Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 158.307 – Dyslexia toolkit to assist school districts in instructing students with dyslexia -- Professional development related to dyslexia -- Local board of education policy to identify and assist students in kindergarten through grade three with dyslexia -- Annual report.

(1) As used in this section:
1. (a)
2. (b)
3. (c) "Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; "Evidence-based" has the same meaning as in 20 U.S.C. sec. 7801(21); and "Phonemic awareness" means the ability to recognize that a spoken word consists of a sequence of individual sounds and the ability to manipulate individual sounds in speaking.
(2) The Department of Education shall make available a dyslexia toolkit that includes guidance, technical assistance, and training to assist all local school districts in the implementation of evidence-based practices for instructing students identified with or displaying characteristics of dyslexia.
(3) The dyslexia toolkit shall include but not be limited to the following guidance for local districts targeting students in kindergarten through grade three (3) who have been identified with or displaying characteristics of dyslexia:
1. (a) Evidence-based practices designed specifically for students with dyslexia;
2. (b) Characteristics of targeted instruction for dyslexia;
3. (c) Guidance on developing instructional plans for students with dyslexia;
4. (d) Best practices toward meaning-centered reading and writing;
5. (e) Structured multisensory and literacy approaches to teaching language and reading skills; and
6. (f) Suggested professional development activities.
(4) The department shall collaborate with the Education Professional Standards Board, Council on Postsecondary Education, and other groups as necessary to improve and update professional development opportunities for teachers specifically related to dyslexia. Professional development opportunities may focus on:
1. (a) Development and ongoing implementation of training and coaching for
2. (b) teachers; Identifying high-quality trainers to provide support to local districts utilizing a coaching model to develop building level dyslexia experts;
3. (c) Developing awareness training modules for all instructional staff to include information about characteristics of dyslexia; and
4. (d) Evidence-based interventions, structured multisensory and literacy approaches to teach language and reading skills, and accommodations for dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.
(5) Each local board of education shall develop a policy addressing the implementation of a program for the identification of and strategies for assisting students in kindergarten through grade three (3) with dyslexia.
(6) The local board policies shall include but not be limited to:
1. (a) The definition and characteristics of dyslexia;
2. (b) A process for identifying students who are displaying characteristics of dyslexia;
3. (c) A process for the utilization of evaluation tools to accurately identify students who are displaying characteristics of dyslexia. Any qualified dyslexia evaluation tool utilized by a local district shall address but not be limited to the following components: 1. 2. 3. Alphabet knowledge; 4. Decoding skills; 5. 6. Rapid naming; Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness; Sound symbol recognition; Encoding skills; and
4. (d) A process for how evaluation tools are administered and evaluated by trained district personnel or licensed professionals;
5. (e) A process for outreach to parents of students identified with or displaying the characteristics of dyslexia with information and resource materials and how dyslexia may be addressed in the student's educational setting; Identification of evidence-based interventions, structured multisensory and literacy approaches to teach language and reading skills, and accommodations that schools may utilize to provide services to students identified as having dyslexia; and
6. (f)
7. (g) A process for monitoring a student's progress, including assessments to ascertain whether the intervention services improve the student's language processing and reading skills.
(7) By June 30, 2028, and June 30 of each year thereafter for five (5) years, each local school district shall provide the department the following data for the current school year:
1. (a) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were identified through the approved universal screener and reading diagnostic assessment as defined in KRS 158.305 as displaying characteristics of dyslexia;
2. (b) The number of students in paragraph (a) of this subsection that were identified as needing enrichment programs as defined in KRS 158.305;
3. (c) The number of students in kindergarten through grade three (3) that were participating in literacy interventions within the school setting; and
4. (d) The process or tools used to evaluate student progress.

Effective: April 10, 2026

History: Amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 74, sec. 2, effective April 10, 2026. -- Created 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 88, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2018. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/14/2018). 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 88, sec. 4 provides that 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 88 shall be known and may be cited as the "Ready to Read Act." This statute was created in Section 1 of that Act.