News Release - May 24, 2023 - Historic $90 Million Literacy Legislation Passes in Minnesota After a Decade of Advocacy

Gov. Walz Signs The Read Act Into Law

ST. PAUL, Minn. – – Minnesota school children and teachers are the winners today after Gov. Tim Walz signs into law The Read Act, as part of the larger 'One Minnesota' budget, and appropriates $90 million to make it happen. This historic legislation and funding provide educators and districts statewide with professional development, coaching and support, and curriculum opportunities aligned with reading science.

For decades, reading proficiency has been at a crisis level in our state because classroom instruction and teacher training hasn’t aligned with the way science tells us brains learn to read. Standardized test scores have consistently indicated nearly half of Minnesota students are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade.

After ten years of small, yet significant, gains in dyslexia and literacy legislation, the governor, a bold group of legislators, and a coalition of literacy advocates dared to dream big this year. Gov. Walz, with his Bold Literacy Plan, and Rep. Heather Edelson and Sen. Erin Maye Quade, with The Read Act, courageously outlined a seismic shift in reading instruction for our state. The combined and newly-passed legislation, now referred to as The Read Act, provides teacher training, literacy lead support, and new curriculum opportunities in line with evidence-based reading practices. This legislation lays the groundwork for school districts to drastically improve literacy rates across Minnesota, while also appropriating significant funding and support for teachers and districts.

This historic literacy legislation is a major accomplishment led by Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota (DDMN) and a coalition of like-minded people and organizations including the International Dyslexia Association–Upper Midwest Branch, The Reading Center, Groves Learning Organization, and many parent advocates. This legislation is the culmination of a decade-worth of educating, advocating, and empowering this community and its members.

DDMN was founded in 2013 by a few concerned parents turned advocates, which put Minnesota on the map of a national movement to improve literacy outcomes. At its inception, DDMN was exclusively focused on supporting children with dyslexia and their families. Students with dyslexia were struggling to learn to read in classrooms across Minnesota and most teachers were not aware of how to help these struggling readers. Over time, it became evident these students were simply an indicator of more significant instructional concerns.

“Our students with dyslexia were the proverbial ‘canaries in the coalmine,’ signaling us to a larger issue,” explains Rachel Berger, founding member of DDMN. “Educational environments were struggling with literacy instruction, and we were called to action on behalf of ALL students.”

The journey began when Berger reached out to, then senator, Roger Chamberlain as a constituent and asked for support. He soon became a vocal and steadfast agent-of-change for reading instruction and dyslexia legislation. DDMN has been proud to affect change in the following ways:

• In 2014, the state legislature passes a tax credit for parents who must step outside the school system to pay for private reading instruction for their students with dyslexia.
• In 2015, through grassroots advocacy and under the leadership of Sen. Chamberlain, a definition for dyslexia is added to state statute, enabling educators, students, and parents to freely use the term.
• In 2016, additional language is passed to identify students with reading difficulties and provide them alternate instruction that is multisensory, systematic, sequential, cumulative, and explicit.
• In 2017, Sen. Chamberlain becomes a champion for DDMN, making their priorities his top priority. DDMN passes a bill to hire the first dyslexia specialist within the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The dyslexia specialist will guide school districts and educators on identifying, accommodating, and supporting students struggling with characteristics of dyslexia, or a diagnosis of dyslexia.
• In 2018, DDMN broadens its grassroots impact and forms a coalition with other like-minded organizations including Groves Academy, The Reading Center in Rochester, and The International Dyslexia Association-Upper Midwest Branch. DDMN continues to build relationships with community members and organizations including Education Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota School Boards Association, and other interested groups to increase impact and support at the legislature.
• In 2019, DDMN and its coalition pass two bills. One bill requires all higher-education institutions to begin instructing their teacher-prep candidates on dyslexia. The other bill requires screening for K-2 students not reading at grade level, and students in grade 3 or higher who demonstrate a reading difficulty.
• In 2020, language is passed to expand and clarify those students who must be screened and identified by schools districts and reported to MDE.
• In 2021, DDMN and its coalition passes a $3 million grant for teacher training. This enables the first cohort of 2,500 educators across the state to become trained in the science of reading.
• In 2023, DDMN and its coalition broadens its partnership with additional organizations including Ed Allies, Great MN Schools, MPS Academics Advocacy Group, National Parents Union, and ServeMinnesota, to band together and bring forth state-changing policy called The Read Act.

While the legislative gains spearheaded by Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota have been strategic and significant steppingstones, the timing was right for more sweeping change because low literacy rates continue to be an issue in Minnesota. When children struggle to learn to read, their ability to make gains in all other subject areas are thwarted. Difficulties with learning to read very often lead to self-esteem and mental health issues. Experts acknowledge low literacy skills have a direct correlation to a child’s involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Read Act is acknowledgment that reading instruction MUST change for Minnesota students. It aims to improve outcomes for all students, recognizing literacy has been privatized and often students of color and those on free/reduced school lunch have been especially underserved. The Read Act will enable school districts to train and support teachers, update curriculum, address inequities, and improve reading outcomes for all Minnesota students.

