BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1369
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 13, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1369 (Frazier) - As Amended May 4, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
Yes
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to update
regulations to include "phonological processing" in the
description of basic psychological processes. Further, requires
AB 1369
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the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to develop
program guidelines for dyslexia to be used to assist teachers
and parents to identify and assess pupils with dyslexia, and to
plan, provide, evaluate, and improve educational services to
pupils with dyslexia. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the program guidelines to include, but not be limited
to, characteristics typical of pupils with dyslexia and
strategies for their remediation, as well as information to
assist educators in distinguishing between characteristics of
dyslexia and characteristics of normal growth and development.
2)Requires the SPI, in developing guidelines, to consult with
teachers, school administrators, other educational
professionals, medical professionals, parents, and other
professionals involved in the identification and education of
pupils with dyslexia.
3)Requires the SPI to complete the program guidelines in time
for use no later than the beginning of the 2017-18 academic
year and requires the guidelines to be disseminated through
the department's Internet Web site. Further, requires the SPI
to provide technical assistance regarding their use and
implementation to parents, teachers, school administrators,
and faculty members in teacher training programs of
institutions of higher education.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)One-time General Fund administrative costs to the California
Department of Education (CDE) of approximately $170,000 and
ongoing GF costs of approximately $110,000. This includes
staff support to the SBE for regulatory reform, and the
development and dissemination of guidelines.
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2)Potential Proposition 98/GF reimbursable state mandated costs
to local education agencies to the extent expanded services
are provided as a result of the revised definition of
psychological processes. This bill requires the California
Code of Regulations to be updated to include "phonological
processing" in the description of basic psychological
processes. This definition appears to exceed federal law and
could trigger state mandated costs if services are expanded
beyond that which is authorized under the federal Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
COMMENTS:
Purpose. This bill is motivated by concerns among parents that
many students who are dyslexic are not being identified as such,
and as a result are being deprived of needed educational
services. Proponents also argue that current instructional
methods for students identified as dyslexic are deficient.
Dyslexia is one condition listed in the federal (and state)
definition of a specific learning disability. Federal law
states that a specific learning is disability a disorder in a
psychological process. Further, state regulations specify these
psychological processes: "The basic psychological processes
include attention, visual processing, auditory processing,
sensory-motor skills, cognitive abilities including association,
conceptualization and expression." Not included in that list of
processes is a phonological processing deficit, which proponents
of this bill say is a hallmark of dyslexia. This bill expands
state regulations to include "phonological processing" in this
description.
AB 1369
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This bill also requires SPI to develop program guidelines for
dyslexia to be used to assist teachers and parents to identify
and assess pupils with dyslexia, and to plan, provide, evaluate,
and improve educational services to pupils with dyslexia. This
requirement is very similar to uncodified law enacted by AB 3040
(Speier), Chapter 1501, Statutes of 1990. This bill essentially
updates and codifies this requirement.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081