Senate Bill No. 412

(By Senators Unger, Yost, Miller and McCabe)

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[Introduced January 22, 2014; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on Education.]

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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-36, relating to the State Board of Education; and requiring the board to define “dyslexia” consistent with International Dyslexia Association’s definition to effectuate special education programs and services.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-36, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-36. Definition of dyslexia.

    (a) The Department of Education shall promulgate all necessary rules and policies to effectuate special education programs and services consistent with the following definition of dyslexia.

    (b) “Dyslexia” means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties typically with accurate or fluent word recognition, or both, 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.

    (c) The Department of Education shall ensure that the above definition remains consistent with the International Dyslexia Association’s definition of dyslexia.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Education to define dyslexia in accordance with the International Dyslexia Association’s definition to effectuate special education programs and services.

    §18-2-36 is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.