Teachers may be required to complete dyslexia training for licensure

School was incredibly difficult for Kimberly Zitek.

“My dyslexia was never identified, and like many dyslexic students, I learned ways to hide my struggles and fell through the cracks of the school system,” she told the House Education Policy Committee Wednesday.

But when her daughter showed signs of dyslexia, and her struggles at school were dismissed, Zitek realized training on identifying and supporting students with dyslexia was still not widely available.

“Schools are now required to screen students for heuristics of dyslexia, but many educators are not trained on how to recognize these signs of what to do next, so families are left without answers, and students are left without support they need,” said Zitek, who serves on the board of directors at Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota.

Rep. Mary Frances Clardy

Rep. Mary Frances Clardy (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) sponsors HF60 that, as amended, would mandate a two-hour dyslexia training for teachers holding Tier 1-4 licenses when renewing licenses. It was laid over for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

The bill would mandate the Department of Education to review dyslexia trainings and post at least three on its website that teachers could complete for free to meet the new requirement.

Sarah Bernhardt, a school psychologist with Groves Learning Organization, wrote in support of the bill. “When dyslexia is not recognized by educators, the cost to students extends well beyond reading performance. The effects are often emotional, behavioral, and cumulative. Children with dyslexia may experience anxiety, embarrassment, frustration, and a growing sense of failure when their struggles are misunderstood.”

Even after identification, dyslexia-specific support for students is crucial, said Sara Floerke, a private reading interventionist. “Identification without corresponding educator training leaves a gap in the classroom. I see it every day.”

The rising number of mandated teacher training hours worries Rep. Heather Keeler (DFL-Moorhead).

“I really get worried about how much training we keep putting on teachers and just saying, ‘It’s just two hours.’ It’s not.”