HF2695 Summary

• Requires the Department of Education to employ a literacy/dyslexia specialist at each regional center of excellence and one at the department to provide technical assistance for dyslexia and related disorders.

• Defines a literacy/dyslexia specialist as a dyslexia therapist, licensed psychologist, certified psychometrist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or certified dyslexia training specialist with a minimum of three years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia.

• Requires the literacy/dyslexia specialists to be highly trained in evidence-based interventions using multisensory, systematic, sequential teaching strategies in phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

• Establishes hiring timeline requiring the department to employ a specialist at the department by September 1, 2016 and at each regional center by January 1, 2017.

• Appropriates funds in fiscal year 2017 for employing literacy/dyslexia specialists, effective for the 2016-2017 school year and later.