Bill Text: NJ A4209 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DOE to establish NJ Dyslexia website.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-23 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A4209 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A4209-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOE to establish NJ Dyslexia website.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "New Jersey Dyslexia Website" 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 establish the "New Jersey Dyslexia Website."
b. The commissioner shall consult with parent advocacy and professional organizations in the State with expertise in dyslexia and related reading disabilities in the creation and implementation of this website.
c. The website shall include:
(1) a checklist that may be used by parents or guardians of young children to look for possible indications that a child may have dyslexia or other reading disabilities;
(2) specific information for parents and educators on the screening instruments selected and implemented by each board of education, pursuant to P.L.2013, c.210 (C.18A:40-5.1 et seq.), for the early diagnosis of dyslexia and other reading disabilities;
(3) specific information for parents and educators on the evidence-based intervention strategies employed by each board of education, pursuant to P.L.2013, c.210 (C.18A:40-5.1 et seq.);
(4) specific information for educators and other interested individuals, including dates and locations, of future professional development opportunities related to reading disabilities, including dyslexia, as required to be completed by certain school district personnel pursuant to P.L.2013, c. 105 (C.18A:6-130 et seq.); and
(5) such other information as the commissioner determines appropriate to promote dyslexia awareness and facilitate early detection and remediation of children with dyslexia.
d. The commissioner shall include a link to the "New Jersey Dyslexia Website" on the Internet website of the Department of Education.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a New Jersey Dyslexia Website in consultation with parent advocacy and professional organizations in the State with expertise in dyslexia and related reading disabilities.
The Legislature has taken steps in the previous two years to enact three laws to improve the identification of dyslexia and other reading disabilities in students and to provide training and education to professionals in the education field who interact daily with children who may have dyslexia or other reading disabilities.
P.L.2013, c.105 (C.18A:6-130 et seq.) requires the Department of Education to provide professional development opportunities related to reading disabilities, including dyslexia, to school district personnel. The law requires certain education professionals to complete at least two hours of professional development instruction on the screening, intervention, accommodation and use of technology for students with reading disabilities, including dyslexia.
P.L.2013, c.131 (C.18A:46-55) requires the State Board of Education to incorporate the International Dyslexia Association's definition of dyslexia into New Jersey Administrative Code, which outlines the requirements for the provision of special education programs and services to students.
P.L.2013, c.210 (C.18A:40-5.1 et. seq.) requires the Commissioner of Education to distribute to each board of education information on available screening instruments to identify students who possess one or more potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities. Each board of education is required to select and implement age-appropriate screening instruments. The school district is then required to screen students, who have exhibited one or more potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities, no later than the student's completion of the first semester of second grade. Furthermore, if students show indications of dyslexia or other reading disabilities during this screening process, each board of education is to employ appropriate intervention strategies with those students.
The sponsor intends the New Jersey Dyslexia website to provide a single information source for the dissemination of the information required pursuant to the newly enacted laws. The website will also serve as a center for the exchange of information for parents and professionals who are integral in the education and instruction of children with dyslexia or other reading disabilities in the State.
The website will include a checklist that may be used by parents or guardians of young children to look for possible indications that a child may have dyslexia, or other reading disabilities, and specific information on screening instruments and intervention strategies used by boards of education throughout the State.
Additionally, the website will include locations and dates of upcoming professional development opportunities for school personnel to complete their required professional development instruction on the screening, intervention, accommodation, and use of technology for students with reading disabilities, including dyslexia.
