June 8, 2021

Rep. Bolinsky Hails Proposal for Enhanced Dyslexia Instruction

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Would provide more support for CT Students

HARTFORD – To better support students with dyslexia, State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) last week strongly supported the proposal to implement the recommendations of the Task Force to Analyze the Implementation of Laws Governing Dyslexia Instruction and Training. The legislation, HB 6517 received unanimous support in the House of Representatives.

“I am so grateful for the work of this task force, born of legislation that I introduced and pushed-along with the support of the legislature’s Education Committee in the 2019 session. That proposal resulted in Special Act 19-8 and now, thanks to the work of the Higher Education Committee and concurrence of the House and Senate, will be implemented and strengthened by the establishment of a state Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities to formalize, enable and enforce a robust program of early detection and proven educational supports. For students with dyslexia, effective early detection can keep them from falling behind. It’s incredibly important to recognize that students with common dyslexia simply “learn differently” and, with early intervention, can flourish”

“This can be a game changer. More than 2,000 Connecticut students were diagnosed with dyslexia during the 2018-19 school year, and 80% of students identified as having ‘learning disabilities’ have dyslexia,” said Rep. Bolinsky, who is a long-time member of the Education committee and Dyslexia advocate. “Learning to read is a fundamental to educational success and this will benefit so many with improved training for teachers and a more structured literacy course of study.”

According to the Task Force to Analyze the Implementation of Laws Governing Dyslexia Instruction and Training who testified in favor of the legislation, 15-20% of students display symptoms of dyslexia and that teachers are not receiving the appropriate training in structured literacy.

The new office will begin verifying whether existing teacher preparation programs are compliant with existing laws for dyslexia detection, recognition and evidence-based, structured literacy interventions and require supervised practicum hours, student teaching experience and instruction in evidence-based structured literacy interventions for students with dyslexia in programs of study for remedial reading, remedial language arts, and reading consultants or special education.

The bill requires the state Department of Education, by January 1, 2023, to provide guidance to local and regional boards of education about administering the approved reading assessments and makes changes to the assessments’ methodology for identifying these students.