101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4406
 
Introduced 1/29/2020, by Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



105 ILCS 5/2-3.161
105 ILCS 5/10-20.73 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.66 new

 Amends the School Code. Provides for dyslexia screening guidelines and rules. Requires the State Board of Education to employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related disorders to provide technical assistance and training. Provides that, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, each school district must screen students in grades kindergarten through second (and in higher grades under certain circumstances) for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener approved by the State Board. Sets forth what the screening must include. Provides for additional screening for a student who is determined to be at risk, or at some risk, for dyslexia to determine if a student has the characteristics of dyslexia. Requires the use of a multi-tiered system of support framework if screening indicates that a student has some risk factors for dyslexia or has the characteristics of dyslexia. Sets forth provisions concerning exceptions to screening, dyslexia intervention services, and reporting. Effective July 1, 2020.



LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
 
 
A BILL FOR
 


HB4406LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b



1 AN ACT concerning education.


2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 
52-3.161 and by adding Sections 10-20.73 and 34-18.66 as 
6follows:

7 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.161)
8 Sec. 2-3.161. Definition of dyslexia; reading instruction 
9advisory group; handbook; screening rules; employment of 
10specialists. 
11 (a) The State Board of Education shall incorporate, in both 
12general education and special education, the following 
13definition of dyslexia:
14  Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is 
15 neurobiological in origin.
Dyslexia is characterized by 
16 difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word
recognition 
17 and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These 
18 difficulties
typically result from a deficit in the 
19 phonological component of language
that is often 
20 unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the

21 provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary 
22 consequences may
include problems in reading comprehension 
23 and reduced reading experience that
can impede growth of 
 
 
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1 vocabulary and background knowledge.
2 (b) Subject to specific State appropriation or the 
3availability of private donations, the State Board of Education 
4shall establish an advisory group to develop a training module 
5or training modules to provide education and professional 
6development to teachers, school administrators, and other 
7education professionals regarding multi-sensory, systematic, 
8and sequential instruction in reading. This advisory group 
9shall complete its work before December 15, 2015 and is 
10abolished on December 15, 2015. The State Board of Education 
11shall reestablish the advisory group abolished on December 15, 
122015 to complete the abolished group's work. The reestablished 
13advisory group shall complete its work before December 31, 2016 
14and is abolished on December 31, 2016. The provisions of this 
15subsection (b), other than this sentence, are inoperative after 
16December 31, 2016.

17 (c) The State Board of Education shall develop and maintain 
18a handbook to be made available on its Internet website that 
19provides guidance for pupils, parents or guardians, and 
20teachers on the subject of dyslexia. The handbook shall 
21include, but is not limited to:
22  (1) guidelines for teachers and parents or guardians on 
23 how to identify signs of dyslexia;
24  (2) a description of educational strategies that have 
25 been shown to improve the academic performance of pupils 
26 with dyslexia; and
 
 
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1  (3) a description of resources and services available 
2 to pupils with dyslexia, parents or guardians of pupils 
3 with dyslexia, and teachers; and .
4  (4) guidelines on the administration of a universal 
5 screener and Level I dyslexia screening, the 
6 interpretation of data from these screeners, and the 
7 resulting appropriate instruction within a multi-tiered 
8 system of support (MTSS) framework. 
9 The State Board shall review the handbook on or before 
10January 1, 2021 and at least once every 4 years thereafter to 
11update, if necessary, the guidelines, educational strategies, 
12or resources and services made available in the handbook. 
13 (d) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
14necessary to ensure that a student will be screened, as 
15provided under Section 10-20.73 or 34-18.66, for the risk 
16factors of dyslexia using a universal screener: 
17  (1) if a student is in any of grades kindergarten 
18 through second in the public schools;
19  (2) if a student in any of grades kindergarten through 
20 second:
21   (A) transfers to a new public school; and
22   (B) has not been screened previously during the 
23 school year; 
24  (3) if a student in grade 3 or higher in the public 
25 schools has difficulty, as determined by a classroom 
26 teacher, in: 
 
