Sacramento, CA – Assembly Bill 1369 by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) has been approved on a bipartisan vote of 80-0 on the Assembly Floor. The bill will help ensure that California public schools are able to properly identify students who may have dyslexia.
“Over 5,500 parents statewide have voiced their strong support for this legislation,” said Assemblymember Frazier. “The approval of AB 1369 in the Assembly is a promising indication that the Legislature, parents and teachers are passionate about taking those extra steps to foster the academic success of our dyslexic students. I am very proud to carry AB 1369 and I am fully committed to working my hardest in championing this bill until it’s on the Governor’s desk.”
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability wherein individuals experience difficulties with language skills such as spelling, writing and pronouncing words. Approximately 20 percent of students in the education system have dyslexia, and as a result, experience difficulty in functioning academically.
“When students with dyslexia do not receive the critical intervention they need, their ability to succeed academically suffers as a consequence,” said Tobie Meyer, Legislative Member of Decoding Dyslexia. “AB 1369 will help ensure that schools offer superior identification methods and appropriate remediation when determining whether or not a child is dyslexic.”
Although dyslexia is one of the conditions listed in the federal and state definition of a specific learning disability, the definition does not address the phonological processing deficit – a hallmark trait of dyslexia. When school districts review assessment data for a student, school personnel look for visual and auditory processing deficits, but often ignore evidence of a phonological deficit. AB 1369 will ensure that a phonological processing deficit is included in that definition, while also addressing the need to remediate students that currently struggle with dyslexia.
The bill has passed through the Assembly with bipartisan support and now proceeds to the Senate. To track the status of AB 1369, or for more information, click here.
To contact Assemblymember Jim Frazier please visit his website at http://www.asmdc.org/members/a11/ or call his District Offices at 707-399-3011 or 925-778-5790.
