House Bill 2778 - Dyslexia
by Deborah Haltom
February 14, 2008
Written Testimony-House Bill No. 2778
Thank you for allowing me to enter written testimony on an act concerning school districts; this bill is relating to students with Dyslexia.
As the Director of Special Education Services in the Shawnee Mission School District I am an advocate for students with mild, moderate and severe disabilities, and students identified as intellectually gifted. We are fortunate in Kansas that students with learning challenges, including Reading challenges, have both federal and state laws, and their regulations, which guide the schools in providing appropriate services for all their students.
In Kansas, school districts provide intervention services to students with Reading difficulties. After a period of time implementing best practice interventions in Reading assessment and instruction, if students are not making progress, they are referred for a special education initial evaluation. Through the early intervention process and the initial evaluation, schools follow state procedures in selecting appropriate assessments, given by professionals who are trained, and teams of professionals are required to base decisions and plan instructional programs for students based on that assessment data. After implementing scientifically researched interventions, the teams progress monitor and make changes in students’ programs. This is a well documented process, with parents notified at every stage.
House Bill No. 2778 addresses the topic of Dyslexia, a term defined in line 16 (c). Schools recognize the medical term Dyslexia as one meaning a person with a Reading disability. Kansas public schools already have a law which addresses each item in the House Bill. This bill asks schools to intervene early; notify parents of what the schools are doing and the progress of their child; if needed, determine an assessment plan and get consent from parents; share the approach being used and describe how it is a scientifically based, best practice; develop individual, intense intervention plans; monitor progress to share with parents; and lastly, all schools are to be held to a high standard of accountability for addressing all students’ needs by a requirement for 100% of their students participating in state assessments, with a goal of all proficient by 2014. This is a laudable goal, which all districts are working toward, and all students are making gains guided by the laws which are currently in place. There is no need for an additional mandate beyond No Child Left Behind’s AYP standards and IDEA-04. If NCLB changes it’s AYP requirements to include a growth model, these same requirements asked for through this bill will continue to be addressed.
While I am the first to agree that students with Reading disabilities need appropriate services and supports to address their needs, I see this bill as unnecessary as there is already a public school requirement for these services as directed by the Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Act or NCLB and the federal and state special education law, IDEA-04.
Thank you for entering this as written testimony.
Deborah Haltom
Director of Special Education
Shawnee Mission School District
