Committee approves universal dyslexia screening bill after broad testimony from students, educators and parents

Co‑prime sponsors Representative Soper and Representative Hamrick presented Senate Bill 200 to the House Education Committee as legislation to require universal dyslexia screening for students in kindergarten through third grade and to clarify related Read Act requirements.

Sponsors framed the bill as an early‑intervention measure. Rep. Soper described personal experience with dyslexia and cited studies and statistics she and the committee heard: research that roughly one in five students shows characteristics of dyslexia, gaps in current identification, and the long‑term costs of missed early intervention. Rep. Hamrick laid out the bill’s mechanics: the bill requires local education providers to adopt or develop a dyslexia screener that meets standards of validity and efficiency, to allow teachers to use a full body of evidence when identifying reading difficulties, and to provide clear, accessible information to families when a child shows…