MA H511

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Department of Public Health, and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must jointly select language developmental milestones and develop parent resources to track language acquisition in deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing children from birth to age 6

Establishes an 18-member Committee on Kindergarten Readiness, with a majority being deaf, deafblind, or hard-of-hearing individuals, to recommend language milestones and educator assessment tools for children using American Sign Language, English, or both

Requires annual joint reports with disaggregated data on language and literacy development of deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing children compared to their hearing peers, including breakdowns by demographics, services received, and language modality

Parents may opt their child out of annual assessments by providing written notice to the local educational agency; if a child does not demonstrate progress, the IFSP/IEP/504 plan team must explain reasons and recommend specific strategies and services

Amends early intervention services definition to explicitly include language readiness services for children birth to age 3, with the Department of Public Health required to develop uniform regulations in coordination with the education department