Bill Text: NJ S2731 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes pilot program in DOE to provide assistive technology to elementary and middle school students with dyslexia and related conditions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-15 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2731 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2731-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program in DOE to provide assistive technology to elementary and middle school students with dyslexia and related conditions.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing an assistive technology pilot program in the Department of Education.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities;
b. With 10% of the population in the United States suffering from dyslexia according to studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children, and it persists throughout life;
c. The difficulties that individuals with dyslexia typically experience are the result of a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction;
d. Individuals with dyslexia typically do not have difficulty with comprehension, but rather the task of reading itself. Dyslexia compromises the ability to comprehend written material, and students with dyslexia often struggle with written expression, including spelling, grammar, and handwriting, due to difficulties with encoding language. Assistive technology that can scan and read the material aloud, or deliver human or text-to-speech narration of the written material, while the students read along on a laptop, tablet, or other device, is an invaluable tool which can help students with dyslexia and related conditions to access curriculum content at grade-level and greatly increase their academic success, independence, confidence, and self-esteem; and
e. Assistive technology tools often also include support for study skills, such as the use of voice notes to answer summary questions, or the extraction of highlighted text for vocabulary words and review. Similarly, accommodations for writing can allow students who currently limit their writing to just the words they know how to spell, to fully express what they think, and communicate more clearly what they know. Assistive technology to support writing includes the use of text-to-speech for review, specialized spell-check software that takes into account the kinds of phonetic misspellings and letter omissions that students with dyslexia often make, and the use of speech-to-text to help students get their ideas out quickly and easily. All of these assistive technology tools need to be paired with instruction, often more explicit instruction than is included in class.
2. As used in this act:
"Assistive technology device" means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. An assistive technology device does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted or the replacement of such a device.
"Assistive technology service" means any service that directly assists a student with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device, including:
a. the evaluation of the needs of the student, including a functional evaluation of the student in the student's customary learning environment;
b. purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices;
c. selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing or replacing assistive technology devices;
d. coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
e. training or technical assistance for the student or the family of the student; and
f. training or technical assistance for professionals, including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services, employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of the student.
"Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
"Student with dyslexia or related conditions" means a student attending a public school who exhibits a deficit in the areas of reading or writing, despite having normal intelligence, characterized by difficulty with phonological processing, spelling, rapid visual-verbal responding, word decoding, fluency, or comprehension.
A student does not need to be classified for special education programs and services to be considered a student with dyslexia or related conditions.
3. a. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Office of Information Technology, shall establish a three-year assistive technology pilot program. The purpose of the program shall be to provide elementary and middle school students who have dyslexia or related conditions with access to assistive technology and assistive technology services in the classroom. The assistive technology and assistive technology services included in the program shall:
(1) deliver written material in an accessible auditory or text-to-speech format to assist students to read at grade level; or
(2) allow students with dyslexia or related conditions to more effectively complete written assignments.
Under the pilot program, the commissioner shall provide a grant to each of the pilot districts to finance the costs associated with the acquisition of the assistive technology, assistive technology services, and the training of teachers in the use of the technology.
b. A school district that wants to participate in the pilot program shall submit an application to the commissioner. The application shall provide information on the number of students in the district who have dyslexia and related conditions, the grade-levels of those students, the grade-level reading ability of those students, the assistive technology and assistive technology services to be acquired under the program, and plans for the training of teachers in the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services. The application shall detail how the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services will serve to advance the academic achievement of students with dyslexia and related conditions.
In the evaluation of the applications, the commissioner shall consider a school district's use of existing hardware and connectivity and the incorporation of software and applications that support the goals of the pilot program and New Jersey's Tiered System of Supports.
c. The commissioner shall select seven districts to participate in the pilot program, including: two districts in counties of the first class; two districts in counties of the second class; two districts in counties of the third class; and one district in a county of the fifth class. The commissioner shall seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State.
d. At the conclusion of the
pilot program, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and,
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature. The
report shall include: the number of students who participated in the pilot
program; the grade-levels of those students; the grade-level reading ability of
those students prior to participation in the pilot program; the impact of the
pilot program on enabling those students to access and work on grade-level
content; the number of teachers trained in the use of the assistive technology;
and the commissioner's recommendation on the feasibility of implementing the
program on a Statewide basis.
4. This act shall take effect in the first full academic year next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a three-year assistive technology pilot program in the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to provide assistive technology and assistive technology services to elementary and middle school students with dyslexia and related conditions. The assistive technology and assistive technology services will:
· deliver written material in an accessible auditory or text-to-speech format to assist students to read at grade level; or
· allow students with dyslexia or related conditions to more effectively complete written assignments.
Under the pilot program, the Commissioner of Education will provide a grant to each of the pilot districts to finance the costs associated with the acquisition of the assistive technology and assistive technology services and the training of teachers in the use of the technology.
A school district that wants to participate in the pilot program will submit an application to the commissioner. The application must provide information on the number of students in the district who have dyslexia and related conditions, the grade-levels of those students, the grade-level reading ability of those students, the assistive technology and assistive technology services to be acquired under the program, and plans for the training of teachers in the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services. The application is required to detail how the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services will serve to advance the academic achievement of students with dyslexia and related conditions.
The commissioner will select seven districts to participate in the pilot program, and is required to seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State.
Under the bill, the commissioner will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature at the conclusion of the pilot program. The report is required to include: the number of students who participated in the pilot program; the grade-levels of those students; the grade-level reading ability of those students prior to participation in the pilot program; the impact of the pilot program on enabling those students to access and work on grade-level content; the number of teachers trained in the use of the assistive technology; and the commissioner's recommendation on the feasibility of implementing the program on a Statewide basis.
