STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1543

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 120

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 120, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO EVALUATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PLAN TO PROMOTE GREATER AWARENESS OF DYSLEXIA AND PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA AND OTHER LITERARY CHALLENGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote greater awareness of dyslexia.

     More specifically, this measure requests the Board of Education and the Department of Education to:

     (1)  Evaluate the following:

(A)  The promotion of dyslexia awareness;

(B)  Professional development available to educators to support students with dyslexia or other literacy challenges; and

(C)  Recommended staffing options and funding required to create licensed literary specialist positions;

(2)  Collaborate with the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board on the feasibility of licensing requirements for literary specialists;

(3)  Establish targeted complex area resources to strengthen comprehensive student support systems; and

(4)  Submit a written report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014, on the status of its efforts to provide comprehensive support services for students with dyslexia and other literary challenges.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, Hawaii Learning Resource, Learning Disabilities Association of Hawaii, Straub Mililani Clinic, Special Education Advisory Council, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and sixteen individuals.

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that the working group established by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 110, Regular Session of 2010, submitted the Comprehensive Plan for Teaching Reading in Hawaii Schools, that addresses dyslexia awareness and literacy instruction.  This measure addresses the issues raised by the working group, including raising dyslexia awareness and providing a comprehensive student literacy support system at every public school.  Your Committee believes that this measure will enable the Department of Education to equip educators to help all of Hawaii's children learn to read.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing the word "literary" with "literacy" for clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 120, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 120, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair