2019 WISCONSIN ACT 86
An Act to create 115.28 (56) and 118.015 (4) (d) of the statutes;
relating to: developing a guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions.
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's Study Committee on Identification and Management of Dyslexia.
Testimony before the committee indicated that parents, teachers, and administrators assisting students with dyslexia and related conditions may have difficulty finding information and resources related to dyslexia and related conditions. At its second meeting, the committee heard testimony from representatives from the Minnesota Department of Education, who created a guidebook as a resource for parents and teachers of students with dyslexia in navigating the school system. The committee discussed legislation relating to the creation of a guidebook in Wisconsin and instructed the Legislative Council to have this bill drafted.
This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to develop a guidebook for parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators regarding dyslexia and related conditions. To develop the guidebook, the state superintendent of public instruction must establish an advisory committee, whose membership shall be determined in consultation with the International Dyslexia Association—Wisconsin Branch, Inc. (IDA), and the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc. (WSRA). Representatives from IDA and WSRA also serve as cochairpersons on the advisory committee.
The advisory committee must submit to DPI a draft guidebook containing at least all of the following information: (1) a description of screening processes and tools available to identify dyslexia and related conditions, (2) a description of interventions and instructional strategies that have been shown to improve academic performance of pupils with dyslexia and related conditions, and (3) a description of resources and services related to dyslexia and related conditions that are available to pupils with dyslexia and related conditions, parents and guardians of such pupils, and educators.
The advisory committee must submit its draft guidebook to DPI within one year of appointment of all members of the advisory committee. DPI must publish the final guidebook within three months after it receives the draft guidebook from the advisory committee. Any school board that maintains an Internet site must include a link to the guidebook on its Internet site. Finally, DPI must review the guidebook once every three years, in consultation with IDA and WSRA.
86,1
Section
1. 115.28 (56) of the statutes is created to read:
115.28 (56) Guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions. (a) At least once every 3 school years, in consultation with the International Dyslexia Association – Wisconsin Branch, Inc., and the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc., review the guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions developed under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 3 (2), and, if appropriate, revise the guidebook.
(b) Publish on the department's Internet site the guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions developed under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 3 (2), and any revisions under par. (a). The guidebook shall be published for informational purposes only.
86,2
Section
2. 118.015 (4) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
118.015 (4) (d) If the school board maintains an Internet site for the school district, include a link to the guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions that is published on the department's Internet site under s. 115.28 (56) (b).
86,3
Section
3
.
Nonstatutory provisions.
(1) Definition of dyslexia. In subs. (2) to (5), “dyslexia” means a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and 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.
(2)
Guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions. The department of public instruction, in consultation with the advisory committee established under sub. (3), shall develop a guidebook that provides information for parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators on the subject of dyslexia and related conditions. The department shall publish the guidebook developed under this subsection on the department's Internet site no later than the first day of the 4th month after the date on which the department receives a draft guidebook under sub. (5). The guidebook shall be published for informational purposes only. In the guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions, the department shall include at least a description of all of the following:
(a) Screening processes and tools available to identify dyslexia and related conditions.
(b) Interventions and instructional strategies that have been shown to improve academic performance of pupils with dyslexia and related conditions.
(c) Resources and services related to dyslexia and related conditions that are available to all of the following:
1. Pupils with dyslexia and related conditions.
2. Parents and guardians of pupils with dyslexia and related conditions.
3. Educators.
(3)
Advisory committee. The state superintendent of public instruction shall establish an advisory committee to develop a draft guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions. The advisory committee shall be comprised of 19 members appointed under sub. (4
).
(3m) Advisory committee members; recommendation restrictions.
(a) In this subsection, “
financial interest in an entity” includes all of the following:
1. A direct or indirect ownership interest in the entity.
2. That the individual received income from the entity during the 12 months preceding the submission of the individual's name to the state superintendent under sub. (4).
(b) Neither the International Dyslexia Association – Wisconsin Branch, Inc., nor the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc., may include an individual on a list submitted to the state superintendent of public instruction under sub. (4) (a), (b), or (c) if any of the following apply to the individual:
1. The individual has a financial interest in an entity that develops, sells, or markets a product for screening risk factors for reading difficulties.
2. The individual has a financial interest in an entity that develops, sells, or markets a product to assess reading ability.
3. The individual has a financial interest in an entity that develops, sells, or markets a product specifically intended to be used to teach reading.
4. The individual has a financial interest in an entity that develops, sells, or markets a product to treat reading difficulties.
5. The individual received income from any entity to provide training on a product described in subds. 1. to 4. and the training occurred during the 12 months preceding the submission of the individual's name to the state superintendent under sub. (4).
(4)
Appointment of advisory committee members. The state superintendent of public instruction shall appoint the members of the advisory committee under sub. (3) as follows:
(a) By no later than 30 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the International Dyslexia Association – Wisconsin Branch, Inc., shall submit to the state superintendent of public instruction a list of 3 individuals it recommends to serve as a cochairperson of the advisory committee. By no later than 60 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the state superintendent of public instruction shall appoint one individual from the list submitted under this paragraph to serve as a cochairperson of the advisory committee.
(b) By no later than 30 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc., shall submit to the state superintendent of public instruction a list of 3 individuals it recommends to serve as a cochairperson of the advisory committee. By no later than 60 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the state superintendent of public instruction shall appoint one individual from the list submitted under this paragraph to serve as a cochairperson of the advisory committee.
(c) By no later than 90 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the International Dyslexia Association – Wisconsin Branch, Inc., and the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc., shall each submit a list of 8 individuals that the organization recommends to be a member of the advisory committee.
(d) By no later than the first day of the 7th month after the effective date of this paragraph, in addition to the cochairpersons appointed under pars. (a
) and (b), the state superintendent shall appoint to the advisory committee all of the following:
1. One member who is a representative of the department of public instruction. The state superintendent may not appoint an individual to the advisory committee under this subdivision if sub. (3m) (b) 1., 2., 3., 4., or 5. applies to the individual, unless the disqualifying provision applies to the individual solely because of the individual's employment at the department of public instruction.
2. Eight members from the recommendations provided by International Dyslexia Association – Wisconsin Branch, Inc., under par. (c).
3. Eight members from the recommendations provided by the Wisconsin State Reading Association, Inc., under par. (c).
(5)
Draft guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions. By no later than the first day of the 12th month after the date on which all members of the advisory committee have been appointed under sub. (4
) (d), the advisory committee shall submit a draft guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions that includes the information required under sub. (2
) (a) to (c) to the department of public instruction and the appropriate standing committee of each house of the legislature.
86,4
Section 4
.
Initial applicability.
(1) Guidebook review process. The treatment of s. 115.28 (56) (a) first applies beginning on the date the guidebook related to dyslexia and related conditions is published on the department of public instruction's Internet site under Section 3 (2) of this act.
