Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-7001

A. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State

Regents for Higher Education enter into a contract with a nonprofit

education center which is certified as a multisensory structured

language training institute for the purpose of establishing a

comprehensive dyslexia teacher training pilot program.

Implementation of the pilot program shall be contingent upon the

pilot program contractor securing grant funding for the purpose of

implementing a higher education multisensory structured reading

instruction training project. The Regents shall oversee the pilot

program and, working with the pilot program contractor, shall select

not more than two institutions within The Oklahoma State System of

Higher Education to participate in the pilot program. The pilot

program contractor, using grant funding, shall implement and

coordinate the pilot program, provide the salary of pilot program

coordinators, and provide the training, resources and curriculum

materials for the pilot program. If other funds are available, the

Regents may provide additional support and resources to the pilot

program.

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B. The goal of the pilot program shall be to train higher

education faculty to teach multisensory structured reading education

for students with dyslexia to teacher candidates enrolled in the

elementary, early elementary and special education programs, to

demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of having trained

teachers who can provide early reading assistance programs for

children with risk factors for dyslexia and to evaluate whether the

early assistance programs can reduce future special education costs.

In addition the goal of the pilot program shall be to create a

replicable model which can be followed by other higher education

institutions.

C. The Regents and the pilot program contractor shall form an

advisory committee to design and plan for the implementation of the

pilot program.

D. The dyslexia teacher training pilot program shall provide to

higher education faculty at participating institutions training on

how to teach to teacher candidates the indicators of dyslexia and

the type of instruction that children with dyslexia need in order to

learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structured

language programs. In addition the pilot program shall provide

instruction to teacher candidates enrolled in the elementary, early

childhood education or special education program at the institution

which is designed to train the teacher candidates on the indicators

of dyslexia and the type of instruction that children with dyslexia

need in order to learn, read, write and spell, including

multisensory structured language programs.

E. Contingent upon the availability of additional public or

private funding, the Regents may work with the pilot program

contractor to expand the pilot program to provide professional

development to teachers of kindergarten through fourth grade which

is designed to train teachers on the indicators of dyslexia and the

types of instruction that children with dyslexia need in order to

learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structured

language programs.

F. The State Regents shall promulgate rules and establish

guidelines and procedures for the pilot program. The pilot program

shall be established for a minimum term of three (3) years.

G. The pilot program contractor shall report annually to the

State Regents about the operation and results of the pilot program.

Not later than June 30 of the third year in which the pilot program

is operating, the State Regents shall submit a report to the

Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President

Pro Tempore of the Senate containing an evaluation of the results of

the pilot program and legislative recommendations.

H. As used in this section, “dyslexia” means a specific
of the pilot program.

Not later than June 30 of the third year in which the pilot program

is operating, the State Regents shall submit a report to the

Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President

Pro Tempore of the Senate containing an evaluation of the results of

the pilot program and legislative recommendations.

H. As used in this section, “dyslexia” means a specific

learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is

characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent

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word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities not

consistent with the intelligence, motivation and sensory

capabilities of the person, which difficulties typically result from

a deficit in the phonological component of language.