HB 64-READING PROFICIENCY TASK FORCE; DYSLEXIA  8:37:55 AM CHAIR HUGHES announced the consideration of HB 64. CHAIR HUGHES opened public testimony. 8:38:16 AM LORI PICKETT, representing herself, International Dyslexia Association, testified on HB 64. She thanked the committee for hearing the bill. She spoke from many perspectives; educator, parent, board member, and person with dyslexia. She stressed the problem of the gap between what is scientifically known about how to teach reading and the instruction given in the majority of schools. She opined that a task force on reading instruction could develop a sustainable plan to bridge that gap. 8:40:19 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked how many K-12 children in Alaska have dyslexia. MS. PICKETT guessed 12 to 20 percent. 8:41:00 AM POSIE BOGGS, Member, Alaska Reading Coalition, testified on HB 64. She appreciated the public testimony at the previous meeting and the bi-partisan nature of the bill. She said the Coalition views the task force as a tool to extend their hard work beyond their own careers and to collaborate across stakeholders and create a plan for reading outcomes that is sustainable and systemic and based on the best scientific information. She encouraged the passage of the bill. CHAIR HUGHES reiterated her question about the number of children with dyslexia. MS. BOGGS said under the general definition it is 10 percent; using a broader definition it is 15 percent; personal observation is even larger. 8:43:44 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked how dyslexia impacts mathematics. MS. BOGGS noted that three of her students are greatly impacted in math when reading word problems. Also, long-term memory is an issue as it relates to math, such as in algebra and fractions. 8:45:17 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked about number reversals. MS. BOGGS said reversal of numbers has very little to do with dyslexia. 8:46:56 AM SENATOR STEVENS noted that the bill has a broader scope than dyslexia - it talks about reading. 8:47:19 AM MS. BOGGS said it is absolutely broader than dyslexia; it is for all students and is a global bill. SENATOR STEVENS asked whether schools of education in Alaska use scientific research to train teachers in this areas. 8:48:55 AM MS. BOGGS said that the National Council on Teacher Quality has addressed the issue of early reading instruction. The program at UAF for educators received a 99 percentile rating of basic knowledge for teaching reading. UAA received only a 9 percentile rating. Only about 19 percent of universities instruct their teachers in the foundations of reading. She provided an example of teaching phonics in Ohio. There is a huge disparity and it is a challenging issue. 8:51:27 AM CHAIR HUGHES asked if the committee has any questions. CHAIR HUGHES closed public testimony. She said they are working on a CS for HB 64. She held HB 64 in committee.