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About LEAD-K (PA 256)

Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) is a national effort to provide language acquisition resources for parents and guardians of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). 

In December 2022, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan’s LEAD-K bill into law as Public Act 256 [PDF]. The legislation seeks to ensure that children who are DHH have a strong language foundation and are kindergarten-ready when they start school. It applies to children who are DHH and age 5 or younger.

Parent Resource Website

The legislation provides for the creation of a tool parents and guardians may use to monitor and track the child’s language acquisition and developmental stages toward English literacy. The resource includes language developmental milestones and assessment tools families can use to assess their child’s language acquisition needs, as well as information about languages, modes of communication, and services and programs available to support families.

This resource is now available: LEAD-K Michigan Parent Resource

Tools and Assessments

Another element of the legislation is identifying tools and assessments to be used by local school districts, intermediate school districts, public school academies, and the Michigan School for the Deaf to assess children’s language and literacy development. The tools and assessments will be implemented by September 2025. Finally, there will be a yearly report regarding the language and literacy development of children who are DHH and age 5 or younger as compared to their peers, beginning on July 1, 2026, and by July 1 of each year thereafter.

Committee Members and Partners

MDE RDHH has been given the oversight and funding to carry out the requirements of the legislation. PA 256 mandates an advisory committee, including defined roles, to ensure the development of resources aligned with the requirements of the legislation in Michigan. Members include advocates and professionals in the field of Deaf education and parents of children who are DHH. A steering committee has also been created, including invested partners who bring a range of perspectives and expertise. A leadership team provides direction in managing this work.

Learn more: LEAD-K Committee Members and Partners

Language Assessments

The LEAD-K Michigan Advisory Committee has identified eleven recommended assessments to evaluate language development and progress toward English literacy in deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) children from birth to age five.

  • American Sign Language Expressive Skills Test (ASL-EST)
  • American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test (ASL-RST)
  • Arizona Articulation and Phonology Scale
  • Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Preschool (CELF-P3)
  • Communication Matrix
  • Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language & Speech (CASLLS)
  • Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC-2)
  • MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI & ASL-CDI)
  • Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test (REEL-4)
  • Rosetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale
  • Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist (VCSL)

Resources

Contact

Join the Facebook group: Michigan LEAD-K Facebook group

Questions: Email Elizabeth Flores at [email protected]