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EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 2872
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
6553S.05C KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 161.097, 161.241, 167.268, 167.340, 167.645, and 170.014, RSMo, and to enact
in lieu thereof seven new sections relating to elementary and secondary education.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 161.097, 161.241, 167.268, 167.340, 1
167.645, and 170.014, RSMo, are repealed and seven new sections 2
enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 161.097, 3
161.241, 162.192, 167.268, 167.340, 167.645, and 170.014, to 4
read as follows:5
161.097. 1. The state board of education shall 1
establish standards and procedures by which it will evaluate 2
all teacher training institutions in this state for the 3
approval of teacher education programs. The state board of 4
education shall not require teacher training institutions to 5
meet national or regional accreditation as a part of its 6
standards and procedures in making those evaluations, but it 7
may accept such accreditations in lieu of such approval if 8
standards and procedures set thereby are at least as 9
stringent as those set by the board. The state board of 10
education's standards and procedures for evaluating teacher 11
training institutions shall equal or exceed those of 12
national or regional accrediting associations. 13
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2. There is hereby established within the department 14
of elementary and secondary education the "Missouri Advisory 15
Board for Educator Preparation", hereinafter referred to as 16
"MABEP". The MABEP shall advise the state board of 17
education and the coordinating board for higher education 18
regarding matters of mutual interest in the area of quality 19
educator preparation programs in Missouri. The advisory 20
board shall include at least three active elementary or 21
secondary classroom teachers and at least three faculty 22
members within approved educator preparation programs. The 23
classroom teacher members shall be selected to represent 24
various regions of the state and districts of different 25
sizes. The faculty representatives shall represent 26
institutions from various regions of the state and sizes of 27
programs. The advisory board shall hold regular meetings 28
that allow members to share needs and concerns and plan 29
strategies to enhance teacher preparation. 30
3. Upon approval by the state board of education of 31
the teacher education program at a particular teacher 32
training institution, any person who graduates from that 33
program, and who meets other requirements which the state 34
board of education shall prescribe by rule, regulation and 35
statute shall be granted a certificate or license to teach 36
in the public schools of this state. However, no such rule 37
or regulation shall require that the program from which the 38
person graduates be accredited by any national or regional 39
accreditation association. 40
4. The state board of education shall, in consultation 41
with MABEP, align literacy and reading instruction 42
coursework for teacher education programs in early 43
childhood, kindergarten to fifth grade elementary teacher 44
certification, middle school communication arts, high school 45
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communication arts, and all reading and special education 46
certificates to include the following: 47
(1) Teacher candidates shall receive classroom and 48
clinical training in: 49
(a) The core components of reading, including phonemic 50
awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, morphology, 51
syntax, and vocabulary; 52
(b) Oral and written language development; and 53
(c) Identification of reading deficiencies, dyslexia, 54
and other language difficulties; 55
(2) Teacher candidates shall also have training on: 56
(a) The selection and use of high-quality reading 57
curricula and instructional materials that do not include 58
the three-cueing system as defined in section 170.014 as an 59
instructional strategy for decoding; 60
(b) The administration and interpretation of 61
assessments; 62
(c) How to translate assessment results into effective 63
practice in the classroom specific to the needs of students; 64
and 65
(d) Additional best practices in the field of literacy 66
instruction as recommended by the literacy advisory council 67
pursuant to section 186.080; 68
(3) Educator preparation programs shall not include 69
instruction in, or endorsement of, the three-cueing system 70
as defined in section 170.014 as an instructional strategy 71
for decoding. 72
5. Beginning July 1, 2027, the department of 73
elementary and secondary education shall annually review and 74
publicly report on the compliance of educator preparation 75
programs with subsection 4 of this section. The review 76
shall include an evaluation of whether instruction is 77
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grounded in the components of evidence-based reading 78
instruction, such as phonological awareness, phonics, 79
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, morphology, syntax, and 80
semantics. The review shall also include an evaluation of 81
