Bill Text: NJ A3605 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain public school students to be screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities.**
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-12-19 - Substituted by S2442 (2R) [A3605 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A3605-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman NELSON T. ALBANO
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires all public school kindergarten students to be screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning reading disabilities among public school students and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall distribute to each board of education information on screening instruments available to identify students who exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia and other reading disabilities pursuant to section 2 of this act. The commissioner shall provide information on the screening instruments appropriate for kindergarten students and on screening instruments that may be suitably used for older students. A board of education shall select and implement age-appropriate screening instruments for the early diagnosis of dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
b. The commissioner shall develop and distribute to each board of education guidance on appropriate intervention strategies for students diagnosed with dyslexia or other reading disabilities.
2. a. A board of education shall ensure that each kindergarten student enrolled in the school district is screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities using a screening instrument selected pursuant to section 1 of this act.
b. In the event that a student who would have been enrolled in kindergarten during or after the 2013-2014 school year enrolls in the district in grades one through six on or after the effective date of this act and has no record of being previously screened for dyslexia or other reading disabilities pursuant to this act, the board of education shall ensure that the newly-enrolled student is screened for dyslexia and other reading disabilities using a screening instrument selected pursuant to section 1 of this act.
c. The screening shall be administered by a teacher or other teaching staff member properly trained in the screening process for dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
3. In the event that a student is determined through the screening conducted pursuant to section 2 of this act to exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disability, the board of education shall ensure that the student receives a comprehensive assessment for the learning disorder. In the event that a diagnosis is confirmed, the board of education shall provide appropriate intervention strategies to the student, including intense instruction on phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.
4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 2013-2014 school year.
STATEMENT
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education must distribute to each board of education information on screening instruments available to identify students who exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia and other reading disabilities. The commissioner must also develop and distribute to each board of education guidance on appropriate intervention strategies for students diagnosed with dyslexia or other reading disabilities.
The bill requires a board of education to screen each kindergarten student enrolled in the school district for dyslexia and other reading disabilities. Screening will also be required for a student who would have been enrolled in kindergarten during or after the 2013-2014 school year who initially enrolls in the district in grades one through six when there is no record of prior screening. The bill provides that the screening must be administered by a teacher or other teaching staff member properly trained in the screening process for dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
The bill also requires a board of education to ensure that each student who is determined through the screening to exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disability is provided with a comprehensive assessment for the learning disorders. In the event that a diagnosis is confirmed, the board of education must provide appropriate intervention strategies to the student, including intense instruction on phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Early intervention for a student with dyslexia or other reading disability is critical for the student's academic success.
