Dyslexia Pilot Program

Overview

The Colorado General Assembly created a dyslexia pilot program through House Bill 19-1134 during the 2019 legislative session. The purpose of the program is to pilot the use of READ Act assessment results and a research-based protocol to identify markers of dyslexia in K - 3 students. Further, pilot sites will receive training and coaching to provide support to young students who may demonstrate the early markers for dyslexia. Initially, the pilot program was expected to run for one year, however, was extended an additional year. 

During the second year of the pilot program, four schools (Cohort Two) participated in the year-long program from June 2022 through June 2023. Through the pilot program, schools received no-cost training and support for kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade teachers in utilizing the pilot identification process for markers of dyslexia. All pilot program activities were communicated and delivered by the University of Oregon pilot program team, who were selected to lead the project.

All participating schools committed to program training in dyslexia and the use of the University of Oregon’s dyslexia screening protocol. 

The training hours will be able to be used to meet up to 9 hours the new special education training requirements under House Bill 20-1128.  The dyslexia pilot training requirements will not meet the teacher training requirements for the READ Act due to the specificity of those training requirements.

Status of the Pilot Program

The pilot program concluded at the end of the 2022-23 school year. CDE produced a report on the pilot program presented to the State Board of Education and legislature. Per statutory requirements, the report included information regarding the implementation and evaluation of the pilot program.