(TRENTON) – An
Assembly approved legislative package sponsored by Assembly Democrats Nelson
Albano (D-Cape May/Atlantic/Cumberland), Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr., (D-Middlesex),
Mila Jasey (D-Essex/Morris) and Andrew Andrzejczak (D- Cape
May/Atlantic/Cumberland) to enhance the education of students with dyslexia and
other reading disabilities was advanced Wednesday by a Senate panel.
Dyslexia is a
language-based learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate
or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities, resulting
in core difficulties with reading, writing, spelling and sometimes spoken
language. An estimated 15-20 percent of people have language-based learning
difficulties. An estimated 70-85 percent of students in special education for a
learning disability have dyslexia, making it the most prevalent learning
disability in children.
“All children
need basic reading and writing abilities to succeed in school and in life.
Children with dyslexia can learn effectively with appropriate teaching, but if
the instruction is inadequate, it can have devastating consequences that will
follow these children into adulthood,” said Albano. “This struggle can cause significant stress, lead
to poor self-image and discourage students from continuing with school. Early
identification, support and sustained targeted services for students with
dyslexia are essential to increase academic success and allow these students to
reach their full potential.”
The first bill
(A-3606/3607), sponsored by Albano, Diegnan,
Jasey and Andrzejczak, requires 20 hours of professional development devoted to
reading disabilities for public school teachers. Current state Board
of Education regulations require all active teachers in a school district to
complete 100 hours of approved professional development every five years. Under
this bill (A-3606/3607), at least 20 hours of that professional development
would have to be made up of instruction on the screening, intervention,
accommodation and use of technology for students with reading disabilities,
including dyslexia, during each five-year professional development period.
The bill
(A-3606/3607) also requires the state Department of Education (DOE) to provide
professional development opportunities related to reading disabilities to school
district personnel. Under the bill (A-3606/3607), the state DOE must provide
professional development opportunities related to reading disabilities,
including dyslexia, to a variety of school district personnel. These
opportunities would be designed to account for the various manners in which
different school district personnel interact with, and develop instructional
programs for students with reading disabilities.
“Informed and
effective instruction by skilled teachers, especially in the early grades, can
prevent or alleviate the severity of dyslexia and related reading and language
problems,” said Diegnan, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee. “Students
with dyslexia require suitable instruction and educational interventions for
their specific disability. In order for educators who teach children with
dyslexia to be effective, they need considerable and specialized knowledge and
skills, and adequate training to recognize early signs of risk and provide
successful teaching methods.”
The second bill
(A-3608), also sponsored by Albano, Diegnan,
Jasey and Andrzejczak, directs the state Board of Education to incorporate the
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)’s definition of dyslexia into its
special education regulations. Current state board regulations list dyslexia as
one of the specific learning disabilities that may impair a person’s ability to
understand or use language or perform mathematical calculations, but do not
specifically define it.
Under the bill
(A-3608), the state Board of Education would incorporate the IDA definition
which reads as follows: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is
neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or
fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These
difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of
language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and
the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may
include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that
can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”
“All children,
regardless of disability, should be given the educational means to succeed. We
send our children to school and trust that their teachers will give them the
right instruction to do just that. The better equipped our teachers are, the
better our children will learn,” said Jasey. “These measures are meant to help
and empower children who may have a harder time in school because of their
reading disabilities, by making sure that their teachers have the necessary
expertise and skills.”
“No child
should fail to meet his or her full potential because they did not receive
adequate instruction in school. A reading disability is only an impediment to
academic success, if it is not met with efficient, specialized instruction,”
said Andrzejczak. “A state endorsement, along with the other measures proposed
in this package, would help ensure that these children will have access to
teachers who are specifically trained in appropriate instructional methods to
help them learn and succeed.”
The bills were
approved by the Assembly in April and released Wednesday by the Senate Education
Committee.
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