{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-158.307","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 158.307","heading":"Dyslexia toolkit to assist school districts in instructing students with","body":"dyslexia -- Professional development related to dyslexia -- Local board of\neducation policy to identify and assist students in kindergarten through grade\nthree with dyslexia -- Annual report.\n(1) As used in this section:\n(a) \"Dyslexia\" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It\nis characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by\npoor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a\ndeficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in\nrelation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom\ninstruction. Secondary consequences may include problems  in reading\ncomprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of\nvocabulary and background knowledge;\n(b) \"Evidence-based\" has the same meaning as in 20 U.S.C. sec. 7801(21); and\n(c) \"Phonemic awareness\" means the ability to recognize  that a spoken word\nconsists of a sequence of individual sounds and the ability to manipulate\nindividual sounds in speaking.\n(2) The Department of Education shall make available a dyslexia toolkit that includes\nguidance, technical assistance, and training to assist all local school districts in the\nimplementation of evidence -based practices for instructing students identified with\nor displaying characteristics of dyslexia.\n(3) The dyslexia toolkit shall include but not be limited to the following guidance f or\nlocal districts targeting students in kindergarten through grade three (3) who have\nbeen identified with or displaying characteristics of dyslexia:\n(a) Evidence-based practices designed specifically for students with dyslexia;\n(b) Characteristics of targeted instruction for dyslexia;\n(c) Guidance on developing instructional plans for students with dyslexia;\n(d) Best practices toward meaning-centered reading and writing;\n(e) Structured multisensory and literacy approaches to teaching language and\nreading skills; and\n(f) Suggested professional development activities.\n(4) The department shall collaborate with the Education Professional Standards Board,\nCouncil on Postsecondary Education, and other groups as necessary to improve and\nupdate professional development opportunities for teachers specifically related to\ndyslexia. Professional development opportunities may focus on:\n(a) Development and ongoing implementation of training and coaching for\nteachers;\n(b) Identifying high-quality trainers to provide support to local districts utilizing a\ncoaching model to develop building level dyslexia experts;\n(c) Developing awareness training modules for all instructional staff to include\ninformation about characteristics of dyslexia; and\n(d) Evidence-based interventions, structured multisensory and literacy approaches\nto teach language and reading skills, and accommodations for dyslexia and\nother specific learning disabilities.\n(5) Each local board of education shall develop a policy addressing the implementation\nof a program for the identification of and strategies for assisting students in\nkindergarten through grade three (3) with dyslexia.\n(6) The local board policies shall include but not be limited to:\n(a) The definition and characteristics of dyslexia;\n(b) A process for identifying students who are displaying characteristics of\ndyslexia;\n(c) A process for the utilization of evaluation tools to accurately identify students\nwho are displa ying characteristics of dyslexia. Any qualified dyslexia\nevaluation tool utilized by a local district shall address but not be limited to\nthe following components:\n1. Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness;\n2. Sound symbol recognition;\n3. Alphabet knowledge;\n4. Decoding skills;\n5. Encoding skills; and\n6. Rapid naming;\n(d) A process for how evaluation tools are administered and evaluated by trained\ndistrict personnel or licensed professionals;\n(e) A process for outreach to parents of students identifi ed with or displaying the\ncharacteristics of dyslexia with information and resource materials and how\ndyslexia may be addressed in the student's educational setting;\n(f) Identification of evidence -based interventions, structured multisensory and\nliteracy approaches to teach language and reading skills, and accommodations\nthat schools may utilize to provide services to students identified as having\ndyslexia; and\n(g) A process for monitoring a student's progress, including assessments to\nascertain whether the  intervention services improve the student's language\nprocessing and reading skills.\n(7) By June 30, 2028, and June 30 of each year thereafter for five (5) years, each local\nschool district shall provide the department the following data for the current school\nyear:\n(a) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were\nidentified through the approved universal screener and reading diagnostic\nassessment as defined in KRS 158.305 as displaying characteristics of\ndyslexia;\n(b) The number of students in paragraph (a) of this subsection that were identified\nas needing enrichment programs as defined in KRS 158.305;\n(c) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were\nparticipating in literacy interventions within the school setting; and\n(d) The process or tools used to evaluate student progress.","path":["KRS Chapter 158"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56809","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:04Z","sha256":"2740b68f8911c3249f5bb5049c44adba6394339de67a06b934863f23532428bb","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-158.306","next":"us-ky/krs-158.310"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}