The bill aims to improve early identification and intervention for students with reading difficulties, including dyslexia, by requiring universal dyslexia screening, improved reading assessments, and enhanced intervention plans in schools.
Create a process for identifying students displaying characteristics of dyslexia.
Screening must be conducted:
Kindergarten: Within the last 90 days of the school year.
Grades 1-3: Within the first 90 days of the school year.
3. Expanded Criteria for Reading Assessments (C.R.S. 22-7-1209)
The state will revise approved reading assessments to ensure they:
Screen for risk of reading difficulties, including dyslexia.
Measure critical early reading skills, such as phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and rapid automatized naming.
Provide clear guidelines for teachers to use results in instructional planning.
4. Revised Definition of Dyslexia (C.R.S. 22-20.5-102)
Updates the statutory definition to better reflect modern scientific understanding by including:
Fluency deficits in addition to word recognition and decoding issues.
The impact on reading comprehension and vocabulary development.
Implementation Timeline
2026-27 School Year: Full implementation of dyslexia screening and updated assessments.
Ongoing: Periodic reviews and updates to state-approved reading assessments.
Expected Impact
Earlier identification of students struggling with reading, particularly those with dyslexia.
Improved intervention plans that target specific reading skill deficits.
Better teacher training and resources for assessing and addressing dyslexia-related challenges.
Effective Date
Takes effect immediately after the legislative session, unless a referendum petition is filed, in which case it will be decided by voters in November 2026.
Summary
Current law requires a local education provider that offers a
kindergarten program to administer a school readiness assessment to kindergarten students within the first 60 days of the school year. The bill makes administration of a school readiness assessment optional and permits rather than requires a local education provider to create and implement an individualized readiness plan for its preschool and kindergarten students.
The bill clarifies that a teacher may conclude that an early
elementary school student has a significant reading deficiency that requires remediation through a specialized approach to instruction (READ plan) based on a body of evidence that includes information in addition to the student's scores on a reading assessment.
Current law requires certain parental communications in
connection with a student's READ plan. The bill adds specific information regarding characteristics of dyslexia, if applicable, to the parental communications.
Beginning no later than the 2025-26 school year, a local education
provider must either develop its own process for identifying early elementary school students with characteristics of dyslexia or adopt a dyslexia screening tool that conforms to certain new requirements for interim reading assessments. To meet the bill's new requirements, interim reading assessments must accurately and reliably identify students at risk of reading difficulties, meet standards for validity and reliability, encourage data-driven instructional decision making, and promote efficient administration and effective follow-up.