 
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1   (A) phonological and phonemic awareness;
2   (B) sound symbol recognition;
3   (C) alphabet knowledge;
4   (D) decoding skills;
5   (E) rapid naming skills;
6   (F) encoding skills; or 
7   (G) oral reading fluency; and 
8  (4) if a student from another state enrolls for the 
9 first time in any of grades kindergarten through second in 
10 a school district in this State, unless the student 
11 presents documentation that the student: 
12   (A) had the dyslexia screening or a similar 
13 screening during the school year; or
14   (B) is exempt from screening. 
15 (e) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
16necessary to ensure that a student receives dyslexia 
17intervention services under Section 10-20.73 or 34-18.66.
18 (f) No later than January 1, 2021, the State Board of 
19Education shall employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or 
20dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field 
21experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia 
22and related disorders to provide both of the following: 
23  (1) Technical assistance for dyslexia and related 
24 disorders to the State Board and school districts. 
25  (2) Training to school district employees in: 
26   (A) administering a universal screener and Level I 
 
 
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1 dyslexia screening;
2   (B) analyzing and interpreting screening data; and
3   (C) determining, within the MTSS framework, 
4 appropriate dyslexia intervention services under 
5 Section 10-20.73 or 34-18.66.
6(Source: P.A. 99-65, eff. 7-16-15; 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-602, 
7eff. 7-22-16; 99-603, eff. 7-22-16; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17; 
8100-617, eff. 7-20-18.)

9 (105 ILCS 5/10-20.73 new)
10 Sec. 10-20.73. Dyslexia screening and support required.
11 (a) In this Section:
12 "Level I dyslexia screening" means a process, as determined 
13by the school district, for gathering additional information to 
14determine if the characteristics of dyslexia are present.
15 "Universal screener" means an assessment used to aid 
16educators in understanding the causes for student performance, 
17learning strengths, and the needs that underlie student 
18performance. The assessment is conducted to identify or predict 
19students who may be at risk for poor learning outcomes and is 
20typically brief and conducted with all students at a particular 
21grade level.
22 (b) Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, each school 
23district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 
24second for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal 
25screener approved by the State Board of Education. The 
 
 
HB4406- 6 -LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


1screening of students must include, as developmentally 
2appropriate, all of the following:
3  (1) Phonological and phonemic awareness.
4  (2) Sound symbol recognition.
5  (3) Alphabet knowledge.
6  (4) Decoding skills.
7  (5) Rapid naming skills. 
8  (6) Encoding skills.
9  (7) Oral reading fluency. 
10 (c) If a student is determined to be at risk, or at some 
11risk, for dyslexia after the universal screener has been 
12administered under subsection (b), the school district must 
13administer a Level I dyslexia screening of the student. Through 
14the Level I dyslexia screening, the school district must gather 
15additional information to determine if the student has the 
16characteristics of dyslexia. The additional information may 
17include, but is not limited to, information from progress 
18monitoring data, work samples, additional age and 
19grade-appropriate assessments related to dyslexia, teacher 
20questionnaires, parent interviews, information regarding the 
21student's family history related to dyslexia, and speech and 
22language assessments.
23 (d) If the universal screener or the Level I dyslexia 
24screening indicates that a student has some risk factors for 
25dyslexia or the characteristics of dyslexia, the school must 
26use a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework to 
 
 
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1address the needs of the student.
2 (e) Before a school district administers a Level I dyslexia 
3screening to a student, the parent or guardian of the student 
4must consent to the screening. A school district is not 
5required to administer a Level I dyslexia screening to a 
6student if: 
7  (1) the parent or guardian of the student objects to 
8 the screening; or
9  (2) the student is receiving dyslexia intervention 
10 services. 
11 (f) If a student's performance on a Level I dyslexia 
12screening indicates a need for dyslexia intervention services, 
13the school district must do both of the following: 
14  (1) Notify the student's parent or guardian of the 
15 results of all screenings. 
16  (2) Provide the student's parent or guardian with 
17 information and resource material that includes all of the 
18 following: 
19   (A) The characteristics of dyslexia.
20   (B) The appropriate classroom interventions and 
21 accommodations for students with dyslexia.
22   (C) A statement that the parent or guardian may 
23 elect to have the student receive an educational 
24 evaluation by the school. 
25 (g) If the student's Level I dyslexia screening indicates 
26that the student has characteristics of dyslexia and needs 
 
