1-1     By:  Haywood, Harris                                  S.C.R. No. 20
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 29, 1999; February 3, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
 1-4     February 18, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0;
 1-6     February 18, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.C.R. No. 20                  By:  Sibley
 1-8                        SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-9           WHEREAS, In 1985, the Texas Legislature passed a law
1-10     requiring public schools to identify students who have dyslexia and
1-11     related disorders and to provide those students with appropriate
1-12     educational programs and services; in 1994, the Dyslexia
1-13     Information Center was created to address questions about this
1-14     disorder; and in 1996, the State Board of Education revised its
1-15     earlier guidelines and adopted more stringent rules for
1-16     administering dyslexia programs; and
1-17           WHEREAS, Despite these efforts, many districts still have
1-18     difficulty identifying and serving dyslexic students, and while
1-19     estimates of the student population that is dyslexic range between
1-20     10 and 20 percent, the number of students actually identified as
1-21     having this disorder fall far short of those estimates; and
1-22           WHEREAS, The primary obstacle to the identification of
1-23     dyslexic students and the subsequent delivery of the appropriate
1-24     educational programs and services is the shortage of educators
1-25     adequately trained to diagnose and teach dyslexic students; not
1-26     every child is screened for dyslexia, and students are tested for
1-27     dyslexia only if teachers are aware of and recognize
1-28     disorder-related characteristics and refer those students for
1-29     testing; and
1-30           WHEREAS, The problem of identification and diagnosis in the
1-31     absence of adequate training is compounded by the fact that the
1-32     most common characteristic of dyslexia is also characteristic of
1-33     other learning disabilities, and students often are diagnosed as
1-34     learning disabled but not dyslexic and consequently fail to receive
1-35     the appropriate educational services; and
1-36           WHEREAS, Although State Board of Education rules require each
1-37     school district to provide dyslexic students with a teacher trained
1-38     in dyslexia and related disorders, there are no clear guidelines to
1-39     define the extent of training necessary both to identify dyslexic
1-40     students and then to teach them, and most educator preparation
1-41     programs and staff development training programs for prospective
1-42     and classroom teachers do not provide instruction on the
1-43     characteristics of learning disorders such as dyslexia; and
1-44           WHEREAS, While it is incumbent upon the state to increase the
1-45     number of teachers trained in identifying and teaching dyslexic
1-46     students, the state first must determine what constitutes adequate
1-47     training in this field and the level of competency required for
1-48     certification that would enable districts to recruit and hire
1-49     appropriate staff to carry out this mandate; now, therefore, be it
1-50           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
1-51     hereby direct the State Board of Education to clarify the extent of
1-52     staff development training needed for an educator to be competent
1-53     in diagnosing and teaching students with dyslexia and related
1-54     disorders; and, be it further
1-55           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
1-56     hereby direct the State Board for Educator Certification to
1-57     identify standards for certification that will enable beginning
1-58     teachers to identify and assist students with dyslexia and related
1-59     disorders; and, be it further
1-60           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
1-61     copy of this resolution to the chair of the State Board of
1-62     Education and the chair of the State Board for Educator
1-63     Certification.
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