whether prohibited practices, including three-cueing as 82
defined in section 170.014, are excluded from coursework. 83
Educator preparation programs not in compliance with 84
subsection 4 of this section shall not be approved to 85
certify new teachers. 86
6. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is 87
defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 88
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 89
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 90
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 91
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 92
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 93
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 94
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 95
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 96
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 97
2014, shall be invalid and void. 98
161.241. 1. The state board of education, in 1
collaboration with the coordinating board for higher 2
education and the commissioner's advisory council under 3
section 186.080, shall develop a plan to establish a 4
comprehensive system of services for reading instruction. 5
2. The state board of education shall establish and 6
periodically update a statewide literacy plan that supports 7
high quality, evidence-based reading instruction for all 8
students. 9
3. The state board of education shall create an office 10
of literacy. The commissioner of education shall coordinate 11
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staff with roles relating to literacy and align staff work 12
around supporting best practices in reading instruction. 13
4. The state board of education shall align literacy 14
and reading instruction coursework for teacher education 15
programs as required under subsection 4 of section 161.097. 16
5. Subject to appropriation, the department of 17
elementary and secondary education shall recruit and employ 18
quality teacher trainers with expertise in reading 19
instruction and provide opportunities for evidence-based 20
professional development in reading instruction available 21
for all active teachers. 22
6. The department shall maintain and publish data on 23
reading outcomes, provided that the report shall not include 24
individually identifiable student data. 25
7. The department shall publish criteria and examples 26
to help districts and schools select and use evidence-based 27
reading curricula and instructional materials. 28
Additionally, the department shall publish a list of 29
curricula that ensure instruction is explicit, systematic, 30
diagnostic, and based on phonological awareness, phonics, 31
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, morphology, syntax, and 32
semantics. This shall be a resource to districts. 33
8. The department shall provide online tools and 34
training for active teachers on evidence-based reading 35
instruction. 36
9. (1) There is hereby created in the state treasury 37
the "Evidence-based Reading Instruction Program Fund". 38
(2) The fund shall be administered by the department 39
and used to reimburse school districts and charter schools 40
for efforts to improve student literacy, including, but not 41
limited to: 42
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(a) Initiatives that provide [optional] training and 43
materials to teachers regarding best practices in reading 44
pedagogies, structured literacy, and dyslexia-informed 45
practices; 46
(b) Resources for parents and guardians to assist them 47
in teaching their children to read; 48
(c) Funding for reading tutoring programs inside or 49
outside of regular school hours; 50
(d) Stipends for teachers who undergo additional 51
training in reading instruction, which may also count toward 52
professional development requirements; and 53
(e) Funding for summer reading programs. 54
(3) The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated 55
annually by the general assembly from general revenue to 56
such fund, any moneys paid into the state treasury and 57
required by law to be credited to such fund, and any gifts, 58
bequests, or donations to such fund. The fund shall be kept 59
separate and apart from all other moneys in the state 60
treasury and shall be paid out by the state treasurer 61
pursuant to chapter 33. Notwithstanding the provisions of 62
section 33.080 to the contrary, moneys in the fund at the 63
end of the biennium shall not be transferred to the credit 64
of the general revenue fund. All interest and moneys earned 65
on the fund shall be credited to the fund. 66
162.192. 1. For purposes of this section, "financial 1
ledger" means a searchable, machine-readable, publicly 2
accessible database maintained by a school district or 3
charter school that: 4
(1) Sets forth all financial transactions conducted 5
with school district or charter school funds, including, but 6
not limited to, the school funds established pursuant to 7
section 165.011; 8
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(2) Is available without login credentials, 9
registration, or fees; 10
(3) Is downloadable and exportable in formats 11
including, but not limited to, comma-separated values (CSV) 12
format and Microsoft Excel format; 13
(4) Records all transactions using Missouri financial 14
