The Colorado Senate adopted Senate Bill 200 on second reading on April 4, directing schools to implement targeted screening to identify students at risk of dyslexia and to expand early reading interventions.

The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kolker and Sen. Malika and originating from representatives Hamrick and Soper in the House, establishes a statewide framework for screening, interim assessments and follow-up interventions aimed at supporting early elementary students who show signs of reading difficulties. Senators who spoke in favor described personal family experiences and research linking early intervention to better long-term outcomes.

“Screening is what this bill is about. That’s the meat and potatoes of this bill — to make sure that we are addressing the needs,” Sen. Kolker said during committee debate, noting studies from other states showing high rates of dyslexia among incarcerated populations and arguing screening would remove mischaracterizations of dyslexia and connect students to help.

Sen. Mullica described his daughter’s progress after targeted interventions and said, “We were able to get interventions. We were able to get that help in the classroom. We were able to get her into small groups. Now, yesterday, nothing did dyslexia screening, to have her be my guinea pig to show me how this works.” Sen. Marchman, who chaired the bill in committee, called dyslexia “a crisis” when undiagnosed and said early identification and correct tutoring can reduce later mental-health and justice-system harms.

Supporters repeatedly emphasized that general reading interventions do not reliably help students with dyslexia and that the bill provides a first step to standardize screening and the pathway to specialized interventions. “If we can catch these kiddos early, we can get them the correct tutoring because we know general reading tutoring doesn’t work in the schools,” Marchman said. Several senators urged that the new screener be added without replacing or diminishing other readiness or reading assessments already used statewide.

Opposition statements in the transcript were limited and largely procedural; the bill’s proponents secured adoption on second reading and ordered it engrossed for placement on the third-reading calendar. The committee report accompanying the bill removed permissive kindergarten-readiness language and made technical cleanups before the floor vote, according to the education committee’s summary.

The bill’s backers framed the measure as a systemic, early-intervention tool intended to connect students and families to appropriate resources and to reduce long-term social, educational and economic costs. Implementation will require school districts and the Department of Education to adopt procedures for screening and follow-up; supporters emphasized the need for adequate funding and teacher support to make the screening meaningful.

Senate Bill 200 passed the Committee of the Whole on second reading and was ordered engrossed for third-reading consideration.

The legislation now proceeds through the Senate calendar for final passage steps and will be available to districts after any further enactment steps and the usual rulemaking or guidance processes specified by the Department of Education.