New Jersey-2020-S3979-Introduced

An Act concerning services for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. Students who struggle with reading and other forms of specific learning disabilities often go undiagnosed until the student is failing in school, while many students are never diagnosed and never receive services. Early identification and intervention with students showing signs of dyslexia are critical for improving student outcomes.

b. The most effective treatment for students who struggle with reading and related language problems is early diagnosis and skilled teaching. For that reason, it is critical that educators receive evidence-based practices and strategies informed by research to reduce the impact on long-term educational outcomes.

c. The New Jersey Dyslexia Guidelines, developed by the State Board of Education, adopt the International Dyslexia Association's definition of dyslexia into the New Jersey Administrative Code, thereby outlining the requirements for the provision of special education programs and services to students. The regulations provide guidelines for educators, parents, and other stakeholders in identifying, assessing, and supporting students with dyslexia. While these guidelines created a road map for supporting students with dyslexia, the guidelines were developed before the establishment of the Statewide system of support and are therefore not integrated into that system.

d. The State board regulations list dyslexia as one of the specific learning disabilities that may impair a person's ability to understand or use language, or perform mathematical calculations.

e. The State Board of Education incorporated the definition of dyslexia, as follows: "Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/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".

f. To ensure existing research and available resources lead to improved outcomes for all students, the State must expand its focus to all struggling readers, even those in the general education population, and invest in a Statewide effort to build upon the New Jersey Dyslexia Guidelines, create literacy teaching guidelines and disseminate best practices throughout the Statewide system of support for literacy and language teachers.

g. The Statewide system of support 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. This system of support should include expertise and resources to help school districts, offices of the executive county superintendents of schools, and charter schools improve their ability to identify signs of struggling readers and other specific learning disabilities as early as possible and to provide evidence-based support and services to students once identified.

h. Each district's board of education is required to establish and implement a coordinated system in each school for the planning and delivery of intervention and referral services. Intervention and referral services are designed to assist students who are experiencing learning, behavioral or health difficulties, and to assist staff who have difficulties in addressing students' learning, behavioral or health needs. It is particularly important that these services begin in kindergarten and first grade for students struggling to acquire early reading skills.

2. The Commissioner of Education shall establish the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative for the following purposes:

a. to build capacity in the Statewide system of support for school districts, charter schools and offices of the executive county superintendents of schools to provide early intervention services and support for students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, with a focus on improving outcomes for students in all education settings;

b. to identify effective models for diagnosis and treatment of specific learning disabilities;

c. to develop effective professional development for educators on evidence-based instruction and strategies informed by research to reduce the impact on long-term educational outcomes;

d. to develop effective partnerships between school districts, charter schools, offices of the executive county superintendents of schools, and nonprofits in using the Statewide system of support structure administered by the Commissioner of Education and the resources of the Department of Education; and

e. to disseminate the resources, information, and models identified in this section.

3. The Commissioner of Education shall designate one office of an executive county superintendent of schools to administer the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative in direct consultation with the Department of Education and the institution of higher education selected pursuant to section 4 of this act. The designated office shall demonstrate a willingness and capacity to:

a. work collaboratively with the department and the selected institution of higher education to further the purposes of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative;

b. communicate regularly with the department;

c. document the outcomes of its efforts throughout the duration of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative; and

d. play a leadership role in the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative.

4. a. The Commissioner of Education shall select one institution of higher education to enhance the early identification of dyslexia and specific learning disabilities and expand evidence-based best practices for supports and services in furtherance of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative. The institution shall be selected no later than 30 days after the effective date of this act. The selected institution may utilize the services of a literacy specialist, consultant, or company in furtherance of its work pursuant to this section.

b. The selected institution shall identify existing evidence-based resources, professional development activities, and other efforts currently available at the State, federal, and local levels, and develop new evidence-based resources and activities designed to help local educational agencies across the State identify and provide services and supports to students with specific learning disabilities, as defined by the State Board of Education, such as dyslexia. The identified and developed resources and activities shall be able to accomplish, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1) develop professional development through train-the-trainer models or online training modules;

(2) provide technical assistance to local educational agencies;

(3) develop a network of educators who can provide coaching and training to other local educational agencies; and

(4) develop evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of identified evidence-based strategies.

5. No later than 18 months after the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall issue a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1),on the collective efforts of the department, the designated office of an executive county superintendent of schools, and the selected institution of higher education in furthering the goals of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative. The initiative shall expire upon the submission of the report.

6. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $2,000,000 to be provided as a grant to the institution of higher education selected pursuant to section 4 of this act, in furtherance of the goals of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative.

7. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative. The bill also makes an appropriation of $2,000,000 from the General Fund for the bill's purposes.

The New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative will serve the following purposes:

� to build capacity in the Statewide system of support for school districts, charter schools and offices of the executive county superintendents of schools to provide early intervention services and support for students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, with a focus on improving outcomes for students in all education settings;

� to identify effective models for diagnosis and treatment of specific learning disabilities;

� to develop effective professional development for educators on evidence-based instruction and strategies informed by research to reduce the impact on long-term educational outcomes;

� to develop effective partnerships between school districts, charter schools, offices of the executive county superintendents of schools, and nonprofits in using the Statewide system of support structure administered by the Commissioner of Education and the resources of the Department of Education; and

� to disseminate the identified resources, information, and models.

The bill directs the Commissioner of Education to designate one office of an executive county superintendent of schools to administer the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative in direct consultation with the Department of Education and the institution of higher education selected pursuant to the bill. The county office will play a leadership role in the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative.

The bill also directs the commissioner to select one institution of higher education to enhance the early identification of dyslexia and specific learning disabilities and expand evidence-based best practices for supports and services in furtherance of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative. The institution must be selected no later than 30 days after the bill's effective date. The selected institution may utilize the services of a literacy specialist, consultant, or company in furtherance of its work. The selected institution is tasked with:

� identifying existing evidence-based resources, professional development activities, and other efforts currently available at the State, federal, and local levels; and

� developing new evidence-based resources and activities designed to help local educational agencies across the State identify and provide services and supports to students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.

Finally, the bill directs the commissioner to issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 18 months after the bill's effective date on the collective efforts of the department, the designated county office, and the selected institution of higher education in furthering the goals of the New Jersey Equity in Education Initiative. The initiative will expire upon the submission of the report.