Law provides that children with dyslexia have their needs met. Put the screening in place and laid the groundwork for personnel and established timelines for accomplishment.
Meeting the Needs of Children with Dyslexia ADE Overview
This was the second dyslexia law. It clarified some language and established the strength of the Arkansas Department of Education’s Dyslexia Resource Manual.
This bill reworked the colleges of education methods for teaching future teachers. It established the requirement for a stand alone Science of Reading test for undergraduate preservice teachers before they can receive their certification.
Requires every school in Arkansas to report reading levels of students in k-8 twice a year to teachers and parents.
(Why important: Parents should look for growth – if there is no growth parents should ask why. Teachers need to be more aware of reading levels because oftentimes problems in the classroom occur when the students can’t do the work due to literacy levels – 73 percent of eighth graders read below grade level. )
The “Right to Read” Bill requires teachers to be proficient in Science of Reading and undergraduate preservice teachers to be proficient in Science of Reading.
(Why important: This bill bridges the gap while colleges of education are retooling so that preservice teachers learn the science of reading and the Arkansas Department of Education retrains teachers in the Science of Reading. The bill requires reporting from the colleges of education and appropriate professional development for teachers who are already in the field teaching reading.)
This Act provides the literacy plan with the Science of Reading curriculum, and stipulates that the ADE create a curriculum list districts must choose from or get approved if using a different curriculum. Additionally, determines that (1) Improvement plans must include a literacy plan that must include SOR (2) Ensures that professional development lines up with the Right to Read Act and the pathways designed by the ADE (3) Lists SOR curriculum and resources and dyslexia curriculum and resources (4) Ensures continual PD in science of reading
Education Ombudsman bill – bans “Balanced Literacy” teaching in the state of Arkansas and fines school districts up to 10% if they continue to use “Balanced Literacy”.
Established a network of certified academic language therapists in the state. The state department will train at no cost to the district teachers to become certified academic language therapists to combat reading failure.
Arkansas American Sign Language Law