics of dyslexia and the general popu-
lation. The use of curricula to teach reading based on "the whole
language approach" and techniques such as "three-cueing" that have not
been proven to be effective is still widespread throughout the state.
Unfortunately, the State ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher
training on evidence-based literacy curricula.
This bill will benefit thousands of children and their families by
establishing clear and detailed standards for screening for dyslexia and
dyslexia interventions using evidence-based curricula as well as the
necessary training and professional development standards.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A.7101A - Referred to Education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.