Bill > HB1705

This bill authorizes the Mississippi Dyslexia Institute to establish a three-year pilot program focused on structured literacy, an evidence-based approach to teaching reading that is systematic and diagnostic, particularly beneficial for students with dyslexia, which is defined as a neurologically based learning disability. This program aims to provide an alternative to grade retention for students struggling with reading, especially those who might be held back under Mississippi's Third Grade Reading Gate law, which requires students to meet certain reading proficiency levels to advance. The pilot program will serve up to 80 students statewide, prioritizing those with low reading performance or a clinical identification of dyslexia, and will utilize Orton-Gillingham principles, a recognized method for dyslexia remediation, including a component for training teachers in this approach. The bill also allows for regulatory flexibility in program implementation to promote innovation, encourages public-private partnerships with struggling school districts, and mandates accountability through annual reporting on student outcomes and program effectiveness, with the goal of improving reading skills and reducing unnecessary grade retention.

Education

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1705.xml