2022 -- H 7608

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LC004868

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CHIARA'S LAW -- SCREENING AND EDUCATION OF

CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Quattrocchi, Nardone, Roberts, Filippi, Price, and
Fenton-Fung

     Date Introduced: March 02, 2022

     Referred To: House Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by

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adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 67.3

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CHIARA'S LAW -- SCREENING AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA

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     16-67.3-1. Short title.

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     This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "Chiara's Law -- Screening and Education

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of Children with Dyslexia."

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     16-67.3-2. Legislative findings.

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     (1) Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin, characterized

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by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities

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that typically result from a deficiency in the phonological component of language, and often

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unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom

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instruction, with secondary consequences which include problems with reading comprehension and

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reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

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     (2) Twenty percent (20%) of school-aged children in the United States are dyslexic.

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     (3) Approximately eighty-percent (80%) of children placed in special education for

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learning disabilities are dyslexic.

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     (4) Dyslexia does not reflect an overall defect in language, but a localized weakness within

 

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the phonologic module of the brain, where sounds of language are put together to form words or

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break words down into sounds.

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     (5) Most children identified as having characteristics of dyslexia and related disorders can

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be remediated successfully by explicit, systematic, multisensory instruction in phonics and

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morphology.

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     (6) Research suggests that learning to read and write in cursive benefits the development

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of cognitive, motor, and literacy skills.

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     (7) The instruction in cursive handwriting has been associated with improved academic

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outcomes for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

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     (8) When intervention is delayed, it takes four (4) times as long to intervene in fourth grade

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as it does in late kindergarten because of brain development and because of the increase in content

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for students to learn as they grow older.

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     16-67.3-3. Screening for dyslexia and related disorders.

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     (a) In addition to the provisions set forth in chapter 67 of this title, commencing in school

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calendar year 2023-2024, all students in grades kindergarten through grade four (K-4) including

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English for speakers of other languages students, enrolling in Rhode Island's public schools, shall

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be screened using the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) for the

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identification of characteristics that are associated with risk factors for dyslexia, and the related

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disorders of dyscalculia and dysgraphia, and yearly thereafter, to monitor progress. For school

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calendar years after 2023-2024, all students entering kindergarten, and all students who have not

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been tested shall be tested.

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     (b) The Rhode Island department of education shall ensure the screening shall be

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administered by personnel trained in and using the screening instruments and protocols which the

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Rhode Island department of education shall be required to institute.

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     (c) The Rhode Island department of education shall maintain records of said testing until

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such time as the child ascertains the age of twenty-five (25) years.

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     (d) The Rhode Island department of education shall provide a statistical analysis to the

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general assembly, by way of the speaker of the house, senate president, house and senate chairs of

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the respective education committees, and director of policy for dyslexia, as well as the public,

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through a webpage designated expressly for said results, as to the percentage of children, by school

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district, that are reading or have math skills below grade level, as well as how far below grade level

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the child is.

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     (e) If a student is found to have the identifying characteristics for dyslexia, dyscalculia, or

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dysgraphia, the Rhode Island department of education shall immediately notify the parent(s) or

 

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guardian(s) by letter which shall state that the child has been administered the CTOPP test, has

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been identified as having characteristics of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia, that the parent(s)

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or guardian(s) should follow up with their pediatrician and seek a neuropsychological evaluation

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of the child, and that a copy of any neuropsychological testing should be provided to the child's

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school district, as well as the Rhode Island department of education.

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     (f) The Rhode Island department of education shall notify the school district of any child

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who has been identified as having characteristics of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia, within

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seven (7) days.

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     (g) Any school district in which a child has been identified as having characteristics of

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dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia shall, within seven (7) days of notification from the Rhode

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Island department of education, meet with the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child to discuss the

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implementation of a phonics based instruction for dyslexia, and an appropriate program for

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dyscalculia or dysgraphia.

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     (h) Within seven (7) days of the school district meeting with the parent(s) or guardian(s)

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of said child, the school district shall implement phonics-based instruction for any child identified

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as having characteristics of dyslexia.

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     (i) Within seven (7) days of the school district meeting with the parent(s) or guardian(s) of

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said child, the school district shall implement a specific, science-based instruction, for any child

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identified as having dysgraphia or dyscalculia.

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     (j) The school district shall provide bi-weekly progress reports as to the child's progress to

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the parent(s) or guardian(s), as well as the Rhode Island department of education. The progress

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reports shall state the reading level, math level, or in the case of dysgraphia provide writing

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samples, the child started at for said two (2) week period, what instruction was provided, and what

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reading level the child ended at for said two (2) week period.

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     (k) The school district shall meet with the parent(s) or guardian(s) of any child identified

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as having the characteristics of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia within five (5) days of a request

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from said parent or guardian, as well as in December, March, and June to discuss the child's

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progress, or lack thereof, as well as any plan for moving forward. If said child is identified as being

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eligible for summer instruction, than the school district shall also meet with the parent(s) or

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guardian(s) within five (5) days of the end of said summer instruction.

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     (l) The general assembly shall allocate the necessary funds to administer this chapter

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annually from either the general fund, any revenue generated from truck toll proceeds, or revenue

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generation from lottery proceeds, to cover the costs of screening, pursuant to this chapter.

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     16-67.3-4. Cursive handwriting curriculum.

 

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     (a) In addition to any other curriculum requirement pursuant to chapter 22 of title 16, the

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department of elementary and secondary education shall develop and prescribe a cursive

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handwriting instruction program for students attending any elementary school.

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     (b) The curriculum required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall include activities

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and instructional materials that help students become proficient in reading cursive and writing in

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cursive legibly by the end of the third grade.

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     (c) For purposes of this section "cursive handwriting" means any style of penmanship in

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which some characters are written joined together in a flowing manner.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CHIARA'S LAW -- SCREENING AND EDUCATION OF

CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA

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     This act would require screening for dyslexia and related disorders for public school

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students in grades kindergarten through grade four (K-4) and would provide for instruction in

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cursive writing.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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