Bill Text: HI HCR171 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: DOE; Dyslexia Programs

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-16 - Referred to EDN, HLT, FIN, referral sheet 33 [HCR171 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-HCR171-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	171
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the auditor to perform an audit of the department of education's efforts and efficiency in supporting students with DYSLEXIA.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, dyslexia is a learning disability that is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and poor decoding abilities, which may result in problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is estimated that up to 20 percent of the population as a whole in the United States has dyslexia or another reading disability, costing taxpayers $224,000,000,000 a year in welfare payments, crime, job incompetence, lost taxes, and remedial education for adult illiteracy; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is best for a person with dyslexia to be taught reading, writing, and spelling using a multi-sensory teaching method such as alphabetic phonics; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates support for students with specific learning disabilities, a category under which dyslexia falls; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Department of Education works with community children's councils to serve children and families with disabilities and mental health needs through collaborative partnerships; however the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) completed a study in 2011, showing that Hawaii's students in general read well below national averages; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education provides services to students ages 3 to 22 who demonstrate a need for specially designed instruction through an Individualized Education Program (IEP); however, some parents of students suffering from dyslexia allege that the Department of Education is not properly training educators in early recognition of dyslexia or providing educators with the proper tools for teaching those students diagnosed with dyslexia; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to perform an audit of the Department of Education's efforts and efficiency in supporting those students with dyslexia; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor submit a report of its findings and recommendations, included any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report include information on all steps taken by the Department of Education in recognizing dyslexia in students and enrolling students with dyslexia into specialized programs, the number of students in each program, and the number of licensed reading teachers, licensed reading specialists, and licensed literacy specialists by grade level and subject matter; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

DOE; Dyslexia Programs