Colorado Dyslexia Pilot Program

Overview

During the 2019 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly created a dyslexia pilot program through House Bill 19-1134. 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. 

This year, the pilot program includes four schools (Cohort Two) who are participating in the year-long program from June 2022 through June 2023. Through the pilot program, schools receive 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 are communicated and delivered by the University of Oregon pilot program team, who have been selected to lead the project.

Participating schools commit 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 is currently underway in its second year and will conclude at the end of the 2022-23 school year. CDE will produce a report on the pilot program to the State Board of Education and legislature by December 2023 based on current legislative timelines. Per statutory requirements, the report will include information regarding the implementation and evaluation of the pilot program. 

Additional Resources

• Colorado Dyslexia Pilot Project Manual w/ Protocol (PDF) 
• Colorado Dyslexia Pilot Evaluation Plan - Cohort One (PDF)
• Colorado Dyslexia Pilot Evaluation Plan - Cohort Two (PDF)