ARC 5416C

ARC 5416C

EDUCATIONAL EXAMINERS BOARD[282]

Adopted and Filed

Rule making related to dyslexia specialist endorsement

The Educational Examiners Board hereby amends Chapter 13, "Issuance of Teacher Licenses and Endorsements," Iowa Administrative Code.

Legal Authority for Rule Making

This rule making is adopted under the authority provided in Iowa Code section 272.2.

State or Federal Law Implemented

This rule making implements, in whole or in part, Iowa Code section 272.2.

Purpose and Summary

2020 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2356, directs the Board to collaborate with the Iowa Reading Research Center to create a dyslexia specialist endorsement. The adopted new subrule 13.28(36) is the result of that collaboration. This subrule creates the dyslexia specialist endorsement for Iowa licensed teachers.

Public Comment and Changes to Rule Making

Notice of Intended Action for this rule making was published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin on December 2, 2020, as ARC 5293C. A public hearing was held on December 30, 2020, at 1 p.m. in the Board Room, 701 East Court Avenue, Suite A, Des Moines, Iowa.

One person spoke at the public hearing in support of the proposed rule making. The Board also received 70 written comments in support of the proposed rule making, primarily from parents of students with dyslexia, as well as educators. The comments stressed the need for qualified educators to work with these students. Some asked clarifying questions about the implementation of the rule making.

In the introductory paragraph of the new subrule 13.28(36), the Board added language allowing applicants who have achieved dyslexia certification in another state prior to the effective date of this rule making to apply for a certification review. No other changes from the Notice have been made.

Adoption of Rule Making

This rule making was adopted by the Board on January 14, 2021.

Fiscal Impact

This rule making has no fiscal impact to the State of Iowa.

Jobs Impact

After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.

Waivers

Any person who believes that the application of the discretionary provisions of this rule making would result in hardship or injustice to that person may petition the Board for a waiver of the discretionary provisions, if any, pursuant to 282—Chapter 6.

Review by Administrative Rules Review Committee

The Administrative Rules Review Committee, a bipartisan legislative committee which oversees rule making by executive branch agencies, may, on its own motion or on written request by any individual or group, review this rule making at its regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting. The Committee's meetings are open to the public, and interested persons may be heard as provided in Iowa Code section 17A.8(6).

Effective Date

This rule making will become effective on March 17, 2021.

The following rule-making action is adopted:

Adopt the following new subrule 13.28(36):

13.28(36) Dyslexia specialist. K-12. The applicant must have met the requirements for the standard license and have completed at least three years of post-baccalaureate teaching experience in a K-12 setting. Applicants who have achieved dyslexia certification in another state prior to March 17, 2021, may apply for a certification review.

a. Authorization. The holder of this endorsement is authorized to serve as a dyslexia specialist in kindergarten and grades 1 through 12.

b. Content. Completion of 18 semester hours in dyslexia strategies to include the following:

(1)Knowledge of dyslexia. The dyslexia specialist will have knowledge of dyslexia and:

1.Understand the tenets of the International Dyslexia Association's definition of dyslexia, including the neurobiological nature and cognitive-linguistic correlates.

2.Identify distinguishing characteristics of dyslexia and commonly co-occurring disorders, including dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, expressive language disorders, receptive language disorders, and others.

3.Recognize that dyslexia may present differently along a continuum of severity and impact depending upon age, grade, and compensatory factors.

4.Understand federal and state laws that pertain to dyslexia, including use of the word "dyslexia" within school settings and documentation.

5.Understand common misconceptions regarding characteristics of and interventions for dyslexia.

(2)Psychology of language and reading. The dyslexia specialist will understand the highly complex processes by which children learn to speak, read, and write, including language acquisition, linguistics, and the structure of written language, including phonological processing, phonics, orthography, morphology, syntax, and semantics, as well as the relationship of these components to typical and atypical reading and writing development and instruction for students with dyslexia.

(3)Curriculum and instruction. The dyslexia specialist will use appropriate instructional approaches and materials as well as integrated, comprehensive, explicit, and systematic literacy instruction to support student learning in reading and writing, including the following:

1.Instruction utilizing multisensory and multimodal strategies (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile), systematic and cumulative instruction, direct instruction, diagnostic and prescriptive teaching, as well as synthetic and analytic instruction.

2.Instructional approaches supported by the science of reading for the following areas: phonological processing, phonics, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and writing.

3.Creation of a dyslexia-friendly learning environment (within or outside the regular classroom) utilizing evidence-based accommodations and modifications to meet the needs of students with dyslexia, including appropriate interventions, remediation, assistive technology, and classroom accommodations for students with dyslexia.

4.Use of data to determine effectiveness of the instruction and curriculum along with student responsiveness to it.

(4)Assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation. The dyslexia specialist will be confident using a variety of formal assessment tools and practices to evaluate students' reading and writing abilities in a variety of domains. The dyslexia specialist will:

1.Demonstrate an understanding of the literature and research related to assessments and their purposes (including the strengths and limitations of assessments) and assessment tools for screening, diagnosis, progress monitoring, and measuring outcomes.

2.Demonstrate an understanding of the signs and symptoms of reading difficulties, including but not limited to dyslexia; and also demonstrate an understanding of norms and student benchmarks.

3.Select, administer, and interpret assessments for specific purposes, including screening students at risk for dyslexia and identifying students who display a profile of dyslexia, and:

●Understand the features of standardized norm-referenced assessments.

●Understand the importance of selecting reliable and valid assessments to evaluate typical and atypical reading development.

●Interpret various scores derived from standardized norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments.

4.Use assessment information to plan and evaluate instruction, including appropriate interventions, remediation, assistive technology, and classroom accommodations for students with dyslexia and other difficulties. This will include the use of multiple data sources for analysis, instructional planning, examining the effectiveness of specific intervention practices, and examining students' responses to interventions.

5.Communicate assessment results and implications to a variety of audiences, including staff, parents, and students.

6.Understand appropriate IEP goals and Section 504 plans for students who display characteristics of dyslexia.

(5)Practicum in dyslexia. The dyslexia specialist will participate in elementary and secondary practicum experiences with instructors who have experience with and are currently serving students who display characteristics of dyslexia. The cooperating teacher must be approved by the Iowa reading research center. The practicum must include:

1.Supervised administration of norm-referenced literacy assessments.

2.Practice composing a report of literacy assessment results that will include interpretation of the results and instructional recommendations.

3.Supervised delivery of systematic, explicit, and multisensory intervention for students with characteristics of dyslexia.

4.Practice composing a report of students' response to intervention.

[Filed 1/20/21, effective 3/17/21]

[Published 2/10/21]

Editor's Note: For replacement pages for IAC, see IAC Supplement 2/10/21.