103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB0343
 
Introduced 2/2/2023, by Sen. Christopher Belt
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



105 ILCS 5/2-3.161
105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new

 Amends the School Code. Provides that the dyslexia handbook developed by the State Board of Education shall include guidelines on the administration of a universal screener and dyslexia screening, the interpretation of data from these screeners, and the resulting appropriate instruction within a multi-tiered system of support framework. Provides that the State Board of Education shall adopt any rules necessary to ensure that a student will be screened for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener. Sets forth guidelines for developing a universal screening. Sets forth which students are required to be screened. Provides that no later than January 1, 2025, the State Board of Education shall employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related disorders. Provides that beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, each school district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 2 for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener approved by the State Board of Education. Provides that if a student is determined to be either at risk or at some risk for dyslexia after the universal screener has been administered, the school district must administer a dyslexia screening of the student. Provides that if a student's dyslexia screening indicates that the student has characteristics of dyslexia, the dyslexia intervention services provided to the student must utilize a structured literacy approach as outlined in the State Board of Education's handbook. Makes other changes.



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STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

 
 
A BILL FOR
 


SB0343LRB103 26220 RJT 52579 b



1 AN ACT concerning education.


2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 
52-3.161 and by adding Sections 10-20.85 and 34-18.82 as 
6follows:

7 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.161)
8 Sec. 2-3.161. Definition of dyslexia; reading instruction 
9advisory group; handbook; screening rules; employment of 
10specialists.
11 (a) In this Section, "universal screener" means an 
12assessment used to aid educators in understanding the causes 
13for student performance, learning strengths, and the needs 
14that underlie student performance. The assessment is conducted 
15to identify or predict which students may be at risk for poor 
16learning outcomes and is typically brief and conducted with 
17all students at a particular grade level. 
18 (a-5) The State Board of Education shall incorporate, in 
19both general education and special education, the following 
20definition of dyslexia:
21  Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is 
22 neurobiological in origin.
Dyslexia is characterized by 
23 difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word
recognition 
 
 
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1 and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These 
2 difficulties
typically result from a deficit in the 
3 phonological component of language
that is often 
4 unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and 
5 the
provision of effective classroom instruction. 
6 Secondary consequences may
include problems in reading 
7 comprehension and reduced reading experience that
can 
8 impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
9 (b) (Blank).

10 (c) The State Board of Education shall develop and 
11maintain a handbook to be made available on its Internet 
12website that provides guidance for pupils, parents or 
13guardians, and teachers on the subject of dyslexia. The 
14handbook shall include, but is not limited to:
15  (1) guidelines for teachers and parents or guardians 
16 on how to identify signs of dyslexia;
17  (2) a description of educational strategies that have 
18 been shown to improve the academic performance of pupils 
19 with dyslexia; and
20  (3) a description of resources and services available 
21 to pupils with dyslexia, parents or guardians of pupils 
22 with dyslexia, and teachers; and .
23  (4) guidelines on the administration of a universal 
24 screener and dyslexia screening, the interpretation of 
25 data from these screeners, and the resulting appropriate 
26 instruction within a multi-tiered system of support 
 
 
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1 framework. 
2 The State Board shall review the handbook on or before 
3January 1, 2025 and at least once every 4 years to update, if 
4necessary, the guidelines, educational strategies, or 
5resources and services made available in the handbook. 
6 (d) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
7necessary to ensure that a student will be screened, as 
8provided under Section 10-20.85 or 34-18.82, for the risk 
9factors of dyslexia using a universal screener. A student 
10shall be screened:
11  (1) if a student is enrolled in a public school in any 
12 of grades kindergarten through 2; 
13  (2) if a student in any of the grades kindergarten 
14 through 2:
15   (A) transfers to a new public school; and
16   (B) has not been screened previously during the 
17 school year; 
18  (3) if a teacher, parent, or guardian of a student in 
19 grade 3 or higher requests the student be screened for the 
20 risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener; and 
21  (4) if a student from another state enrolls for the 
22 first time in any of grades kindergarten through 2 in a 
23 school district in this State, unless the student, the 
24 student's parent, or the student's guardian presents 
25 documentation that the student:
26   (A) was screened for dyslexia using the screening 
 
 
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1 under this Section or was screened using another 
2 similar screening during the school year; or
3   (B) is exempt from screening. 
4 (e) The guidelines for the universal screener must 
5include, as developmentally appropriate, all of the following: 
6  (1) phonological and phonemic awareness; 
7  (2) sound symbol recognition; 
8  (3) alphabet knowledge; 
9  (4) decoding skills; 
10  (5) rapid naming skills; 
11  (6) encoding skills; and 
12  (7) oral reading fluency. 
13 (f) No later than January 1, 2025, the State Board of 
14Education shall employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or 
15dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field 
16experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia 
17and related disorders to provide both of the following:
18  (1) technical assistance for dyslexia and related 
19 disorders to the State Board of Education and school 
20 districts; and
21  (2) training to school district employees in:
22   (A) administering a universal screener and 
23 dyslexia screening; 
24   (B) analyzing and interpreting screening data; and 
25   (C) determining, within the multi-tiered system of 
26 support framework, appropriate dyslexia intervention 
 
 
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1 services in accordance with Sections 10-20.85 and 
2 34-18.82. 
3 (g) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
4necessary to ensure that a student receives dyslexia 
5intervention services under Section 10-20.85 or 34-18.82. 
6(Source: P.A. 102-539, eff. 8-20-21.)

