Mississippi 2025 Regular Session

Mississippi House Bill HB1162 Compare Versions

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1	1	MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE 2025 Regular Session To: Education; Appropriations A By: Representative Byrd House Bill 1162 AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-173-1, 37-173-3 AND 37-173-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXPAND THE ELIGIBILITY FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DYSLEXIA THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA PROGRAM TO INCLUDE STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. Section 37-173-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows: 37-173-1. As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (a) "Board" means the State Board of Education. (b) "Department" means the State Department of Education. (c) "Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities, which 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, and secondary consequences which may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (d) "Dyslexia therapy" means an appropriate specialized dyslexia instructional program that is delivered by a Mississippi Department of Education licensed dyslexia therapist which is scientific, research-based, Orton-Gillingham based, and is offered in a small group setting to teach students the components of reading instruction which include: (i) Phonemic awareness to enable students to detect, segment, blend and manipulate sounds in spoken language; (ii) Graphophonemic knowledge (phonics) for teaching the letter-sound plan of English; (iii) The entire structure of the English language that encompasses morphology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics; (iv) Linguistic instruction directed toward proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language so that words and sentences are carriers of meaning; and (v) Strategies that students use for decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency and comprehension. These components shall be taught using instructional approaches that include explicit, direct instruction which is systematic, sequential and cumulative, following a logical plan of presenting the alphabetic principle commensurate with the students' needs, with no assumption of prior skills or language knowledge; individualized to meet the specific learning needs of each individual student in a small group setting; intensive, highly concentrated instruction that maximizes student engagement and uses specialized methods and materials; meaning-based instruction directed toward purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on comprehension and composition; and multisensory instruction that incorporates the simultaneous use of two (2) or more sensory pathways during teacher presentations and student practice. (e) "AA license" means a certification issued by the department to educators who hold a master's degree, indicating their eligibility to teach in specific academic settings within the State of Mississippi. (f) "Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists" means a professional who is certified in instructor competency through a nationally recognized Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy organization or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy organization and has: (i) Experience in Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy situations that include remediating students of various severity levels, ages and group sizes not exceeding six (6) students; (ii) Completed a minimum of fourteen hundred (1400) clinical therapy hours; (iii) Completed a minimum of two (2) curriculum therapy cycles remediating students; (iv) Trained in a minimum of two (2) Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy curriculum programs; (v) Assisted in training educators through an Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy program under a Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists; and (vi) A master's degree or higher level of education. (g) "Department of Education licensed dyslexia therapist" means a professional: (i) Who has completed training in a department approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy training program attaining a AA license in dyslexia therapy; or (ii) Holding or currently participating in a master's degree that leads to an AA license and a department-approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy training program; or (iii) Holding a standard five-year license or administrator license and a master's degree having completed a department-approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia training program; or (iv) Holding: 1. A national certification for Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy from a nationally recognized professional organization; 2. College transcripts as proof of a master's degree or greater level of graduate education; and 3. Current membership in a national certifying organization for Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy as proof of maintenance of professional continuing education standards. (h) "Approved dyslexia therapy training program" means a program accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) and includes: (i) A minimum of two hundred (200) hours of coursework and seven hundred (700) hours of clinical work, observed and monitored by a Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists; and (ii) A reading-science competency examination, including multisensory structured language, administered by a nationally recognized organization with authority to issue national certification. (i) "Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program" means a scholarship to provide the option to attend a public school other than the one to which assigned, or to provide a scholarship to a nonpublic school of choice, for students in * * Grade 1 kindergarten through Grade 12 diagnosed with dyslexia in order to receive comprehensive multisensory dyslexia therapy delivered by holders of an appropriate license in dyslexia therapy issued by the department. (j) "School" means any public or state-accredited nonpublic special purpose school that provides a specific learning environment that provides comprehensive dyslexia therapy instruction delivered by dyslexia therapists licensed by the department providing highly qualified education and intervention services to children diagnosed with the primary learning disability of dyslexia. SECTION 2. Section 37-173-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows: 37-173-3. The Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program is established to provide the option to attend a public school other than the one to which assigned, or to provide a scholarship to a nonpublic school of choice, for students with a diagnosis of dyslexia. Students in * Grades 1 kindergarten through Grade 12 who have been properly screened