Senate Education Committee advances SB 200 to expand dyslexia screening and interventions after hours of testimony from students, parents and experts

Senate Bill 200 — legislation to require universal dyslexia screening and to strengthen early identification and supports for students with reading difficulties — was advanced by the Senate Education Committee to the Committee of the Whole after extensive testimony from students, parents, educators and advocacy organizations.

Sponsor Senator Mullica opened the hearing by describing the bill’s goal: to make sure students with dyslexia are identified early and receive appropriate instruction and services rather than being left to “fall through the cracks.” Witnesses included students who described late diagnosis and its academic and emotional consequences; parents who described the cost and delay of private evaluations; district and nonprofit experts who presented screening data and implementation experience; and dyslexia specialists who described evidence-based instruction.

Multiple students provided personal testimony. Winston Unger described being diagnosed after years of falling behind, receiving intensive tutoring at a private program, and subsequently catching up academically. Caden Forche said he fell to the third percentile on reading measures before receiving Orton-Gillingham–style multisensory phonics intervention and now performs at grade level. Other students described long delays in identification and the emotional consequences of repeated failure and shame. Parents recounted costs for private testing (one parent cited fees around $1,400) and private tutoring and described how diagnosis and appropriate intervention changed outcomes for their children.

Education witnesses described district-level screening experience. Boulder Valley School District reported it has universally screened for dyslexia in kindergarten since 2020 and found that interim assessments alone miss many students who are at risk: one district analysis showed the interim assessment identified only 41 percent of students who were at risk for dyslexia. Experts testified that dyslexia can be identified with high accuracy at early ages and that early intervention is substantially more effective and less costly than delayed remediation. Multiple witnesses cited that roughly 1 in 5 people show characteristics of dyslexia and emphasized that early screening and structured literacy instruction (multisensory phonics / Orton-Gillingham approaches) produce high success rates when applied early.

Committee members asked about the kindergarten readiness assessment and its role in early childhood and literacy data. Witnesses and advocates urged keeping statewide kindergarten readiness data to preserve the link between early childhood programs and K–12 outcomes; sponsors offered a technical amendment to remove the bill language that would have made the kindergarten readiness assessment optional while retaining the dyslexia screening requirements. Two amendments were adopted during the hearing:

- Amendment L001: clarifies that the required universal dyslexia screener may be administered either as part of an approved interim assessment or as a separate screener (adopted without objection).

- Amendment L003: removed proposed language in the bill that would have made the statewide kindergarten readiness assessment optional; sponsors told the committee that the assessment remains important to early childhood/K–12 data and that the bill should not alter that statutory requirement (adopted without objection).

After witness testimony and committee discussion, Senator Kolker moved the bill, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The committee recorded a roll-call recommendation of 6–0 in favor of the amended bill.

Sponsor and supporters characterized SB 200 as an initial, necessary step: requiring universal screeners aligned with the science of reading, strengthening family engagement, and clarifying the screening standards the Colorado Department of Education will use when it approves interim assessments. Several witnesses and committee members emphasized that screening alone is not sufficient; early identification must be followed by evidence-based instruction and supports, which will require continued district implementation work and funding decisions in future budget cycles.

The committee hearing produced detailed firsthand accounts and technical testimony that the committee’s roll-call recommendation sends to the full Senate for further action as the bill proceeds through the legislative process.