Relating to language and literacy development for deaf and hard-of-hearing children

The bill provides that “English” includes spoken English, written English, or English with the use of visual supplements. EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT. The bill lists the duties of the early language development consultant, including but not limited to staffing the advisory committee; developing and distributing resources; exercising general supervision over follow-up contacts with parents and guardians regarding the need for valid and reliable language assessments and distribution of resources toward language development in American sign language and English; planning a parent-friendly procedure for outreach and follow-ups; arranging for and exercising general supervision over the appropriate training for language assessment personnel and serving as a supervisor to such personnel; and utilizing both American sign language and English in selecting milestones, compiling data, employing qualified personnel, and distributing resources. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES —— SELECTION. The bill requires the early language development consultant to cooperate with the state school for the deaf and area education agencies, school districts, and the early hearing detection and intervention program in the department of public health, in selecting language developmental milestones from existing standardized norms for purposes of developing a resource parents or guardians can use to monitor and track a deaf or hard-of-hearing child’s progress toward English literacy. PARENT RESOURCE. In addition to the milestones, the parent resource must be clearly written and appropriate for use with deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through age eight who use American sign language or English, or both; present the milestones in terms of typical development of all children; and be aligned to the state’s existing infant, toddler, and preschool standards for evaluating eligibility and progress for early intervention or special education in English language arts. Further, the resource must clearly specify that it is not a formal assessment of language and literacy development, that the observations of a child by the child’s parent or guardian may differ from formal assessment data, and that a parent or guardian may bring the parent resource to an IFSP or IEP meeting. ASSESSMENTS —— TOOLS. The early language development consultant, in consultation with other agencies serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children, must select existing tools or assessments for educators that can be used to assess the language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through age eight. DISSEMINATION. The early language development consultant must disseminate the parent resource to parents and guardians of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and, consistent with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), shall disseminate the educator tools and assessments to early hearing detection and intervention programs, area education agencies, school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and the school for the deaf for use in the development and modification of IFSPs or IEPs, and provide materials and training on the use of such materials. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. The department of education is directed to establish and consult with an advisory committee to receive input for inclusion in the parent resource. The early language development consultant shall provide staffing and administrative support to the committee and must provide the committee with a list of existing language developmental milestones from existing standardized norms, along with any relevant information the department has regarding those milestones. The advisory committee shall make recommendations on the selection and use of the educator tools or assessments, advise the department or its consultants on the content and administration of the tools, instruments, and procedures used under the federal IDEA to assess deaf and hard-of-hearing children’s language and literacy development to ensure the appropriate use of such tools, instruments, and procedures with children, make recommendations regarding future research to improve the measurement of progress of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in language and literacy development, and develop a process of compliance with federal law for plan modification if a child does not demonstrate adequate yearly progress. The advisory committee shall consist of seven volunteers, the majority of whom shall be deaf or hard-of-hearing. The bill specifies the level of expertise or experience each individual member must have. The director of the department must convene the advisory committee by March 1, 2022, and thereafter may convene the committee as the director deems necessary. The advisory committee shall submit recommendations to the state board of education by July 1, 2022, shall submit recommendations relating to plan modifications to the state board by December 1, 2022, and shall submit recommendations thereafter as the director of the department deems necessary. ACTIVITIES. All activities of the department of education in implementing the requirements under the bill must be consistent with the federal IDEA for the education of children from birth through age eight. ANNUAL REPORT. The department of education must annually compile, and publish on the department’s internet site, a report using existing data reported in compliance with the state performance plan on pupils with disabilities, required under the federal IDEA, that is specific to language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through age eight, including those children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and have other disabilities, relative to the children’s peers who are not deaf or hard-of-hearing.