Bill Text: HI HB675 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Dyslexia; Awareness; Teachers
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-12-18 - Carried over to 2014 Regular Session. [HB675 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2014-HB675-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
675 |
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TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that dyslexia is a specific developmental learning disorder that is neurological in origin. An individual with dyslexia often has difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, as well as poor spelling and word decoding abilities. Secondary dyslexia consequences include difficulties with reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that impedes vocabulary growth and background knowledge that is crucial to the process of learning to read. These issues typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of the individual's language process that is often unrelated to other cognitive abilities or effective classroom instruction.
The legislature finds that between fifteen and twenty per cent of the population as a whole in the United States have dyslexia or exhibit some characteristics of dyslexia, including slow or inaccurate reading, poor spelling, poor writing skills, or mixing up similar words. A significant number of students in Hawaii, including those with dyslexia, read below basic reading levels and experience literacy challenges.
The legislature further finds that improved awareness and support for persons with dyslexia and improved professional development for educators will help students with dyslexia or other literacy challenges to obtain the instruction, support, skills, and resources necessary to improve their learning and increase their success in school and the community.
The purpose of this Act is to support students with dyslexia and other literacy challenges by implementing a comprehensive plan requiring the department of education to:
(1) Improve awareness of, and strengthen support for, persons with dyslexia;
(2) Enhance the reading, writing, and spelling skills of all students, including students with dyslexia;
(3) Provide professional development opportunities that specifically relate to students with dyslexia or other literacy challenges;
(4) Establish licensure standards for teachers, including reading specialists, relating to the needs of students with dyslexia or other literacy challenges; and
(5) Coordinate with the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii teacher standards board, and the board of education to implement this Act.
SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§302A- Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Accommodations" means any alternative method in the way tasks are presented that allows children with learning disabilities to complete the same assignments as other students without fundamentally altering its content or performance standards or tests, and does not give students an unfair advantage or, in the case of assessments, does not change what a test measures but evaluates the child's skill without being impeded by the child's disability.
"Assistive technology device" means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, not including a medical device that is surgically implanted, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is designed or used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability.
"Department school" means each school under the jurisdiction of the department.
"Dyslexia" means a developmental learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor spelling and decoding abilities, and impaired process of reading comprehension.
"Educator" means any department salaried teacher or an individual contracted to be a teacher in the department.
"Modifications" means any changes in the curriculum, course, standards, test preparation, location, timing, scheduling, expectations, student response, or other attribute that facilitates participation for a student with a disability and may fundamentally alter content, performance standards, or tests.
"Multi-sensory structured language education" means a program treatment of persons with dyslexia or other literacy challenges that provides instruction in the skills of reading, writing, and spelling through program content that includes phonology and phonological awareness, sound and symbol association, syllables, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and follows principles that include simultaneous multisensory instruction (including visual-auditory-kinesthetic-tactile instruction), systematic and cumulative instruction, explicit instruction, diagnostic teaching to automaticity, and synthetic and analytic instruction.
"Other similar learning disorders" means any other learning disorder characterized by difficulties experienced by individuals diagnosed with dyslexia or who have characteristics of dyslexia including difficulties with understanding or using language, spoken or written, including without limitation in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency or comprehension, or one or more of the basic neurobiological or psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.
"Phonemic awareness" means the ability to focus on and manipulate phonemes, the smallest unit of sound in a spoken word that makes a difference in the word's meaning.
"Professional development" means a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving educators' effectiveness in raising student achievement.
"Reading specialists" means teachers who are licensed as reading specialists by the Hawaii teacher standards board and have advanced knowledge and abilities in teaching reading skills to students.
"Research-validated interventions" means interventions that are scientifically based and validated by research.
"Response to intervention" means a system, in accordance with state law, that integrates assessment and intervention within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavioral problems using data to: identify students who may have a learning disability or other disabilities; monitor student progress; provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending upon a student's responsiveness; and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities. Response to intervention includes:
(1) School-wide, multi-level instructional and behavioral system for preventing school failure;
(2) Screening;
(3) Monitoring of progress; and
(4) Data-based decision making for instruction, movement within the multi-level system, and disability identification.
§302A- Dyslexia awareness. (a) The department shall promote the awareness of, and strengthen support for, persons with dyslexia or other similar learning disorders, by developing and adopting reference materials to be used by educators, students, and parents. These reference materials shall include information relating to: the definition of dyslexia and information about the common characteristics of dyslexia; challenges faced by students with dyslexia; possible accommodations, modifications and interventions, and response to intervention; screening and assessment; applicable federal and state laws; and services and options available to students with dyslexia or who have characteristics of dyslexia and the applicable procedures.
(b) The department shall require at a minimum, subject to funds made available for this purpose and the availability of qualified personnel, one licensed reading specialist teacher who meets the requirements established by the Hawaii teacher standards board, for each public school. Each reading specialist shall provide specialized reading instruction and support to teachers of students with dyslexia and other similar learning disorders. The support provided to teachers may include the areas described in subsection (c).
(c) The department shall make available professional development materials and training to educators to support the enhancement of reading, writing, and spelling skills of students with dyslexia or other similar learning disorders. Professional development materials and training may include:
(1) Information to increase knowledge and awareness of dyslexia with regard to the definition of dyslexia and information about common characteristics and challenges often faced by students with dyslexia, applicable federal and state laws, department services and options available to students with dyslexia or who display characteristics of dyslexia, applicable procedures, and department contact information for inquiries about dyslexia;
(2) Accommodations, modifications, interventions, and assistive technology devices for the support of students with dyslexia;
(3) Early screening and assessment procedures for the early identification of students with dyslexia or other similar learning disorders;
(4) A multi-tiered system of research-validated interventions and supports, including without limitation, multi-sensory structured language education, within the response to intervention model, that:
(A) Implements structured, direct, explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction orally and by written language, including reading, writing, and spelling, through program content that includes phonology and phonological awareness, sound and symbol association, syllables, morphology, syntax, and semantics;
(B) Addresses the needs of students with dyslexia or other similar learning disorders; and
(C) Is consistent with standards and guidelines of the United States Department of Education and other applicable nationally recognized standards and guidelines for the instruction of students with dyslexia in oral and written language; and
(5) Evidence-based progress monitoring that provides students, parents, and educators with data on student performance and improvements and that uses this data in evaluations and decisions for instructional changes.
Requirements of this section shall take effect upon the first day of the 2014-2015 school year."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Dyslexia; Awareness; Teachers
Description:
Promotes awareness of the definition and characteristics of dyslexia and other similar learning disorders. Requires DOE to provide professional development to teachers relating to students with dyslexia. Requires the Hawaii teachers standards board to establish licensure standards for reading specialists.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
