KDE outlines dyslexia toolkit and HB253 reporting timeline; parent urges earlier screening and targeted instruction

Kentucky Department of Education policy staff briefed the Senate interim education committee on updates to the state dyslexia and dysgraphia toolkit, the science‑of‑reading basis for recommended instruction, and new reporting requirements created by House Bill 253.

"KRS 158.307 defines dyslexia as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin," Sarah Medley, KDE policy advisor, told the committee and summarized changes in the toolkit to align to evidence‑based structured‑literacy practices. KDE staff said the toolkit now emphasizes explicit, systematic phonics instruction, syllable and morphology work, multi‑sensory approaches, and the use of universal screening within an MTSS framework to identify students who need tiered interventions.

KDE staff explained that House Bill 253 (passed by the legislature) requires KDE to post approved K–2 structured‑literacy interventions by July 1, 2026, and established statutorily required reporting from districts by June 30, 2028, on the number of students identified with characteristics of dyslexia and those receiving literacy interventions.

Parent Amanda Brown delivered personal testimony about her 12‑year‑old son’s experience to illustrate gaps in early identification and school services. Brown, a longtime Kentucky elementary teacher, said a formal private diagnosis cost her family $500 and that they arranged twice‑weekly private tutoring sessions at $90 per session, driving two hours round trip for each session. Brown said the child qualified for services under a special‑education label of reading comprehension—often a label for the consequence of dyslexia—rather than being served for the underlying decoding/phonological deficit.

"Reading comprehension is not the root of his disability. The problem is decoding," Brown said, urging lawmakers and KDE to expand screening, teacher training, and affordable interventions so families are not forced to seek private testing and tutoring.

KDE staff acknowledged gaps in early identification and described steps to expand professional learning for educators, including a roughly 55‑hour coursework pathway aligned to structured literacy and a new list of approved interventions to ensure fidelity to evidence‑based practice. Andrea Bartholomew, director of KDE’s Early Learning Unit, and other KDE presenters noted the agency’s intent that family engagement remain central to preschool and K–2 supports; during follow‑up questions a member asked KDE to clarify wording that might have unintentionally reduced explicit parent‑involvement language in one proposed preschool regulation (KR 3410), and the committee deferred that regulation for one month while KDE provides written responses and potential committee amendments.

The session included discussion about how early, targeted interventions—when delivered with high‑quality structured literacy approaches and appropriate teacher training—can reorganize reading‑related brain networks and produce measurable, lasting improvements. KDE said HB253’s reporting requirements will help the state identify program elements that produce growth and share them statewide.

No new statute was adopted at this hearing; members asked KDE to return with clarifying language and supporting materials and to work with districts on accessible screening and pathway options.