accounting manual classification categories, as applicable; 15
and 16
(5) Includes the following minimum required data 17
fields for each financial transaction, and is searchable and 18
filterable by such fields, at minimum: 19
(a) Transaction date; 20
(b) Transaction amount; 21
(c) Revenue or expenditure designation; 22
(d) Fund code; 23
(e) Function code; 24
(f) Object code; 25
(g) Vendor or payee name; and 26
(h) Description or memo field. 27
2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the 28
contrary, each school district and charter school shall 29
maintain a financial ledger on its publicly accessible 30
website. The homepage of each public or charter school's 31
website shall include a direct link to the financial ledger 32
of the school district or charter school that has oversight 33
responsibility for that public or charter school. The link 34
shall make the financial ledger accessible within one click, 35
shall be clearly labeled as a link to the school district's 36
or charter school's financial ledger, and shall be 37
functional and mobile-responsive. The department may 38
provide standardized language or icons that public and 39
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charter schools may use for the purpose of ensuring 40
compliance with this subsection. 41
3. A school district's or charter school's financial 42
ledger shall be updated at least monthly. Details of each 43
calendar month's financial transactions shall be posted no 44
later than forty-five days after the close of that calendar 45
month. 46
4. For historical record keeping purposes, a school 47
district or charter school shall maintain complete financial 48
ledger data on its publicly accessible website for no fewer 49
than five prior fiscal years. 50
5. A school district or charter school may redact 51
protected personal information on the financial ledger only 52
to the extent required by applicable law. Vendor names, 53
amounts, and accounting codes shall not be redacted. 54
Payroll data may be presented in aggregated form where 55
disclosure of individual information is restricted. 56
6. Debt obligations shall be posted in a separate 57
section of the financial ledger, with disclosure of the 58
following information: 59
(1) Outstanding debt balances; 60
(2) Issuance dates; 61
(3) Repayment schedules; 62
(4) Annual debt service amounts; and 63
(5) Debt service as a percentage of total expenditures. 64
7. The department may provide or approve standardized 65
templates or platforms a school district or charter school 66
may use to comply with the provisions of this section. A 67
school district or charter school may use a third-party 68
template or platform that is approved by the department. 69
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8. The department may provide guidance to assist 70
school districts and charter schools in complying with the 71
provisions of this section. Such guidance may include: 72
(1) High-level expenditure summaries by classification 73
category under the Missouri financial accounting manual; 74
(2) Standardized definitions of terms to be used in 75
the financial ledger; and 76
(3) Clear explanations of methodology and limitations 77
applicable to the compilation and presentation of financial 78
ledger data. 79
9. School districts and charter schools shall annually 80
certify compliance with this section to the department. The 81
department shall promulgate rules establishing procedures 82
and timelines for school districts and charter schools to 83
certify compliance. 84
10. If the department finds that any school district 85
or charter school has violated a provision of this section, 86
the department may withhold up to one percent of the state 87
aid to which the school district or charter school is 88
entitled under chapter 160 or 163 for the current school 89
year until the school district or charter school proves to 90
the satisfaction of the department that the school district 91
or charter school is no longer in violation of this section. 92
11. The department shall establish a process for 93
members of the public to file complaints with the department 94
if they believe a school district or charter school has 95
violated any provision of this section. The department may 96
establish a public compliance dashboard on the department's 97
website to enable members of the public to check whether a 98
particular school district or charter school is certified as 99
in compliance with the provisions of this section. 100
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12. The department shall promulgate rules to implement 101
the provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a 102
rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is 103
created under the authority delegated in this section shall 104
become effective only if it complies with and is subject to 105
all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, 106
section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are 107
nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the 108
general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay 109
the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are 110
subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of 111
rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after 112
