SB1292 Summary

• Amends Section 15-704 to require school districts and charter schools to administer screening and diagnostic reading assessments in kindergarten and grades 1-3 to monitor student progress and plan evidence-based instruction.

• Requires the Department of Education to develop a dyslexia screening plan ensuring all kindergarten and grade 1 students are screened for dyslexia indicators within 45 calendar days of school year start or enrollment, developed collaboratively with dyslexia specialists and experts.

• Mandates dyslexia screening include phonological and phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, sound-letter correspondence, nonsense word fluency or phonological recoding measures, and sound symbol recognition.

• Appropriates $2,500,000 from the state general fund in fiscal year 2021-2022 to the Department of Education for dyslexia screening implementation, early literacy professional development, reading proficiency improvement, data analysis, and distribution to school districts and charter schools for literacy support and teacher training.

• Requires school districts and charter schools to adopt evidence-based reading curricula, provide ongoing teacher training, and conduct curriculum reviews if more than 20 percent of grade 3 students fail to demonstrate reading proficiency on state assessments.