The Louisiana Department of Education described a new request for applications (RFA) and reimbursement process that will allow approved vendors or local education agencies to administer a legislatively required dyslexia core assessment when a parent or guardian requests one.

Lauren Wells, executive director of the Division of Diverse Learners, said the RFA implements Act 517 of the 2024 regular legislative session and lists required assessment components including tests of phonemic awareness, oral reading fluency, intellectual ability measures, academic performance and an interview with a parent or guardian. Wells said eligible assessors could include licensed psychologists, certified school psychologists, licensed speech‑language pathologists, educational diagnosticians, clinical psychologists and certified academic language therapists; publishers’ qualification requirements will be reflected in the RFA.

Wells also told the panel the Department plans to launch an online vendor‑reimbursement platform in January that will accept applications for providers who wish to be reimbursed for administering core assessments.

Panel reaction: Special education directors and panelists asked whether districts that already purchase and administer certain assessments would have to apply as vendors to receive reimbursement and whether the RFA duplicates responsibilities typically handled by pupil appraisal teams. “Has there been conversation around sort of this, dual‑dipping of responsibilities?” one panel member asked, noting concern that the RFA could create administrative redundancy rather than resolving access issues.

Public comment: Parent Catherine Hart urged the Department to ensure reimbursed vendors can serve students with vision and hearing loss and suggested screening jointly for cortical visual impairment (CVI). Wells acknowledged the concern and said the Department will include parent‑facing communications and clarifications for districts.

Outcome and next steps: Panel members recorded motion language to advance the RFA awareness and platform work; no roll‑call vote appears in the transcript. Department staff committed to further guidance for districts and to post the RFA and reimbursement details on the Department website.