NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A133
SPONSOR: Carroll TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to establishing a dyslexia and dysgraphia task force;
and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish a task force to examine appropriate and effective
evidence-based screening, intervention, and support for students with
and at risk of dyslexia and dysgraphia
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: This bill would require the commissioner of education to
establish a task force to ,examine appropriate and effective evidence-
based dyslexia and dysgraphia screening methods, reading interventions
and other educational supports for students in kindergarten through
grade five.
Section 2: Effective date
JUSTIFICATION:
One in five students has dyslexia or another phonemic awareness issue
that requires them to learn to read through a directed multi-sensory
sequential phonics or Orton-Gillingham approach. The current education
system teaches reading with a balanced literacy approach, which is
essentially whole language by another name and ineffective at teaching
reading to the roughly 20% of students who have dyslexia or another
phonemic based learning difference. This bill will establish a task
force to examine and recommend screening methods, reading interventions,
and other educational supports to provide these students the classroom
resources they require for a lifetime of literacy.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.8786/S.7093 of 2019-20;
A.2185B / S441C of 2021-22 passed Assembly and Senate - vetoed by Gover-
nor
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect January 1, 2024 and shall expire and 14 be
deemed repealed August 1, 2025.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
133
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 4, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CARROLL, COLTON, SEAWRIGHT, SIMON, DINOWITZ,
LUPARDO, WILLIAMS, DICKENS, EPSTEIN, SAYEGH, JONES, RA, TAYLOR, DAVI-
LA, McMAHON, REYES, JEAN-PIERRE, FALL, ANDERSON, JACKSON, OTIS, WALSH,
L. ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, HYNDMAN, SILLIT-
TI, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT in relation to establishing a dyslexia and dysgraphia task force;
and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration there-
of
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Dyslexia and dysgraphia task force. 1. The commissioner of
2 education shall establish a task force to examine appropriate and effec-
3 tive evidence-based dyslexia and dysgraphia screening methods, reading
4 interventions, and other educational supports for students in kindergar-
5 ten through grade five. The task force shall consist of at least ten
6 members, including the commissioner of education or their designee, who
7 shall serve as chair of the task force. The remaining members shall be
8 appointed by the commissioner of education in such a manner to ensure
9 that all regions of the state are represented, and shall include: (a) at
10 least two members who specialize in identifying, evaluating, and diag-
11 nosing individuals with dyslexia or dysgraphia; (b) at least one member
12 who specializes in educating individuals with dyslexia or dysgraphia;
13 (c) at least one member who is a parent of a student with dyslexia or
14 dysgraphia; (d) at least one member with dyslexia or dysgraphia; (e) at
15 least one member from an institute of higher education who is an expert
16 in dyslexia or dysgraphia; and (f) at least one member who is a public
17 school teacher who specializes in teaching literacy and evidence-based
18 reading instruction. All members shall have expertise in fields or
19 disciplines related to the identification of students with learning
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00296-01-3
A. 133 2
1 disabilities including the unique educational needs of students with
2 dyslexia or dysgraphia.
3 2. The task force shall conduct at least two public hearings for the
4 purpose of obtaining information from stakeholders and other interested
5 parties including but not limited to speech pathologists, reading
6 specialists, teachers, school administrators, and parents.
7 3. The task force shall prepare and submit a report of its findings
8 and recommendations to the governor, temporary president of the senate
9 and speaker of the assembly eighteen months after the effective date of
10 this act.
11 4. For the purposes of this act, the term "screening methods" may
12 include examining the use and frequency of dyslexia or dysgraphia
13 screeners that are valid, reliable, low cost, and developmentally appro-
14 priate that measure deficits in areas including: (a) phonological aware-
15 ness; (b) phonological or language-based memory; (c) rapid automatic
16 naming; (d) receptive vocabulary; (e) phonics skills; (f) decoding and
17 encoding real and pseudo-words; (g) oral reading fluency; and (h) writ-
18 ing at the sentence and paragraph level. Such screeners shall be inclu-
19 sive of students with diverse racial, linguistic, and socio-economic
20 backgrounds, and factor familial history.
21 § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2024 and shall expire and
22 be deemed repealed August 1, 2025.
