Indianapolis, in. — This session, the General Assembly took big steps to help students with dyslexia.
Students who have dyslexia and related conditions struggle to identify and match letter sounds with letters, have difficulty with phonics and struggle to read. It affects reading, writing, spelling and comprehension.
Without aid, these children can struggle in school and fall behind in the classroom, potentially risking the chance of a successful future.
Diagnosing dyslexia can be difficult, as poor reading and writing skills are frequently mistaken for other disabilities. Sometimes teachers are unable to identify and distinguish dyslexia, which results in dyslexic students being placed in remedial classes instead of getting intervention that can help them cope with their dyslexia.
To assist our students with dyslexia and help teachers better identify the disorder, lawmakers passed Senate Enrolled Act 217 this year, which was recently ceremonially signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
SEA 217 requires school corporation and charter school reading plans to include indicators to screen for dyslexia risk factors. If a student is determined to be at risk for dyslexia, the school will administer a simple dyslexia screening test, which will identify whether the student needs to be referred for further testing and/or a diagnosis.
Each school corporation and charter school is also required to employ at least one authorized reading specialist trained in dyslexia, no later than the 2019-20 school year, and the Department of Education is required to employ at least one reading specialist trained in dyslexia.
Click here to watch a brief video explaining our efforts to help students with dyslexia.