Additional Literacy and Dyslexia Information:

Details of The Read Act:

The Read Act tackles Minnesota’s low literacy rates with a three-pronged approach including funding for teacher training, literacy leads and coaching, and curriculum opportunities.

1. Teacher Training: funds have been appropriated so that beginning July 1, 2024, each district must provide teachers with training on evidence-based reading instruction approved by MDE. Training is for all K-12 intervention teachers, pre-K-3 classroom teachers, special education teachers, curriculum directors, instructional support staff who provide reading instruction, and employees who select literacy instructional materials for a district. This training will include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy.
2. Literacy Lead/Literacy Specialist: funds are available for school districts to employ or contract with a literacy lead and they must do so by August 30, 2025. The Department of Education must also employ a literacy specialist to provide support to districts implementing The Read Act.
3. Curriculum Opportunities: Beginning July 1, 2023, when a district purchases new literacy curriculum, or literacy intervention, or supplementary materials, the district must use evidence-based curriculum and intervention materials at each grade level. Funds are available to support these new curriculum opportunities.

Beginning July 1, 2023, for two years, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota will partner to support the implementation of The Read Act. As part of their joint charge, they will identify curricula, supporting materials, and intervention materials for school districts that are evidence-based or focused on structured literacy. They will identify professional development programs that focus on the five pillars of literacy and the components of structured literacy. They will also develop an evidence-based literacy lead training program that trains literacy specialists throughout Minnesota. Additionally, they will provide guidance to districts about best practices in literacy instruction, as well as initiatives that are not best practices or not evidence based.

Important Literacy Facts:

• Dyslexia is a condition of neurodevelopmental origin that mainly affects the ease with which a person reads, writes, and spells. One in five people have dyslexia.
• The science of reading is an extensive body of research and evidence, over multiple decades, that proves how the brain learns to read.
• The process of reading is the same for everyone – no matter your color, disability, socioeconomic status, or motivation.
• Research indicates 95% or more of students can learn to read proficiently.
• Nearly 50% of Minnesota students cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade.
• Just three in 10 Minnesota students of color can read at grade level by the end of third grade.
• Only 29% of third graders on free or reduced lunch can read at grade level.
• Just two in 10 Minnesota students receiving special education services get the instruction they need to be proficient readers.
• Students who are not reading proficiently by fourth grade have a less than 75% chance of ever catching up.

Supporting Organizations include: 

Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota, International Dyslexia Association–Upper Midwest Branch, The Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota, Groves Learning Organization, EdAllies, Great MN Schools, MPS Academics Advocacy Group, National Parents Union, ServeMinnesota

About Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota:

The vision of Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota (DDMN) is for students to have equitable literacy instruction that meets their educational needs so they can reach their full potential. The mission of DDMN is to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children, and improve resources for students with dyslexia in Minnesota’s educational environments until all can read. DDMN strives to educate, advocate, and empower the community. https://www.decodingdyslexiamn.org/

News Release - April 13, 2023 - Minnesota Literacy Day Rally at the Capitol on April 18

Gov. Walz to Address Literacy Advocates During Rally in the Rotunda
Contact: Laurie Berg, Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota, [email protected]

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Literacy Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 18, will bring together Minnesota children, Gov. Tim Walz, and a bold coalition of literacy advocates who are collectively advocating for improved reading outcomes across Minnesota. These organizations represent and support tens of thousands of struggling readers and their families across the state, and their members will rally in the Capitol Rotunda at 10:00 am on April 18.

For decades, standardized test scores indicate nearly half of Minnesota students do not learn to read proficiently by the end of third grade. Reading proficiency is at a crisis level in our state; so much so, legislators and Gov. Walz have laid out plans to improve literacy achievement for all students across the state. Rep. Heather Edelson and Sen. Erin Maye Quade’s proposed Read Act has been merged with the governor’s BOLD Literacy Plan and is included in both the House and Senate K-12 Omnibus Education bills.

If passed, this policy will provide educators and districts statewide with professional development, coaching, and curriculum aligned with reading science. “This training is what teachers need to help all students, including those struggling to become proficient readers,” explained Kimberly Carlsen, president of Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota. “Educators have expressed a desire to engage in this training and our teachers and students deserve it.”

"What we know about how children learn to read has changed in the past two decades. The Read Act makes adjustments to apply what we know as the best science and ensures all schools in Minnesota have access,” noted Rep. Edelson, chief author of the House bill. “The Read Act is the result of many years of collaboration with Minnesota educators, intervention teachers, principals, curriculum directors, superintendents, professors, and parents throughout the State, on the best path forward for literacy in prekindergarten through grade 12.”

For many years, literacy advocates have recognized the negative trajectory of students who fail to learn to read in school. “Investments in literacy are investments in youth justice,” remarked House bill co-author, Rep. Sandra Feist. “We know low literacy skills directly correlate to involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Read Act will interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and decrease barriers for at-risk youth in achieving their full potential.”

