S.B. No. 102 Summary

• Establishes a Dyslexia Screening Program requiring all school districts and public schools to conduct early screenings for children age six or younger with risk factors for dyslexia, including low phonemic awareness.

• Requires schools to provide reading intervention services to children suspected of having dyslexia and obtain written parental consent before participation in the program.

• Mandates schools to provide parents with information about dyslexia, recommended multisensory treatments, and available services, and to report annually to the superintendent of public instruction on program operation and results.

• Directs the superintendent of public instruction to establish program guidelines and procedures in consultation with the International Dyslexia Association or other nationally recognized multisensory structured language organizations, and to submit an evaluation report to the general assembly by December 31, 2020.

• Defines dyslexia as a neurological learning disorder characterized by unexpected difficulties with word recognition, spelling, and decoding abilities that result from a deficit in the phonological component of language.