Relating to the education of kindergarten through grade twelve students with characteristics of dyslexia and the preparation and licensure of practitioners who provide instruction to such students

This bill relates to the education of kindergarten through grade students with characteristics of dyslexia and to the preparation and licensure of practitioners who provide instruction to such students. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. The bill directs the state board, in consultation with the Iowa reading research center and the board of educational examiners, to adopt rules requiring approved practitioner preparation programs to develop and offer preparation for an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement. DIRECTOR’S DUTIES. The director of the department of education must collaborate with area education agencies (AEAs) to develop and implement an action plan for educators, using the dyslexia professional learning framework proposed by the Iowa dyslexia task force, for the identification and support of students with characteristics of dyslexia; and employ a dyslexia consultant with responsibilities outlined by the bill. Also, subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly, the director must develop and implement a pilot program, in collaboration with the Iowa reading research center and the board of educational examiners, to build the capacity of all educators to provide high-quality literacy instruction to all learners, intensive interventions for students with more severe forms of dyslexia, and to identify best practices for preparing practitioners as advanced dyslexia specialists; and must, subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly, develop with the Iowa reading research center a dyslexia diagnostic assessment, and make the assessment available to school districts and accredited nonpublic schools by July 1, 2022. APPROVED PRACTITIONER PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS. The state board of education is directed to adopt rules requiring that each practitioner preparation program will, by July 1, 2021, develop and implement a dyslexia professional learning framework, guided by the recommendations of the Iowa dyslexia task force, and an action plan, in collaboration with the Iowa reading research center, to provide commencing July 1, 2022, differentiated training on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions, that is aligned to the framework, for students to provide instruction as advanced dyslexia specialists. BOARD OF EDUCATIONAL EXAMINERS. The board of educational examiners is directed to adopt rules, in consultation with the department of education, the Iowa reading research center, and the AEAs, establishing an endorsement for an advanced dyslexia specialist, including traditional and nontraditional pathways for obtaining such endorsements. The bill establishes criteria for the endorsement. SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS. A school district must administer to any student who is persistently at risk in reading the dyslexia diagnostic assessment, if the general assembly appropriates moneys for the development of the assessment by the department. If the assessment determines the student has characteristics of dyslexia, the school district must provide to the student appropriate services and support. Prior to the beginning of each school calendar, each school district must require every classroom teacher of English and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies in K-12 to complete the Iowa reading research center dyslexia overview module. Beginning teachers have until the end of their first year of teaching to complete the module. DYSLEXIA DEFINITION.68. Under the new definition, “dyslexia” means a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities which 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. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.3.16.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.