According to Sen. Maye Quade, the author of the bill in the Senate, “The Read Act directly tackles inequities in literacy access for all students by making a historic investment in our students and our teachers. All students can learn to read. It's a civil rights issue, one that must be addressed now.”

The governor and rally attendees will convene and call on legislators to pass a strong K-12 omnibus bill that will transform the way reading is taught in Minnesota schools. Nearly all students in Minnesota can read proficiently if they are given evidence-based instruction aligned with the science of reading.

MN 2023 Legislative Session

Visit our Take Action page for updates.

MN 2022 Legislative Session

SESSION UPDATE:

5-23-2022 End of Session: 

Happy News!
The Governor signed into law our LETRS bill with funding for the next 2 years! It was part of the 2021 Omnibus education policy and finance bill HF2/SF23.

The tide will begin to change on literacy in Minnesota. In 2001, the National Reading Panel appointed by US Congress recommended reading instruction based upon the science of reading. Like Mississippi, Tennessee and a handful of other states, Minnesota is placing a priority on evidence-based literacy instruction. With this bill, over 1,500 MN Educators will now begin to receive critically needed professional development based on the science of reading. We will begin to see equity in education happening within our educational environments as our students will receive evidence-based lessons in literacy within their classrooms.

Thank You to our entire community of support, the board at Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota, our Coalition partners, The Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of MN, International Dyslexia Association - Upper Midwest Branch, Groves Academy, our lobbyist team at Apparatus, and our legislative champions Senator Roger Chamberlain & State Representative Heather Edelson!

2021 bills:

LETRS grants (SF244 / HF288) $3M was appropriated for LETRS!

Strike "balanced" (SF702 / HF743) This bill was not included in the 2021 education omnibus bill.

MN 2020 Legislative Session 

DDMN worked on 2 bills this session. The update to the Dyslexia screening was in the 2020 education omnibus bill signed by Governor Walz on June 23, 2020. In it was an update to dyslexia screening in the "Read Well by Third Grade" statute (120B.12). The Dyslexia Screening from the 2019 session will still go into effect starting in the 20-21 school year

MN 2019 Legislative Session   

DDMN's Dyslexia screening and mandatory dyslexia instruction in teacher preparation programs passed and are effective July 1, 2020. Also, the term "balanced" was deleted from the teacher preparation reading instruction requirement and replaced with "structured". 

Screening (SF651 / HF1496):

"Students identified as not reading at grade level by the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 must be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia." "Students in grade 3 or higher who demonstrate a reading difficulty to a classroom teacher must be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia, unless a different reason for the reading difficulty has been identified."

Teacher preparation (SF196 / HF1494):

"Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary education must require instruction in applying comprehensive, scientifically based or evidence-based, and structured reading instruction programs that...."

"Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary education, early childhood education, special education, and reading intervention must include instruction on dyslexia, as defined in section 125A.01, subdivision 2. Teacher preparation programs may consult with the Department of Education, including the dyslexia specialist under section 120B.122, to develop instruction under this paragraph. Instruction on dyslexia must be modeled on practice standards of the International Dyslexia Association,

See our slide show of how the bills gained support and move through the legislature.

MN 2018 Legislative Session - Govorner vetoed the entire Education Omnibus bill that the bills were in.

SF2455/HF3013 (vetoed) Teacher Professional development for 5-year recertification

SF3572/HF3692 (vetoed) Mandatory K-2 dyslexia screening

MN 2017 Legislative Session

DDMN's Dyslexia Specialist Bill has passed!!  

The bill states:  "The department must employ a dyslexia specialist to provide technical assistance for dyslexia and related disorders and to serve as the primary source of information and support for schools in addressing the needs of students with dyslexia and related disorders. The dyslexia specialist shall also act to increase professional awareness and instructional competencies to meet the educational needs of students with dyslexia or identified with risk characteristics associated with dyslexia."

See here for a summary of updates from the K-12 Education Bill that Gov. Dayton signed. 

Here is a slide show of how our bills gained support and moved through the House and Senate during session. 

MN 2016 Legislative Session

MN 2016 Statutes have been updated with the 2016 session outcomes.   MN Statute 120B.12 - Reading Proficiently No Later Than The End Of 3rd Grade has the new dyslexia amendment (found in Subd 2).  The language states:

• The district must annually report a summary of the district's efforts to screen and identify students with dyslexia to the commissioner by July 1.
• (b) A student identified under this subdivision must be provided with alternate instruction.

Please help us educate Minnesota schools of the new statute for students with dyslexia!!   Together we are ensuring that the needs of our children with dyslexia are visible in the eyes of MN educators.

MN 2015 Legislation Session

Definition of Dyslexia Statute (125A.01) states:   "Dyslexia" means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent recognition of words 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.  Students who have a dyslexia diagnosis must meet the state and federal eligibility criteria in order to qualify for special education services.

How does a bill become a law?

Here is a link to understand the process of how an idea gets drafted into a bill in MN, and the steps it takes to become a MN law.

Senator Roger Chamberlain (38-R), who has been a champion for students with dyslexia, addressed the Senate Floor on dyslexia during the 2015 legislative session.