 
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1dyslexia intervention services, the dyslexia intervention 
2services provided to the student must be implemented using 
3diagnostic teaching guidelines outlined in the Knowledge and 
4Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading created by the 
5International Dyslexia Association. The dyslexia intervention 
6services must:
7  (1) provide explicit, direct, systematic, sequential, 
8 and cumulative instruction that adheres to a logical plan 
9 about the alphabetic principle and is designed to 
10 accommodate the needs of each individual student without 
11 presuming prior skills or knowledge; each teaching plan 
12 must be flexible, must be based on the individualized 
13 instructional needs of the student through continuous 
14 assessment, and must include a periodic evaluation of the 
15 student's progress;
16  (2) implement evidence-based practices that have been 
17 proven effective in the treatment of dyslexia;
18  (3) engage the student in multi-sensory and hands-on 
19 activities;
20  (4) include phonemic awareness activities to enable 
21 the student to detect, segment, blend, and manipulate 
22 sounds in the spoken language;
23  (5) provide graphophonemic knowledge for teaching the 
24 letter sound plan of the English language;
25  (6) teach the structure and patterns of the English 
26 language, including linguistic instruction in morphology, 
 
 
HB4406- 9 -LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


1 semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, that is directed toward 
2 proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language so 
3 that words and sentences are the carriers of meaning;
4  (7) develop strategies that advance the student's 
5 ability in decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency, 
6 and comprehension; and
7  (8) provide meaning-based instruction directed at 
8 purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on 
9 comprehension and composition. 
10 (h) On or before July 1, 2021 and on or before each July 1 
11thereafter, each school district must report to the State Board 
12of Education the number of students who were: 
13  (1) administered a universal screener during the 
14 school year; and
15  (2) determined to be at risk, or at some risk, for 
16 dyslexia. 
17 (i) On or before July 1, 2021 and on or before each July 1 
18thereafter, each school district must report on its Internet 
19website all of the following information: 
20  (1) The dyslexia intervention services that were used 
21 during the previous school year to assist students with 
22 dyslexia.
23  (2) The number of students during the previous school 
24 year who received dyslexia intervention services under 
25 this Section.
26  (3) The total number of students identified with the 
 
 
HB4406- 10 -LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


1 characteristics of dyslexia during the school year. 

2 (105 ILCS 5/34-18.66 new)
3 Sec. 34-18.66. Dyslexia screening and support required.
4 (a) In this Section:
5 "Level I dyslexia screening" means a process, as determined 
6by the school district, for gathering additional information to 
7determine if the characteristics of dyslexia are present.
8 "Universal screener" means an assessment used to aid 
9educators in understanding the causes for student performance, 
10learning strengths, and the needs that underlie student 
11performance. The assessment is conducted to identify or predict 
12students who may be at risk for poor learning outcomes and is 
13typically brief and conducted with all students at a particular 
14grade level.
15 (b) Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the school 
16district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 
17second for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal 
18screener approved by the State Board of Education. The 
19screening of students must include, as developmentally 
20appropriate, all of the following:
21  (1) Phonological and phonemic awareness.
22  (2) Sound symbol recognition.
23  (3) Alphabet knowledge.
24  (4) Decoding skills.
25  (5) Rapid naming skills. 
 
