ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session

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HB 2137: literacy; dyslexia screening; appropriations

Sponsor: Representative Pawlik, LD 17

Committee on Education

Overview

Delays dyslexia training and screening requirements and extends the K-3 reading program. Appropriates a total of $1,080,000 from the state General Fund (GF) in FY 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) for specified dyslexia screening and reading program purposes.

History

Statute directs ADE to administer a K-3 reading program to improve the reading proficiency of public school students in kindergarten and grades 1-3. The K-3 reading program is set to end on July 1, 2022. ADE is also required to designate a dyslexia specialist to provide school districts and charter schools with the necessary support and resources to assist dyslexic students. Statute requires that by July 1, 2021, each school district and charter school have at least one K-3 teacher in each school who has received dyslexia training (A.R.S. § 15-211).

ADE was required to develop, by July 1, 2020, a dyslexia screening plan that: 1) ensures that all K-3 public school students are screened for dyslexia; 2) provides guidance for notifications sent to parents of students who are identified as having indicators of dyslexia; 3) is developed collaboratively with ADE's dyslexia specialist and other dyslexia experts; and 4) ensures that screening for indicators of dyslexia includes phonological and phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, correspondence between sounds and letters, nonsense word repetition and sound symbol recognition (A.R.S. § 15-704).

Currently, applicants for common school instruction certification must complete 45 classroom hours of three college-level credit hours that include systematic phonics instruction and reading instruction (A.R.S. § 15-501.01).

Laws 2019, Chapter 198 created the Study Committee on Dyslexia Screening, Intervention and Funding for Pupils Identified as Having Indicators of Dyslexia (Study Committee). The Study Committee's recommendations can be found here.

Provisions

1. Delays, from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2023, the requirement that each school district and charter have at least one K-3 teacher in each school who has received dyslexia training. (Sec. 1)

2. Extends the K-3 reading program from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2027. (Sec. 1)

3. Requires applicants for all common school instruction certificates to complete 45 classroom hours or three college-level credit hours in research-based science of reading instruction. (Sec. 2)

4. Requires ADE to develop a dyslexia screening plan by July 1, 2022 rather than July 1, 2020. (Sec. 3)

5. Replaces nonsense word repetition with nonsense word fluency in the required indicators for dyslexia screening. (Sec. 3)

6. Appropriates $800,000 from the state GF in FY 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter to ADE to distribute to school districts and charter schools to provide pupil screening for indicators of dyslexia. (Sec. 3)

7. Appropriates $280,000 from the state GF in FY 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter to ADE for:

a) Adding three full-time employees to develop the dyslexia screening plan and the K-3 reading program;

b) Providing early literacy professional development to teachers;

c) Augmenting reading programs;

d) Gathering, aggregating and analyzing statewide data related to early literacy and dyslexia; and

e) Establishing a regional training model for teacher training and enhancing awareness of dyslexia indicators. (Sec. 3)

2) Exempts the appropriations from lapsing. (Sec. 3)

8. Makes a technical change. (Sec. 2)

9. Makes conforming changes. (Sec. 2, 3)

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                        HB 2137

Initials CH/NM Page 0 Education

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