August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void. 113
167.268. 1. Each school district and charter school 1
shall have on file a policy for reading success plans. Each 2
school district and charter school shall provide all parents 3
and guardians of students, including parents of students who 4
are identified as having a reading deficiency or substantial 5
reading deficiency [in reading] under [subsection 1] 6
subsections 5 and 6 of section 167.645, with suggestions for 7
regular parent-guided home reading. 8
2. The department of elementary and secondary 9
education shall develop guidelines to assist districts and 10
charter schools in formulating policies for reading success 11
plans. Such guidelines may include, but are not limited to, 12
measures of reading proficiency, strategies for addressing 13
reading deficiencies, timelines for measuring pupil 14
improvement in reading, and information on screening of 15
dyslexia. Such guidelines may also identify performance 16
levels for pupils identified as handicapped or severely 17
handicapped and conditions under which such pupils may be 18
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exempt from the provisions of this section and section 19
167.645. 20
3. Each school district and charter school shall 21
provide intensive reading instruction to students as 22
provided in section 167.645. 23
167.340. 1. The provisions of sections 167.340 to 1
167.346 shall be known and may be cited as the "Read to be 2
Ready Program". 3
2. Beginning July 1, [2000] 2027, if a school district 4
provides reading improvement instruction for students in 5
[kindergarten] first grade through third grade who do not 6
meet the [district's] state's objectives for reading as 7
demonstrated by performance on the district's chosen 8
[methods of reading assessment] Missouri reading screener 9
established in section 167.645, such students who receive 10
reading improvement instruction pursuant to this subsection 11
may be counted for additional average daily attendance for 12
state school aid during their reading improvement 13
instruction time if such time falls outside normal school 14
hours. 15
3. Reading improvement instruction may take the form 16
of summer school, provided that the summer school 17
instruction addresses the reading deficiency, additional 18
hours of instruction or such other methods as the district 19
may select including, but not limited to, smaller class 20
sizes, additional resources [including computers], reading 21
specialists, teacher and administrator training, tutoring, 22
phonics instruction and use of parents and volunteers. 23
167.645. 1. (1) The "Missouri Reading Screener" or 1
"Reading Screener" is hereby established as a literacy-based 2
reading assessment adopted by a school district or charter 3
school to be administered to students as provided in this 4
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section. A reading screener shall refer to any screener 5
that has been approved by the department of elementary and 6
secondary education as of the effective date of this section 7
and that meets the criteria provided in this section. 8
(2) Any reading screener approved by the department of 9
elementary and secondary education shall score each student 10
and provide a numerical value relative to the student's 11
grade level and in one of the following categories: "at 12
risk", "approaching expectations", "meets expectations", and 13
"exceeds expectations". 14
(3) Proficiency benchmarks "below basic", "basic", 15
"grade-level", "proficient", or "advanced" associated with 16
these categories shall be determined by the department of 17
elementary and secondary education. 18
(4) Each school district and charter school shall 19
assess all students enrolled in kindergarten once at the end 20
of the kindergarten year and all students in grades one 21
through [grade] three [at the beginning and end of each 22
school year] for their level of reading [or reading 23
readiness on state-approved reading assessments. 24
Additionally, all school districts and charter schools shall 25
assess any newly enrolled student in grades one through five 26
for their level of reading or reading readiness on a reading 27
assessment from the state-approved list] as provided in this 28
section. 29
(5) Each school district and charter school shall 30
administer the reading screener during three annual 31
administration windows established by the department of 32
elementary and secondary education. The first such annual 33
administration window shall occur within the first twenty 34
days of the school year, with the results of such reading 35
assessment sent in a letter to the student's parent, 36
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guardian, or other individual having control or custody of 37
such student within the first thirty days of the school year. 38
2. The department of elementary and secondary 39
education shall provide the reading screener at no cost to 40
school districts and charter schools. 41
3. The Missouri reading screener shall: 42
(1) Be appropriate for students in grades one through 43
three; 44
(2) Be used to comply with the dyslexia screening 45
requirements established in section 167.950; and 46