and diagnosed with dyslexia shall be eligible to receive scholarship assistance under this program. SECTION 3. Section 37-173-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows: 37-173-15. (1) (a) Each local school district shall adopt a policy to ensure that students will be screened by a screener approved by the State Board of Education in the * *spring fall of kindergarten and the fall of Grade 1. The component of the screening must include: (i) Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness; (ii) Sound symbol recognition; (iii) Alphabet knowledge; (iv) Decoding skills; (v) Encoding skills; and (vi) Rapid naming. (b) If a student fails the screener, the parent or legal guardian will be notified of the results of the screener. Subsequent dyslexia evaluations may be administered by licensed professionals, including: (i) Psychologists, licensed under Chapter 31, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972; (ii) Psychometrists, licensed by the Mississippi Department of Education, and in accordance with Chapter 31, Title 73, Section 27, Mississippi Code of 1972; or (iii) Speech Language Pathologists, licensed under Chapter 38, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972. (c) If a student fails the screener, the school district, in its discretion, may perform a comprehensive dyslexia evaluation, such evaluation must be administered by any of the licensed professionals identified under paragraph (b) of this subsection. (d) If a parent or legal guardian of a student who fails the dyslexia screener exercises the option to have a subsequent evaluation performed, such evaluation shall be administered by any of the licensed professionals identified under paragraph (b) of this subsection, and the resulting diagnosis of the subsequent evaluation must be accepted by the school district for purposes of determining eligibility for placement within a dyslexia therapy program within the current school or to receive a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for placement in a dyslexia program in another public school or nonpublic school. (2) The screening of all compulsory-school-age children enrolled in each local public school district for dyslexia required by subsection (1)(a) of this section shall in no manner nullify or defeat the requirements of the pilot programs adopted by the State Department of Education to test certain students enrolled or enrolling in public schools for dyslexia under Section 37-23-15. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.
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3	3	MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
4	4
5	5	2025 Regular Session
6	6
7	7	To: Education; Appropriations A
8	8
9	9	By: Representative Byrd
10	10
11	11	# House Bill 1162
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13	13	AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-173-1, 37-173-3 AND 37-173-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXPAND THE ELIGIBILITY FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DYSLEXIA THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA PROGRAM TO INCLUDE STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
14	14
15	15	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
16	16
17	17	SECTION 1. Section 37-173-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
18	18
19	19	37-173-1. As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
20	20
21	21	(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
22	22
23	23	(b) "Department" means the State Department of Education.
24	24
25	25	(c) "Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities, which 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, and secondary consequences which may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
26	26
27	27	(d) "Dyslexia therapy" means an appropriate specialized dyslexia instructional program that is delivered by a Mississippi Department of Education licensed dyslexia therapist which is scientific, research-based, Orton-Gillingham based, and is offered in a small group setting to teach students the components of reading instruction which include:
28	28
29	29	(i) Phonemic awareness to enable students to detect, segment, blend and manipulate sounds in spoken language;
30	30
31	31	(ii) Graphophonemic knowledge (phonics) for teaching the letter-sound plan of English;
32	32
33	33	(iii) The entire structure of the English language that encompasses morphology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics;
34	34
35	35	(iv) Linguistic instruction directed toward proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language so that words and sentences are carriers of meaning; and
36	36
37	37	(v) Strategies that students use for decoding, encoding, word recognition, fluency and comprehension.
38	38
39	39	These components shall be taught using instructional approaches that include explicit, direct instruction which is systematic, sequential and cumulative, following a logical plan of presenting the alphabetic principle commensurate with the students' needs, with no assumption of prior skills or language knowledge; individualized to meet the specific learning needs of each individual student in a small group setting; intensive, highly concentrated instruction that maximizes student engagement and uses specialized methods and materials; meaning-based instruction directed toward purposeful reading and writing, with an emphasis on comprehension and composition; and multisensory instruction that incorporates the simultaneous use of two (2) or more sensory pathways during teacher presentations and student practice.
40	40
41	41	(e) "AA license" means a certification issued by the department to educators who hold a master's degree, indicating their eligibility to teach in specific academic settings within the State of Mississippi.
42	42
43	43	(f) "Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists" means a professional who is certified in instructor competency through a nationally recognized Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy organization or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy organization and has:
44	44
45	45	(i) Experience in Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy situations that include remediating students of various severity levels, ages and group sizes not exceeding six (6) students;
46	46
47	47	(ii) Completed a minimum of fourteen hundred (1400) clinical therapy hours;
48	48
49	49	(iii) Completed a minimum of two (2) curriculum therapy cycles remediating students;
50	50
51	51	(iv) Trained in a minimum of two (2) Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy curriculum programs;
52	52
53	53	(v) Assisted in training educators through an Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy program under a Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists; and
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55	55	(vi) A master's degree or higher level of education.