 
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1  (6) Encoding skills.
2  (7) Oral reading fluency. 
3 (c) If a student is determined to be at risk, or at some 
4risk, for dyslexia after the universal screener has been 
5administered under subsection (b), the school district must 
6administer a Level I dyslexia screening of the student. Through 
7the Level I dyslexia screening, the school district must gather 
8additional information to determine if the student has the 
9characteristics of dyslexia. The additional information may 
10include, but is not limited to, information from progress 
11monitoring data, work samples, additional age and 
12grade-appropriate assessments related to dyslexia, teacher 
13questionnaires, parent interviews, information regarding the 
14student's family history related to dyslexia, and speech and 
15language assessments.
16 (d) If the universal screener or the Level I dyslexia 
17screening indicates that a student has some risk factors for 
18dyslexia or the characteristics of dyslexia, the school must 
19use a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework to 
20address the needs of the student.
21 (e) Before a school district administers a Level I dyslexia 
22screening to a student, the parent or guardian of the student 
23must consent to the screening. The school district is not 
24required to administer a Level I dyslexia screening to a 
25student if: 
26  (1) the parent or guardian of the student objects to 
 
 
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1 the screening; or
2  (2) the student is receiving dyslexia intervention 
3 services. 
4 (f) If a student's performance on a Level I dyslexia 
5screening indicates a need for dyslexia intervention services, 
6the school district must do both of the following: 
7  (1) Notify the student's parent or guardian of the 
8 results of all screenings. 
9  (2) Provide the student's parent or guardian with 
10 information and resource material that includes all of the 
11 following: 
12   (A) The characteristics of dyslexia.
13   (B) The appropriate classroom interventions and 
14 accommodations for students with dyslexia.
15   (C) A statement that the parent or guardian may 
16 elect to have the student receive an educational 
17 evaluation by the school. 
18 (g) If the student's Level I dyslexia screening indicates 
19that the student has characteristics of dyslexia and needs 
20dyslexia intervention services, the dyslexia intervention 
21services provided to the student must be implemented using 
22diagnostic teaching guidelines outlined in the Knowledge and 
23Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading created by the 
24International Dyslexia Association. The dyslexia intervention 
25services must:
26  (1) provide explicit, direct, systematic, sequential, 
 
 
HB4406- 13 -LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


1 and cumulative instruction that adheres to a logical plan 
2 about the alphabetic principle and is designed to 
3 accommodate the needs of each individual student without 
4 presuming prior skills or knowledge; each teaching plan 
5 must be flexible, must be based on the individualized 
6 instructional needs of the student through continuous 
7 assessment, and must include a periodic evaluation of the 
8 student's progress;
9  (2) implement evidence-based practices that have been 
10 proven effective in the treatment of dyslexia;
11  (3) engage the student in multi-sensory and hands-on 
12 activities;
13  (4) include phonemic awareness activities to enable 
14 the student to detect, segment, blend, and manipulate 
15 sounds in the spoken language;
16  (5) provide graphophonemic knowledge for teaching the 
17 letter sound plan of the English language;
18  (6) teach the structure and patterns of the English 
19 language, including linguistic instruction in morphology, 
20 semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, that is directed toward 
21 proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language so 
22 that words and sentences are the carriers of meaning;
23  (7) develop strategies that advance the student's 
24 ability in decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency, 
25 and comprehension; and
26  (8) provide meaning-based instruction directed at 
 
 
HB4406- 14 -LRB101 17103 CMG 66503 b


1 purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on 
2 comprehension and composition.
3 (h) On or before July 1, 2021 and on or before each July 1 
4thereafter, the school district must report to the State Board 
5of Education the number of students who were: 
6  (1) administered a universal screener during the 
7 school year; and
8  (2) determined to be at risk, or at some risk, for 
9 dyslexia. 
10 (i) On or before July 1, 2021 and on or before each July 1 
11thereafter, the school district must report on its Internet 
12website all of the following information: 
13  (1) The dyslexia intervention services that were used 
14 during the previous school year to assist students with 
15 dyslexia.
16  (2) The number of students during the previous school 
17 year who received dyslexia intervention services under 
18 this Section.
19  (3) The total number of students identified with the 
20 characteristics of dyslexia during the school year. 


21 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
222020.