(3) Screen for characteristics of dyslexia and reading 47
deficiency and assess the following skills as 48
developmentally appropriate: 49
(a) Phonological and phonemic awareness; 50
(b) Sound-symbol recognition; 51
(c) Alphabet knowledge; 52
(d) Decoding; 53
(e) Rapid naming; 54
(f) Encoding; and 55
(g) Oral reading fluency. 56
4. Student results on the reading screener shall not 57
be used to make decisions concerning the accreditation 58
classification of a public school or school district. 59
5. At the beginning of the school year, each school 60
district and charter school shall provide a reading success 61
plan to any student who: 62
(1) Exhibits a reading deficiency or substantial 63
reading deficiency [in reading which creates a barrier to] 64
that impedes the child's progress learning to read. The 65
identification of such deficiency may be based upon the most 66
recent assessments [or teacher observation]; or 67
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(2) Has been identified as being at risk of dyslexia 68
in [the] a statewide dyslexia screening or has a formal 69
diagnosis of dyslexia. 70
6. (1) For the purposes of this section, a reading 71
deficiency shall refer to a student who scores "approaching 72
expectations" on the Missouri reading screener, and a 73
substantial reading deficiency shall refer to a student who 74
[is one or more grade level or levels behind in reading or 75
reading readiness] scores below "at risk" on the Missouri 76
reading screener; provided that nothing in this section 77
shall be interpreted to prevent a school district or charter 78
school from offering a reading success plan to any student 79
based on an assessment completed [at the start and end of 80
the school year] during the three administration windows or 81
based on teacher observation. 82
(2) For any student entering the school district or 83
charter school after the start of the school year, such 84
student shall be: 85
(a) Assessed within the first twenty school days after 86
entering such school; and 87
(b) Provided a reading success plan in the event the 88
student has been identified as having a reading deficiency 89
or substantial reading deficiency based on the student's 90
most recent assessment [or otherwise being identified 91
through teacher observation. The student's reading 92
proficiency shall be reassessed by reading assessments on 93
the state-approved list]. The student shall continue to be 94
provided with intensive reading instruction under a reading 95
success plan until the reading deficiency is remedied. 96
[2.] 7. The district or charter school shall notify 97
the parent or guardian of any student in [kindergarten] 98
grades one through [grade] three who exhibits a reading 99
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deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in reading], 100
as described in [subsection 1] subsections 5 and 6 of this 101
section, at least annually in writing and within thirty days 102
after identification of a reading deficiency or a 103
modification to services provided to the student for a 104
reading deficiency, and in an appropriate, alternative 105
manner for the parent or other guardian if necessary, of the 106
following: 107
(1) That the child has been identified as having a 108
reading deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in 109
reading]; 110
(2) A description of the services currently provided 111
to the child; 112
(3) (a) A description of the proposed supplemental 113
instructional services and supports that the school district 114
will provide to the child that are designed to remediate the 115
identified area of reading deficiency. 116
(b) For students identified as being at risk of 117
dyslexia or those that have a diagnosis of dyslexia the 118
district shall provide an explanation that the instruction 119
that will be used to teach the child reading shall be 120
explicit, systematic, and diagnostic and based on 121
phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, 122
comprehension, morphology, syntax, and semantics; 123
(4) Strategies for parents and guardians to use in 124
helping the child succeed in reading proficiency, including 125
but not limited to the promotion of parent-guided home 126
reading; 127
(5) That if the child has a substantial reading 128
deficiency that is not corrected by the end of grade three, 129
the child shall not be promoted to grade four unless the 130
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child qualifies for a good cause exemption under subsections 131
10 and 11 of this section. 132
[3. If the] 8. A school district or charter school 133
[provides] providing a summer reading program under this 134
section[, the district or charter school] shall notify the 135
parent or guardian of each student who exhibits a reading 136
deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in reading of 137
the opportunity to] that the student is required to attend 138
the summer reading program. 139
[4.] 9. If a child has a reading deficiency or 140
substantial reading deficiency at the end of grade two, the 141
student's parent or guardian shall meet with designated 142
school staff to discuss the student's deficiency and shall 143
sign documentation stating that the parent or guardian has 144
been informed of the following: 145