7 (105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new)
8 Sec. 10-20.85. Dyslexia screening and support.
9 (a) In this Section:
10 "Dyslexia screening" means a process, as determined by a 
11school district, for gathering additional information to 
12determine if the characteristics of dyslexia are present.
13 "Universal screener" means an assessment used to aid 
14educators in understanding the causes for student performance, 
15learning strengths, and the needs that underlie student 
16performance. The assessment is conducted to identify or 
17predict which students may be at risk for poor learning 
18outcomes and is typically brief and conducted with all 
19students at a particular grade level.
20 (b) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, each school 
21district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 2 
22for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener 
23approved by the State Board of Education. 
24 (c) If a student is determined to be either at risk or at 
25some risk for dyslexia after the universal screener has been 
 
 
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1administered under subsection (b), the school district must 
2administer a dyslexia screening of the student. Through the 
3dyslexia screening, the school district must gather additional 
4information to determine if the student has the 
5characteristics of dyslexia. The additional information may 
6include, but is not limited to, information from progress 
7monitoring data, work samples, additional age and grade 
8appropriate assessments related to dyslexia, teacher 
9questionnaires, parent interviews, information regarding the 
10student's family history related to dyslexia, and speech and 
11language assessments. 
12 (d) If the universal screener or the dyslexia screening 
13indicates that a student has some risk factors for dyslexia or 
14the characteristics of dyslexia, the school must use a 
15multi-tiered system of support framework within the guidelines 
16provided by the State Board of Education to address the needs 
17of the student. 
18 (e) Before a school district administers a dyslexia 
19screening to a student, the parent or guardian of the student 
20must consent to the screening. A school district is not 
21required to administer a dyslexia screening to a student if:
22  (1) the parent or guardian of the student objects to 
23 the screening; or
24  (2) the student is already receiving dyslexia 
25 intervention services. 
26 (f) If a student's performance on a dyslexia screening 
 
 
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1indicates a need for dyslexia intervention services, the 
2school district must:
3  (1) notify the student's parent or guardian of the 
4 results of all screenings; and
5  (2) provide the student's parent or guardian with 
6 information and resource material that includes all of the 
7 following:
8   (A) the characteristics of dyslexia; 
9   (B) the appropriate classroom interventions and 
10 accommodations for students with dyslexia; and 
11   (C) a statement that the parent or guardian may 
12 elect to have the student receive an educational 
13 evaluation by the school.
14 (g) If a student's dyslexia screening indicates that the 
15student has characteristics of dyslexia, the dyslexia 
16intervention services provided to the student must utilize a 
17structured literacy approach as outlined in the State Board of 
18Education's handbook under subsection (c) of Section Sec. 
192-3.161. The dyslexia intervention services must: 
20  (1) provide explicit, direct, systematic, sequential, 
21 and cumulative instruction that adheres to a logical plan 
22 about the alphabetic principle and is designed to 
23 accommodate the needs of each individual student without 
24 presuming prior skills or knowledge;
25  (2) implement evidence-based practices that have been 
26 proven effective in the treatment of dyslexia;
 
 
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1  (3) engage the student in multi-modal language 
2 learning techniques;
3  (4) include phonemic awareness activities to enable 
4 the student to detect, segment, blend, and manipulate 
5 sounds in the spoken language;
6  (5) provide graphophonemic knowledge for teaching the 
7 letter sound plan of the English language;
8  (6) teach the structure and patterns of the English 
9 language, including linguistic instruction in morphology, 
10 semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, that are directed 
11 toward proficiency and fluency with the patterns of 
12 language so that words and sentences are the carriers of 
13 meaning;
14  (7) develop strategies that advance the student's 
15 ability in decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency, 
16 and comprehension; and
17  (8) provide meaning-based instruction directed at 
18 purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on 
19 comprehension and composition.
20 (h) On or before July 1, 2025 and on or before each July 1 
21thereafter, each school district must report to the State 
22Board of Education: 
23  (1) the number of students who were administered a 
24 universal screener under this Section for the risk factors 
25 of dyslexia during the school year;
26  (2) the number of students who were determined to be 
 
 
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1 at risk or at some risk for dyslexia;
2  (3) the number of students identified with the 
3 characteristics of dyslexia during the school year;
4  (4) the number of students during the previous school 
5 year who received dyslexia intervention under this 
6 Section; and
7  (5) the dyslexia intervention services that were used 
8 during the previous school year under this Section.
9 The State Board of Education shall publish the information 
10collected from the report on its Internet website. 

