‘They just need a chance’: Idaho bill to support dyslexic students clears House
Multiple parents told lawmakers over the past several weeks that they were told their children may never learn to read.
Speaking through tears, parents described their children’s struggles in school and watching as their kids’ mental health declined. After spending thousands of dollars out of pocket to get their children diagnosed with dyslexia, parents continued to fight, often unsuccessfully, for Idaho schools to provide their kids the resources they needed to learn.
Now, after years of fighting, months of working on legislation and three separate bills, parents may soon see support for their dyslexic children.
The Idaho House on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance the third version of a dyslexia bill that would put into place screening, interventions and professional development to serve children with dyslexia. The bill passed without debate.
Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, who presented the bill on the House floor, mentioned the importance of making sure kids have the services they need to learn to read.
“These are extremely smart kids,” she said. “They just need a chance.”
Idaho remains one of the last states in the country without dyslexia legislation that provides screening and interventions.
Robin Zikmund, the founder of the Decoding Dyslexia chapter in Idaho, said the passage of the bill represented a “good day for so many.” The group, she said, has been working tirelessly for years to get resources for educators and dyslexic learners.
“This bill is the beginning of effective literacy changes that will better support all educators and children,” she told the Idaho Statesman in a message. “What is good for the dyslexic learner is good for all learners.”
Bill would provide screening, intervention
The updated bill combines some aspects of the two previous versions, one of which was introduced in the House by Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra. The other proposal, which passed in the Senate, was crafted by the parents and literacy experts who make up the Decoding Dyslexia chapter in Idaho.
The new bill defines dyslexia and dyslexia screening tools, and lays out a phased approach for adding screening measures, interventions and professional development for teachers.
It directs the State Department of Education to administer an initial screening to all students in kindergarten through third grade. The state’s current assessment, the Idaho Reading Indicator, can be used as the “tier 1” screener and is already given to students through third grade. The bill encourages the State Department of Education to support schools and districts in giving the initial screener to fourth and fifth graders.
Schools are then directed to administer a secondary screener to students in kindergarten through fifth grade who showed characteristics of dyslexia based on the initial screener, or at the request of a teacher or parent.
The bill also directs school districts to provide evidence-based interventions that align with Idaho comprehensive literacy plan and the state dyslexia handbook.
The bill also includes a fiscal note of $97,000 for one full-time employee at the State Department of Education to implement the legislation and provide information and resources.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 11:20 AM.
