NY State Senate Bill 2019-S4341

Senate Bill S4341

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Requires school districts to conduct mandatory early screening for dyslexia for all children

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to education
Mar 07, 2019	referred to education

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2019-S4341 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5259
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §319, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S1293, A2283
2023-2024: S5232, A4198

2019-S4341 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires school districts to conduct mandatory early screening for dyslexia for all children commencing in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten and continuing thereafter on an annual basis until each child successfully completes second grade; requires school districts to designate an individual to maintain complete and accurate records containing early screening reports for each child, and to provide resources and materials to the parent and/or guardian of any child who displays indications of dyslexia.

2019-S4341 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4341

SPONSOR: BROOKS
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the education law, in relation to
mandatory early screening for dyslexia

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This act will establish a pilot program to provide early screening and
intervention services for children with risk factors for dyslexia

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends education law section 319 to establish a pilot
program that will provide early screening and intervention services for
children with risk factors for dyslexia. Section one also provides
guidelines for how school districts will be selected and criteria that
must be met.

Section one requires participating school districts to make program
reports to the commissioner, and provides a definition for dyslexia as a

specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is
characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word
recognition.

Section two requires the commissioner of education to apply for private
and non-state funds for the program and use any funds appropriated for
the program.

Section three instructs the commissioner of education to submit a report
to the governor and the legislature by the end of the pilot program's
third year with evaluations and recommendations.

Section four provides for an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This pilot program will demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of
early reading assistance programs for children with risk factors for
dyslexia. Running a pilot program will help determine whether those
programs can reduce future special education costs, and to what extent
the program should be expanded.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

The Commission of education shall apply for private and other non-state
funds, and shall use available state funds appropriated to the depart-
ment of education for the pilot program established pursuant to section
one of this act.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S4341 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4341
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 7, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the  education  law,  in  relation  to  mandatory  early
   screening for dyslexia
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to
 read as follows:
   § 319. MANDATORY EARLY SCREENING FOR DYSLEXIA. 1. ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS
 SHALL BE REQUIRED TO CONDUCT FULL AND INDIVIDUAL SCREENINGS  IN  ACCORD-
 ANCE  WITH  THIS  SECTION FOR PURPOSES OF EARLY IDENTIFICATION, SUPPORT,
 INTERVENTION AND ACCOMMODATION  OF  CHILDREN  WITH  DYSLEXIA  AND  OTHER
 LEARNING DISABILITIES. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "DYSLEXIA"
 MEANS  A  SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY THAT IS NEUROBIOLOGICAL IN ORIGIN
 AND THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ACCURATE  OR
 FLUENT  WORD RECOGNITION AND POOR SPELLING AND DECODING ABILITIES, WHICH
 DIFFICULTY TYPICALLY RESULTS FROM A DEFICIT IN THE  PHONOLOGICAL  COMPO-
 NENT  OF  LANGUAGE  AND  THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE PERSON'S INTELLI-
 GENCE, MOTIVATION, AND SENSORY CAPABILITIES AND THE PROVISION OF  EFFEC-
 TIVE INSTRUCTION.
   2.  MANDATORY  EARLY SCREENING FOR DYSLEXIA SHALL BE CONDUCTED BY EACH
 SCHOOL DISTRICT USING A DIGITAL ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT  INCLUDES  TARGETED
 QUESTIONS DESIGNED TO QUICKLY AND RELIABLY GATHER CERTAIN RELEVANT FUNC-
 TIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ALL CHILDREN DESCRIBED IN THIS
 SUBDIVISION.  MANDATORY  EARLY  SCREENING  SHALL  COMMENCE  DURING  PRE-
 KINDERGARTEN OR KINDERGARTEN, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER, AND  SHALL  CONTINUE
 THEREAFTER  ON  AN  ANNUAL  BASIS  UNTIL  SUCH  CHILD  HAS  SUCCESSFULLY
 COMPLETED THE SECOND GRADE.
   3. UPON COMPLETION OF  THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  EACH  MANDATORY  EARLY
 SCREENING,  A COPY OF EACH EARLY SCREENING REPORT AND ANY OTHER FINDINGS
 SHALL BE GIVEN TO THE PARENT AND/OR GUARDIAN AND TEACHERS  AND  TEACHING
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD08780-05-9

 S. 4341                             2
 
 ASSISTANTS  OF  EACH CHILD, AND THE INDIVIDUAL DESIGNATED IN SUBDIVISION
 FOUR OF THIS SECTION.
   4.  EACH  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  SHALL  DESIGNATE AN INDIVIDUAL TO MAINTAIN
 COMPLETE AND ACCURATE RECORDS, INCLUDING COPIES OF EACH EARLY  SCREENING
 REPORT,  FOR  ALL  CHILDREN FOR THE DURATION OF EACH CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL
 PURSUIT OR UNTIL SUCH CHILD REACHES THE AGE  OF  SIXTEEN,  WHICHEVER  IS
 LATER.  THE  DESIGNATED INDIVIDUAL SHALL PROVIDE RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
 TO THE PARENT AND/OR GUARDIAN OF ANY CHILD  WHO  DISPLAYS  LOW  PHONEMIC
 AWARENESS AND OTHER INDICATIONS OF DYSLEXIA.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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