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A3605 Dyslexia Screening

Bill passes legislature
                                                                                         

(TRENTON) -Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Nelson Albano, Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr., Mila Jasey and Andrew Andrzejczak to require certain public school students be screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities before they finish second grade and be provided with proper treatment if the screening confirms a diagnosis received final legislative approval on Thursday.

The bill (A-3605) requires the state Commissioner of Education to distribute information to each board of education on screening instruments that are available to identify students who possess potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities. The bill also calls on the commissioner to develop and distribute guidance to each board of education on appropriate intervention strategies for students who are diagnosed with dyslexia or other reading disabilities as a result of the screening.

The bill also requires a board of education to ensure that each student who is enrolled in the school district and who has exhibited one or more potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities is screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities no later than the student's completion of the first semester of the second grade. Under the bill, a board of education must ensure screening is provided if a student, who would have been enrolled in kindergarten or the first or second grade during or after the 2014-2015 school year, enrolls in the district in kindergarten or grades one through six during or after the 2015-2016 school year and has no record of a previous screening. Screenings must be administered by a teacher or other teaching staff member properly trained in the screening process.

Lastly, the bill requires a board of education to ensure each student who is determined, as a result of a screening, to possess one or more potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities is provided a comprehensive assessment for the learning disorder. If a diagnosis of dyslexia or other reading disability is confirmed, the bill requires the board of education to provide appropriate evidenced-based intervention strategies to the student, including intense instruction on phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.

The bill was approved in the Senate 38-0 and by the Assembly 80-0 in March.