11 (105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new)
12 Sec. 34-18.82. Dyslexia screening and support.
13 (a) In this Section:
14 "Dyslexia screening" means a process, as determined by the 
15school district, for gathering additional information to 
16determine if the characteristics of dyslexia are present.
17 "Universal screener" means an assessment used to aid 
18educators in understanding the causes for student performance, 
19learning strengths, and the needs that underlie student 
20performance. The assessment is conducted to identify or 
21predict which students may be at risk for poor learning 
22outcomes and is typically brief and conducted with all 
23students at a particular grade level.
24 (b) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the school 
25district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 2 
 
 
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1for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener 
2approved by the State Board of Education. 
3 (c) If a student is determined to be either at risk or at 
4some risk for dyslexia after the universal screener has been 
5administered under subsection (b), the school district must 
6administer a dyslexia screening of the student. Through the 
7dyslexia screening, the school district must gather additional 
8information to determine if the student has the 
9characteristics of dyslexia. The additional information may 
10include, but is not limited to, information from progress 
11monitoring data, work samples, additional age and grade 
12appropriate assessments related to dyslexia, teacher 
13questionnaires, parent interviews, information regarding the 
14student's family history related to dyslexia, and speech and 
15language assessments. 
16 (d) If the universal screener or the dyslexia screening 
17indicates that a student has some risk factors for dyslexia or 
18the characteristics of dyslexia, the school must use a 
19multi-tiered system of support framework within the guidelines 
20provided by the State Board of Education to address the needs 
21of the student. 
22 (e) Before the school district administers a dyslexia 
23screening to a student, the parent or guardian of the student 
24must consent to the screening. The school district is not 
25required to administer a dyslexia screening to a student if:
26  (1) the parent or guardian of the student objects to 
 
 
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1 the screening; or
2  (2) the student is already receiving dyslexia 
3 intervention services. 
4 (f) If a student's performance on a dyslexia screening 
5indicates a need for dyslexia intervention services, the 
6school district must:
7  (1) notify the student's parent or guardian of the 
8 results of all screenings; and
9  (2) provide the student's parent or guardian with 
10 information and resource material that includes all of the 
11 following:
12   (A) the characteristics of dyslexia; 
13   (B) the appropriate classroom interventions and 
14 accommodations for students with dyslexia; and 
15   (C) a statement that the parent or guardian may 
16 elect to have the student receive an educational 
17 evaluation by the school.
18 (g) If a student's dyslexia screening indicates that the 
19student has characteristics of dyslexia, the dyslexia 
20intervention services provided to the student must utilize a 
21structured literacy approach as outlined in the State Board of 
22Education's handbook under subsection (c) of Section Sec. 
232-3.161. The dyslexia intervention services must: 
24  (1) provide explicit, direct, systematic, sequential, 
25 and cumulative instruction that adheres to a logical plan 
26 about the alphabetic principle and is designed to 
 
 
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1 accommodate the needs of each individual student without 
2 presuming prior skills or knowledge;
3  (2) implement evidence-based practices that have been 
4 proven effective in the treatment of dyslexia;
5  (3) engage the student in multi-modal language 
6 learning techniques;
7  (4) include phonemic awareness activities to enable 
8 the student to detect, segment, blend, and manipulate 
9 sounds in the spoken language;
10  (5) provide graphophonemic knowledge for teaching the 
11 letter sound plan of the English language;
12  (6) teach the structure and patterns of the English 
13 language, including linguistic instruction in morphology, 
14 semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, that are directed 
15 toward proficiency and fluency with the patterns of 
16 language so that words and sentences are the carriers of 
17 meaning;
18  (7) develop strategies that advance the student's 
19 ability in decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency, 
20 and comprehension; and
21  (8) provide meaning-based instruction directed at 
22 purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on 
23 comprehension and composition.
24 (h) On or before July 1, 2025 and on or before each July 1 
25thereafter, the school district must report to the State Board 
26of Education: 
 
 
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1  (1) the number of students who were administered a 
2 universal screener under this Section for the risk factors 
3 of dyslexia during the school year;
4  (2) the number of students who were determined to be 
5 at risk or at some risk for dyslexia;
6  (3) the number of students identified with the 
7 characteristics of dyslexia during the school year;
8  (4) the number of students during the previous school 
9 year who received dyslexia intervention under this 
10 Section; and
11  (5) the dyslexia intervention services that were used 
12 during the previous school year under this Section.
13 The State Board of Education shall publish the information 
14collected from the report on its Internet website.