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2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE
February 28, 2019 - Introduced by Joint Legislative Council. Referred to
Committee on Education.
AB50,1,3 1An Act to create 115.28 (66) of the statutes; relating to: employing a dyslexia
2specialist at the Department of Public Instruction and making an
3appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill is explained in the Notes provided by the Joint Legislative Council in
the bill.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
Joint Legislative Council prefatory note: This bill was prepared for the Joint
Legislative Council Study Committee on Identification and Management of Dyslexia.
Testimony before the committee indicated that several states have created a position for
a dyslexia specialist at the state or school district level. In Maine and Minnesota, such
positions are housed in the states' departments of education. Duties of dyslexia
specialists in other states include providing technical assistance for dyslexia and related
conditions and serving as the primary source of information and support for schools in
addressing the needs of students with dyslexia and related conditions. At its September
18, 2018, meeting, the committee discussed legislation creating a dyslexia specialist
position in the Department of Public Instruction and instructed the Legislative Council
to have the bill drafted. The committee decided to include detailed qualification

requirements for the position, noting that an individual with specialized training in
dyslexia concerns would be best prepared to assist with the remediation of dyslexia and
related conditions.
The bill requires DPI to hire a dyslexia specialist beginning in the 2019-20 school
year and provides $95,000 per year to fund this position. The dyslexia specialist's duties
are to 1) provide schools with information, technical assistance, and support related to
dyslexia and related conditions; 2) provide schools with information, technical assistance,
and support related to addressing the needs of pupils with dyslexia and related
conditions; 3) increase professional awareness in schools, and instructional competencies
of teachers, to meet the educational needs of pupils with dyslexia and related conditions
or identified with risk characteristics associated with dyslexia and related conditions;
and 4) develop implementation guidance and make recommendations to the state
superintendent of public instruction for comprehensive, scientifically based reading
instruction practices and strategies to be used to assist regular education teachers and
special education teachers to recognize educational needs of and improve literacy
outcomes for pupils with dyslexia and related conditions or identified with risk
characteristics associated with dyslexia and related conditions, including
recommendations related to increasing the availability of online professional
development programs and materials.
AB50,1 1Section 1. 115.28 (66) of the statutes is created to read:
AB50,2,32 115.28 (66) Dyslexia specialist. (a) Employ a dyslexia specialist who has all
3of the following qualifications:
AB50,2,84 1. The individual is a dyslexia therapist, dyslexia training specialist,
5psychologist or private practice school psychologist licensed under ch. 455, school
6psychologist licensed by the department, speech-language pathologist licensed
7under subch. II of ch. 459, or speech and language pathologist licensed by the
8department.
AB50,2,109 2. The individual has a minimum of 5 years of experience in screening,
10identifying, and treating dyslexia and related conditions.
AB50,2,1411 3. The individual has received advanced training in, and is knowledgeable
12about, dyslexia and related conditions and using interventions and treatments that
13are scientifically based, multisensory, direct, explicit, structured, and sequential in
14the areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
AB50,2,1515 (b) Employ a dyslexia specialist under par. (a) to do all of the following:
AB50,3,2
11. Provide schools with information, technical assistance, and support related
2to dyslexia and related conditions.
AB50,3,43 2. Provide schools with information, technical assistance, and support related
4to addressing the needs of pupils with dyslexia and related conditions.
AB50,3,85 3. Increase professional awareness in schools, and instructional competencies
6of teachers, to meet the educational needs of pupils with dyslexia and related
7conditions or identified with risk characteristics associated with dyslexia and related
8conditions.
AB50,3,169 4. Develop implementation guidance and make recommendations to the state
10superintendent for comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction practices
11and strategies to be used to assist regular education teachers and special education
12teachers to recognize educational needs of and improve literacy outcomes for pupils
13with dyslexia and related conditions or identified with risk characteristics associated
14with dyslexia and related conditions, including recommendations related to
15increasing the availability of online professional development programs and
16materials.
AB50,2 17Section 2 . Nonstatutory provisions.
AB50,3,2118 (1) Beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on July 1, 2021, the state
19superintendent of public instruction shall employ a dyslexia specialist under s.
20115.28 (66) who, in addition to the qualifications described under s. 115.28 (66) (a),
21has any of the following qualifications:
AB50,3,2322 (a) The individual has fellow-level certification by the Academy of
23Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators.
AB50,3,2524 (b) The individual has any of the following categories of membership in the
25Academic Language Therapy Association:
AB50,4,1
11. Instructor of certified academic language practitioner.
AB50,4,2 22. Certified academic language therapist.
AB50,4,3 33. Qualified instructor.
AB50,4,64 (c) The individual has a certification with the Center for Effective Reading
5Instruction as a structured literacy/dyslexia interventionist or structured
6literacy/dyslexia specialist.
AB50,3 7Section 3. Fiscal changes.
AB50,4,158 (1) In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department
9of public instruction under s. 20.255 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2019-20
10is increased by $47,500 to increase the authorized FTE positions for the department
11by 1.0 GPR position on January 1, 2020, for the purpose of employing the dyslexia
12specialist described in s. 115.28 (66). In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the
13appropriation to the department of public instruction under s. 20.255 (1) (a), the
14dollar amount for fiscal year 2020-21 is increased by $95,000 to provide funding for
15the position authorized under this subsection.
AB50,4 16Section 4. Effective date.
AB50,4,1817 (1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
18publication of the 2019 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
AB50,4,1919 (End)
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