56	56
57	57	(g) "Department of Education licensed dyslexia therapist" means a professional:
58	58
59	59	(i) Who has completed training in a department approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy training program attaining a AA license in dyslexia therapy; or
60	60
61	61	(ii) Holding or currently participating in a master's degree that leads to an AA license and a department-approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy training program; or
62	62
63	63	(iii) Holding a standard five-year license or administrator license and a master's degree having completed a department-approved Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia training program; or
64	64
65	65	(iv) Holding:
66	66
67	67	1. A national certification for Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy from a nationally recognized professional organization;
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69	69	2. College transcripts as proof of a master's degree or greater level of graduate education; and
70	70
71	71	3. Current membership in a national certifying organization for Orton-Gillingham based dyslexia therapy or Orton-Gillingham based academic language therapy as proof of maintenance of professional continuing education standards.
72	72
73	73	(h) "Approved dyslexia therapy training program" means a program accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) and includes:
74	74
75	75	(i) A minimum of two hundred (200) hours of coursework and seven hundred (700) hours of clinical work, observed and monitored by a Qualified Instructor of Certified Academic Language Therapists; and
76	76
77	77	(ii) A reading-science competency examination, including multisensory structured language, administered by a nationally recognized organization with authority to issue national certification.
78	78
79	79	(i) "Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program" means a scholarship to provide the option to attend a public school other than the one to which assigned, or to provide a scholarship to a nonpublic school of choice, for students in * * *Grade 1 kindergarten through Grade 12 diagnosed with dyslexia in order to receive comprehensive multisensory dyslexia therapy delivered by holders of an appropriate license in dyslexia therapy issued by the department.
80	80
81	81	(j) "School" means any public or state-accredited nonpublic special purpose school that provides a specific learning environment that provides comprehensive dyslexia therapy instruction delivered by dyslexia therapists licensed by the department providing highly qualified education and intervention services to children diagnosed with the primary learning disability of dyslexia.
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83	83	SECTION 2. Section 37-173-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
84	84
85	85	37-173-3. The Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program is established to provide the option to attend a public school other than the one to which assigned, or to provide a scholarship to a nonpublic school of choice, for students with a diagnosis of dyslexia. Students in * * *Grades 1 kindergarten through Grade 12 who have been properly screened and diagnosed with dyslexia shall be eligible to receive scholarship assistance under this program.
86	86
87	87	SECTION 3. Section 37-173-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
88	88
89	89	37-173-15. (1) (a) Each local school district shall adopt a policy to ensure that students will be screened by a screener approved by the State Board of Education in the * * *spring fall of kindergarten and the fall of Grade 1. The component of the screening must include:
90	90
91	91	(i) Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness;
92	92
93	93	(ii) Sound symbol recognition;
94	94
95	95	(iii) Alphabet knowledge;
96	96
97	97	(iv) Decoding skills;
98	98
99	99	(v) Encoding skills; and
100	100
101	101	(vi) Rapid naming.
102	102
103	103	(b) If a student fails the screener, the parent or legal guardian will be notified of the results of the screener. Subsequent dyslexia evaluations may be administered by licensed professionals, including:
104	104
105	105	(i) Psychologists, licensed under Chapter 31, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972;
106	106
107	107	(ii) Psychometrists, licensed by the Mississippi Department of Education, and in accordance with Chapter 31, Title 73, Section 27, Mississippi Code of 1972; or
108	108
109	109	(iii) Speech Language Pathologists, licensed under Chapter 38, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972.
110	110
111	111	(c) If a student fails the screener, the school district, in its discretion, may perform a comprehensive dyslexia evaluation, such evaluation must be administered by any of the licensed professionals identified under paragraph (b) of this subsection.
112	112
113	113	(d) If a parent or legal guardian of a student who fails the dyslexia screener exercises the option to have a subsequent evaluation performed, such evaluation shall be administered by any of the licensed professionals identified under paragraph (b) of this subsection, and the resulting diagnosis of the subsequent evaluation must be accepted by the school district for purposes of determining eligibility for placement within a dyslexia therapy program within the current school or to receive a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for placement in a dyslexia program in another public school or nonpublic school.
114	114
115	115	(2) The screening of all compulsory-school-age children enrolled in each local public school district for dyslexia required by subsection (1)(a) of this section shall in no manner nullify or defeat the requirements of the pilot programs adopted by the State Department of Education to test certain students enrolled or enrolling in public schools for dyslexia under Section 37-23-15.
116	116
117	117	SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.