AN ACT relating to reading and writing in schools.

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AN ACT relating to reading and writing in schools. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 158.307 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) As used in this section: 4
(a) "Dysgraphia" has the same meaning as in KRS 158.305; 5
(b) "Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It 6
is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by 7
poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a 8
deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in 9
relation to other cognitive abiliti es and the provision of effective classroom 10
instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading 11
comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of 12
vocabulary and background knowledge; 13
(c)[(b)] "Evidence-based" has the same meaning as in 20 U.S.C. sec. 7801(21); 14
and 15
(d)[(c)] "Phonemic awareness" means the ability to recognize that a spoken 16
word consists of a sequence of individual sounds and the ability to manipulate 17
individual sounds in speaking. 18
(2) [By January 1, 2019, ]The Department of Education shall make available a dyslexia 19
toolkit that includes guidance, technical assistance, and training to assist all local 20
school districts in the implementation of evidence -based practices for instructin g 21
students identified with or displaying characteristics of dyslexia or dysgraphia. The 22
department shall annually review and update, where appropriate, the dyslexia 23
toolkit guidance identified in subsection (3) of this section. 24
(3) The dyslexia toolkit sha ll include but not be limited to the following guidance for 25
local districts targeting students in kindergarten through grade three (3) who have 26
been identified with or displaying characteristics of dyslexia or dysgraphia: 27
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(a) Definitions and characteristics of dyslexia and dysgraphia; 1
(b) Recommended procedures for the screening, identification, and ongoing 2
monitoring of students displaying characteristics of dyslexia or dysgraphia; 3
(c) Evidence-based practices designed specifically for students with dyslex ia or 4
dysgraphia; 5
(d) A description of educational strategies within a multitiered system of 6
supports that have been shown to improve the academic performance of 7
students with dyslexia or dysgraphia[(b) Characteristics of targeted 8
instruction for dyslexia]; 9
(e)[(c)] Guidance on developing instructional plans for students with dyslexia or 10
dysgraphia, including instructional tools identified in KRS 158.305(12)(b); 11
(f)[(d)] Best practices toward meaning-centered reading and writing; 12
(g)[(e)] Structured multis ensory and literacy approaches to teaching language 13
and reading skills;[ and] 14
(h)[(f)] Suggested professional development activities; 15
(i) A description of resources and services available to students with dyslexia or 16
dysgraphia, parents or guardians of stu dents with dyslexia or dysgraphia, 17
and teachers; and 18
(j) Guidelines on the administration of an approved universal screener and 19
diagnostic, the interpretation of data, and the resulting appropriate 20
instruction within a multitiered system of support. 21
(4) The department shall collaborate with the Education Professional Standards Board, 22
Council on Postsecondary Education, and other groups as necessary to improve and 23
update professional development opportunities for teachers specifically related to 24
dyslexia. Professional development opportunities may focus on: 25
(a) Development and ongoing implementation of training and coaching for 26
teachers; 27
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(b) Identifying opportunities to[high-quality trainers to provide] support[ to] local 1
districts utilizing a coaching model to develop building level 2
capacity[dyslexia experts]; 3
(c) Developing awareness training modules for all instructional staff to include 4
information about characteristics of dyslexia or dysgraphia; and 5
(d) Evidence-based interventions, structured multisensory and literacy approaches 6
to teach language and reading skills [, and accommodations for dyslexia and 7
other specific learning disabilities]. 8
(5) Each local board of education shall[may] develop a policy addressing the 9
implementation of a program for the ide ntification of and strategies for assisting 10
students in kindergarten through grade three (3) with dyslexia. 11
(6) The local board policies shall[may] include but not be limited to: 12
(a) The definition and characteristics of dyslexia; 13
(b) A process for identif ying students who are displaying characteristics of 14
dyslexia; 15
(c) A process for the utilization of a universal screener and 16
diagnostic[evaluation] tools, approved by the department pursuant to KRS 17
158.305(5)(a), to accurately identify students who are disp laying 18
characteristics of dyslexia. Any universal screener and diagnostic [qualified 19
dyslexia evaluation] tool utilized by a local district shall address but not be 20
limited to the following components: 21
1. Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness; 22
2. Sound symbol recognition; 23
3. Alphabet knowledge; 24
4. Decoding skills; 25
5. Encoding skills; and 26
6. Rapid naming; 27
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(d) A process for how the universal screener and diagnostic [evaluation] tools, 1
approved by the department pursuant to KRS 158.305(5)(a), are 2
administered and evaluated by trained district personnel or licensed 3
professionals; 4
(e) A process for outreach to parents of students identified with or displaying the 5
characteristics of dysle xia with information and resource materials and how 6
dyslexia may be addressed in the student's educational setting; 7
(f) Identification of evidence -based interventions, structured multisensory and 8
literacy approaches to teach language and reading skills, an d accommodations 9
that schools may utilize to provide services to students identified as having 10
dyslexia; and 11
(g) A process for monitoring a student's progress [ after the positive 12
identification], including assessments to ascertain whether the intervention 13
services improve the student's language processing and reading skills. 14
(7) Each district shall use evidence-based instructional strategies within a multitiered 15
system of support to provide intervention services to students who display 16
indications of, or areas of weakness associated with, dyslexia. In order to provide 17
school districts with the opportunity to intervene before a student's performance 18
falls significantly below grade level, schools shall screen all students in 19
accordance with KRS 158.305. Interv ention services shall utilize structured 20
literacy practices that specifically target areas of weakness and: 21
(a) Provide explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction that 22
