Maine

State Education Agency (SEA) Dyslexia Legislation

Has Legislation?Yes

Parent Opt-Out/Consent Procedures by Law?
No
SEA Recognizes IDA Definition?
Yes
SEA Recognizes State Definition?
No
SEA Has Dyslexia Specialist?
Yes

Maine HP016301 and LD231

HP016301 defines dyslexia using IDA’s definition. It requires screening. It also establishes a dyslexia consultant at the department of education. The consultant will “assist the department in complying with the provisions of this chapter and chapters 301 and 305 as they pertain to students with dyslexia. The dyslexia consultant must be a professional highly trained in dyslexia with a minimum of 3 years of field experience in screening, identifying and treating dyslexia. The dyslexia consultant shall serve as the primary source of information and support for school administrative units addressing the needs of students with dyslexia and shall provide school administrative units dyslexia professional awareness training including training on the indicators of dyslexia and the science behind teaching a student with dyslexia.” The state dyslexia handbook was being developed at the time of NCIL’s last policy review thus information on this page may be dated.

Screening

Required?Yes

Parents Must Be Notified of Results?
No
SEA Publishes List of Screeners?
Yes
Annual Reporting to the SEA?
No
Response to Intervention for Student Learning Disability Eligibility in 2010?
Required by law
Severe Discrepancy for Student Learning Disability Eligibility in 2010?
Permitted by law
Student Learning Disability Eligibility (Zirkel & Thomas 2010 Classification)?
RTI required by law as clarified by guidelines, SD and Other permitted in combination (ambiguity in legislation noted)

As Maine Department Of Education states, Maine law 20-A M.S.R. § 4701-B indicates that  school administrative units shall  screen students in kindergarten through second grade who have difficulty in these areas: A. Phonological and phonemic awareness; B. Sound-symbol recognition; C. Alphabet knowledge; D. Decoding skills; E. Rapid naming skills; and F. Encoding skills. However, the Maine Department of Education recommends universal screening for all students in kindergarten through second grade.

State Recognized Screeners

AIMSweb, DIBELS 6th Edition, easyCBM, PALS-K, Test of Written Spelling-5, FAR,  PAR, RAN/RAS. Fastbridge Learning, Shaywitz Dyslexia Screener. Visit the state department of education for up-to-date information.

Pre-service

Required?No

Maine does not have pre-service legislation related to dyslexia.

In-service

Required?Yes

Maine law 20-A M.S.R. § 4701-B established a dyslexia coordinator, who shall develop before March 1, 2016, and update annually thereafter a plan that: A. Implements dyslexia awareness training for teachers; B. Implements professional development in evidence-based screening practices; and C. Identifies needs of school administrative units for implementing evidence-based practices and response to scientific, research-based intervention strategies for reading and language-based learning difficulties.

Intervention

Required?No

Evidence-Based?
Promoted
MTSS/RTI?
Promoted

Maine law 20-A M.S.R. § 4701-B does not specifically require intervention based on screening results. However, the Dyslexia Coordinator created by the law shall "assist the department in complying with the provisions of this section and the general education interventions required in the department's special education rules as they pertain to students struggling with reading or showing early indicators of reading difficulty."  The coordinator shall also identify the needs of school administrative units for implementing response to intervention strategies.

Literacy State-identified Measurable Result (SIMR) - Part B

Has Literacy SIMR?No

Students with disabilities in grades 3-8 will demonstrate improved math proficiency as measured by math scores on the State assessment in a subset of schools wherein the total student population demonstrates proficiency at or above the State average but where substantial achievement gaps (15-32 points) exist between students with disabilities and their general education peers.

Resources

Maine Department of Education Dyslexia Resources

Decoding Dyslexia Maine

Citations

Zirkel, P. A., & Thomas, L. B. (2010). State laws for RTI: An updated snapshot. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 56-63.

Gearin, B., Turtura, J., Kame’enui, E. J., Nelson, N. J., & Fien, H. (2018). A Multiple Streams Analysis of Recent Changes to State-Level Dyslexia Education Law. Educational Policy, 0895904818807328.

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Last modified: 
10/04/2022 - 1:31pm