Wisconsin Legislative Study Committee on Dyslexia Approved

Wisconsin Reading Coalition, via a kind email:

The Wisconsin legislature has approved a Study Committee on Identification and Management of Dyslexia, with Rep. Bob Kulp as Chair and Sen. Patty Schachtner as Vice Chair.

SCOPE: The Study Committee is directed to review current screening, identification, school intervention, and treatment protocols for dyslexia in K-12 schools; to examine the effects of current state statutes and regulations on literacy outcomes for students with dyslexia; and to evaluate the effects of dyslexia on literacy outcomes in the state. The committee shall study recent research on evidence-based instructional techniques for students with dyslexia; determine the components and costs of successful dyslexia education practices and laws in other states; and identify institutional obstacles to academic attainment for these students. The committee shall consider legislation to implement screening for characteristics of dyslexia in early grades; to ensure that reading instruction and intervention practices incorporate relevant research findings from the University of Wisconsin; to improve the partnership between parents, educators, counselors, and others on early identification and effective interventions for dyslexic learners; and to enhance statewide access to updated resources and training on dyslexic education.

This is a timely development, as today’s release of the 2017 4th grade reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows Wisconsin students with disabilities have an average score of 177, while the national average for that group of students is 184. 10 points on the NAEP is approximately one grade level, so this is a substantial difference. Within Wisconsin, students with disabilities score 2% advanced, 9 percent proficient, 13% basic and 76% below basic.

Good reading instruction is good reading instruction, regardless of which students are receiving it. All students need to learn the same skills to become proficient readers, with some of them requiring more time and more explicit instruction to master skills. Since students with dyslexia receive much of their reading instruction and early intervention in the general education classroom, and 65% of ALL Wisconsin 4th graders perform at a basic or below basic level, we are hopeful that this study committee will make suggestions that will benefit ALL readers. Improvements in teacher preparation as well as professional development are of central importance to any meaningful change.

Congratulations to Decoding Dyslexia-Wisconsin for advocating successfully for this committee