adheres to a logical plan about the alphabetic principle and is design ed to 23
accommodate the needs of each individual student without presuming prior 24
skills or knowledge; 25
(b) Implement evidence-based practices that have been proven effective and do 26
not include the three-cueing system model of word reading; 27
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(c) Engage the stu dent in multisensory/multimodal language learning 1
techniques; 2
(d) Include phonemic awareness activities to enable the student to detect, 3
segment, blend, and manipulate sounds in the spoken language; 4
(e) Provide graphophonemic knowledge for teaching the l etter sound plan of 5
the English language; 6
(f) Teach the structure and patterns of the English language, including 7
linguistic instruction in morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, 8
that is directed toward proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language 9
so that words and sentences are the carriers of meaning; 10
(g) Develop strategies that advance the student's ability in decoding, encoding, 11
word recognition, fluency, and comprehension; and 12
(h) Provide meaning -based instruction directed at purpos eful reading and 13
writing, with an emphasis on comprehension and composition. 14
(8) If the universal screener and diagnostic tool indicates that a student has risk 15
factors displaying indications of dyslexia, or areas of weakness associated with 16
dyslexia, the school shall use a multitiered system of supports to address the 17
needs of the student. 18
(9) If the student's performance on a universal screener and diagnostic indicates a 19
need for intervention services, the district shall: 20
(a) Notify the student's parents or guardian of the results of all screenings; and 21
(b) Provide the student's parent or guardian with information and resource 22
material that include the following: 23
1. The characteristics of dyslexia; 24
2. The appropriate classroom interventions and accommodati ons for 25
students within a multitiered system of supports; and 26
3. If after receiving interventions, further screening tools and resources 27
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indicate that a student continues to demonstrate characteristics of 1
dyslexia and has not made progress toward proficien t performance in 2
reading, the school district shall consider a referral for an evaluation 3
to determine if the student needs special education and related 4
services. 5
(10) Whenever practicable, a school district shall begin by providing student supports 6
in th e general education classroom to ensure access to appropriate grade -level 7
learning. If screening tools and resources indicate that, after receiving the initial 8
tier of student support, a student requires interventions, the school district may 9
provide the i nterventions in either the general education classroom or in an 10
enrichment program as defined in KRS 158.305. 11
(11) Beginning June 30, 2028, and each year thereafter for five (5) years [By June 30 12
of each year] , each local school district [that developed a p olicy addressing the 13
implementation of a program for the identification of and strategies for assisting 14
students in kindergarten through grade three (3) with dyslexia ] shall provide the 15
department the following data[ for the current school year]: 16
(a) The n umber of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were 17
identified through the approved universal screener and diagnostic tool as 18
displaying characteristics of dyslexia; 19
(b) The number of students in paragraph (a) of this subsection that were identified 20
as needing enrichment programming as defined in KRS 158.305[through the 21
response-to-intervention process; 22
(c) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were 23
evaluated for dyslexia; 24
(d) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were 25
identified with dyslexia; 26
(e) The dyslexia evaluation tools used to identify students]; 27
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(c)[(f)] The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that 1
were participating in literacy interventions within the school setting; and 2
(d)[(g)] The process or tools used to evaluate student progress[; and 3
(h) The number of trained d istrict personnel or licensed professionals used to 4
administer the dyslexia evaluation tools. 5
(8) (a) The department shall establish a study project to gather information on early 6
screening and intervention services for children with characteristics of 7
dyslexia. The commissioner of education shall select three (3) school districts 8
to participate in the study project, one (1) of which shall be located in an 9
urban setting, one (1) of which shall be located in a suburban setting, and one 10
(1) of which shall be located in a rural setting. 11
(b) The department shall establish guidelines and procedures for the study 12
project. 13
(c) The study project shall operate for three (3) full school years, beginning with 14
the school year that begins at least three (3) months after July 14, 2018. 15
(d) The goal of the study project shall be to evaluate the effectiveness of early 16
reading assistance programs for children with characteristics of dyslexia. 17
(e) The commissioner may consult with recognized organizations that specialize 18
in st ructured literacy programs for the treatment of dyslexia in establishing 19
and operating the study project. 20
(f) The department shall submit a final report outlining the findings of the study 21
to the Interim Joint Committee on Education by November 1 after the final 22
academic year of the study project]. 23
Section 2. KRS 164.304 is amended to read as follows: 24
By the 2027-2028[2019-2020] academic year, postsecondary institutions offering teacher 25
preparation programs for elementary and secondary regular education shall [, subject to 26
available funds,] include instruction on: 27
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(1) The definition and characteristics of dyslexia; 1
(2) Processes for identifying dyslexia; 2
(3) Evidence-based interventions and accommodations for dyslexia and o ther disorders 3
defined in KRS 158.305 and related literacy and learning challenges; and 4
(4) Core elements of a response-to-intervention framework addressing reading, writing, 5
mathematics, and behavior, including; 6
(a) Universal screening; 7
(b) Evidence-based research interventions; 8
(c) Progress monitoring of the effectiveness of interventions on student 9
performance; 10
(d) Data-based decision-making procedures related to: 11
1. Determining intervention effectiveness on student performance; and 12
2. Determining the ne ed to continue, alter, or discontinue interventions or 13
conduct further evaluation of student needs; and 14
(e) Application and implementation of a multitiered system of 15
supports[response-to-intervention] and dyslexia instructional practices in the 16
classroom setting. 17