Bill > A1694

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a three-year assistive technology pilot program in the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to provide assistive technology and assistive technology services to elementary and middle school students with dyslexia and related conditions. The assistive technology and assistive technology services will: · deliver written material in an accessible auditory or text-to-speech format to assist students to read at grade level; or · allow students with dyslexia or related conditions to more effectively complete written assignments. Under the pilot program, the Commissioner of Education will provide a grant to each of the pilot districts to finance the costs associated with the acquisition of the assistive technology and assistive technology services and the training of teachers in the use of the technology. A school district that wants to participate in the pilot program will submit an application to the commissioner. The application must provide information on the number of students in the district who have dyslexia and related conditions, the grade-levels of those students, the grade-level reading ability of those students, the assistive technology and assistive technology services to be acquired under the program, and plans for the training of teachers in the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services. The application is required to detail how the use of the assistive technology and assistive technology services will serve to advance the academic achievement of students with dyslexia and related conditions. The commissioner will select seven districts to participate in the pilot program, and is required to seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. Under the bill, the commissioner will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature at the conclusion of the pilot program. The report is required to include: the number of students who participated in the pilot program; the grade-levels of those students; the grade-level reading ability of those students prior to participation in the pilot program; the impact of the pilot program on enabling those students to access and work on grade-level content; the number of teachers trained in the use of the assistive technology; and the commissioner's recommendation on the feasibility of implementing the program on a Statewide basis.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Ronald Dancer (R)*,  Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)*,  Daniel Benson (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/09/2018)