LINCOLN- A first-of-its-kind statewide report related to reading and dyslexia for Nebraska K-12 students shows strides in addressing literacy as policymakers see room for improvement. The Nebraska Department of Education submitted its first report to the Legislature on Sept. 3 as required under Legislative Bill 298.

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn shepherded that legislation in 2023 as a next step from 2018 legislation that began assessing K-3 students three times a year to get them on individualized reading improvement plans and supports earlier if needed. The data indicates that of 10,225 public K-12 students ages 3 to 21 who were tested last year for a specific learning disability in the area of reading, 4,747 students (46.43%) were eligible for special education services.

However, the department cautions that the term “specific learning disability” is broad and consists of various distinct areas in which a child might need additional support to meet state standards: oral expression, written expression, basic reading skills, reading fluency, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, and mathematics problem-solving. “In sum, there is currently not a clean and clear way to fully identify the number of students with a specific learning disability in reading,” the report states.

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