DES MOINES – Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed the a bill into law the addresses student literacy and specifically, dyslexia.
Branstad signed Senate File 2319, an act relating to improving student literacy skills, including addressing dyslexia, and providing teacher assistance. The bill passed the Iowa House 93-1 on March 25, 2014. It passed the Iowa Senate 48-0 on April 2, 2014.
Assistance to school districts is subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly. Districts will collaborate and coordinate with the area education agencies and the department of education to develop and offer to school districts at no cost professional development services to enhance the skills of elementary teachers in the use of evidence-based strategies to improve the literacy skills of all students.
Assistance will include – but not be limited to – strategies that formally address dyslexia, when appropriate.
Students the exhibit dyslexia usually generally have a specific and significant impairment in the development of reading, including but not limited to phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that is not solely accounted for by intellectual disability, sensory disability or impairment, or lack of appropriate instruction
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