A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to require the state board of education and local boards of education to implement a screening program to identify students with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article to read:
"Article 9D.
"Students With Dyslexia and Dyscalculia.
"§ 115C‑150.20.  Purpose.
It is the intent of the General Assembly that all students with specific learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dyscalculia, receive the necessary and appropriate screenings, assessments, and special education services to provide interventions for learning difficulties with language, reading, writing, and mathematics. To provide a common set of professional standards and guidelines for the identification of and intervention for students with dyslexia and students with dyscalculia, the State Board of Education and local boards of education shall implement a screening process, comprehensive assessment, and intervention strategies for these students in accordance with the provisions of this Article and Article 9 of this Chapter.
"§ 115C‑150.21.  Definitions.
The following definitions apply in this Article:
(1)	Disability. – As defined in G.S. 115C‑106.3(2).
(2)	Dyscalculia. – A specific learning disability involving difficulty in learning or comprehending mathematics.
(3)	Dyslexia. – A specific learning disability characterized by difficulty with accurate or fluent word recognition, or both, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
(4)	Individualized education program or IEP. – As defined in G.S. 115C‑106.3(6).
(5)	Special education. – As defined in G.S. 115C‑106.3(20).
(6)	Specific learning disability. – A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. A specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of serious emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
"§ 115C‑150.22.  Screening, assessment, and intervention.
(a)	The State Board of Education shall provide informational materials and screening instruments developed in accordance with G.S. 115C‑12(45) to local boards of education to identify students who exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia and dyscalculia. Each local board of education shall (i) provide for parents to receive informational materials related to dyslexia and dyscalculia on an annual basis and (ii) ensure implementation of age‑appropriate screening instruments for the early identification of students with dyslexia and students with dyscalculia.
(b)	A local school administrative unit shall screen every kindergarten student enrolled in the unit for dyslexia and dyscalculia using the screening instrument adopted by the State Board.
(c)	A local school administrative unit shall screen any student enrolled in first through sixth grade in the unit who has not been screened for dyslexia and dyscalculia under subsection (b) of this section using an age‑appropriate screening instrument adopted by the State Board.
(d)	If a student is determined to exhibit potential indicators of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or other specific learning disabilities, the local school administrative unit shall administer a comprehensive assessment adopted by the State Board to determine whether the student has a disability. A student identified as having dyslexia, dyscalculia, or other specific learning disability shall be provided appropriate intervention strategies in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the State Board through the student's individualized education program.
"§ 115C‑150.23.  Training for school personnel.
(a)	Each local school administrative unit shall train one or more school employees to administer the screening instruments provided by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C‑150.22.
(b)	Ongoing professional development opportunities shall be made available to teachers and other school personnel on the identification of and intervention strategies for students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, or other specific learning disabilities."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(46)	To Adopt Informational Materials and Guidelines for Students With Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. – The State Board of Education shall develop and adopt informational materials and guidelines for students with dyslexia and students with dyscalculia in accordance with the provisions of Article 9D of this Chapter, including age‑appropriate screening instruments, a comprehensive assessment for students who exhibit potential indicators for dyslexia, dyscalculia, or other specific learning disabilities, and guidelines on appropriate intervention strategies."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.