(1) If the child has a substantial reading deficiency 146
that is not corrected by the end of grade three, the child 147
shall not be promoted to grade four unless the child 148
qualifies for a good cause exemption under subsection 11 of 149
this section; 150
(2) The child will be provided with intensive 151
instructional services and support listed under subsection 152
14 of this section; 153
(3) The parent or guardian shall agree to 154
participation in parent training workshops or regular parent- 155
guided home reading activities, or both, that are aligned to 156
scientifically-based reading research; and 157
(4) A parent or guardian's refusal to meet, sign, or 158
agree as required under this subsection shall not prevent 159
the student from receiving additional interventions or from 160
being retained by the school district. 161
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10. (1) Beginning in the 2027-28 school year and 162
continuing in all subsequent school years, if a student has 163
a substantial reading deficiency at the end of third grade, 164
the student's parent or guardian and appropriate school 165
staff shall discuss whether the student should be retained 166
in grade level, based on a consideration of all relevant 167
factors, including the reading deficiency, the student's 168
progress in other subject areas, and the student's overall 169
intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development. 170
(2) A decision to [promote or] retain a student with a 171
substantial reading deficiency at the end of grade three 172
shall be made only after direct personal consultation with 173
the student's parent or guardian and after the formulation 174
of a specific plan of action to remedy the student's reading 175
deficiency as determined by the department of elementary and 176
secondary education. 177
(3) Based on such student's performance on the reading 178
screener at the end of the third grade, the student shall be 179
retained in grade three unless: 180
(a) Such student scores "approaching expectations" or 181
higher on a retest opportunity through the Missouri reading 182
screener after successfully completing a state-approved 183
summer reading program; or 184
(b) Such student qualifies for a good cause exemption 185
under subsection 11 of this section. 186
11. A student may be promoted to grade four despite 187
scoring "at risk" on the reading screener if the student has 188
a good cause exemption. Good cause exemptions shall be 189
limited to the following: 190
(1) Students with disabilities who have an approved 191
individualized education plan developed under the federal 192
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 193
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U.S.C. Section 1401, et seq., as amended, that indicates 194
that participation in the statewide assessment program is 195
not appropriate, consistent with state and federal law; 196
(2) Students with disabilities who participate in the 197
statewide summative English language arts assessment and who 198
have either of the following plans reflecting that the 199
student has received intensive reading intervention for more 200
than two years but still demonstrates a substantial reading 201
deficiency: 202
(a) An approved individualized education plan 203
developed under the federal Individuals with Disabilities 204
Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1401, et seq., as 205
amended; or 206
(b) A 504 plan created under Section 504 of the 207
federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. Section 794, 208
as amended; 209
(3) Students identified as English language learners 210
who have had fewer than two years of instruction in an 211
English language learner program; and 212
(4) Students who have already been retained at least 213
once in any of grades kindergarten through grade three. 214
12. Requests for a good cause exemption shall be made 215
in accordance with the following requirements: 216
(1) Documentation shall be submitted from the 217
student's teacher to the school principal indicating that 218
the promotion of the student is appropriate. Such 219
documentation shall consist only of the good cause exemption 220
being requested and the existing reading improvement plan or 221
individualized education plan, as applicable; and 222
(2) The school principal shall review and discuss the 223
recommendation with the teacher and parent or guardian and 224
make the determination as to whether the student qualifies 225
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for one of the good cause exemptions described in subsection 226
10 in this section. If the school principal determines that 227
the student is eligible for one of the good cause exemptions 228
based on the documentation provided, the school principal 229
shall make such recommendation in writing to the 230
superintendent of the school district. The superintendent 231
shall accept or reject the school principal's recommendation 232
in writing. 233
13. (1) The school district shall assist schools with 234
providing written notification to the parent of any student 235
who is retained that: 236
(a) Such student has not met the reading level 237
required for promotion; 238
(b) The reasons the student is not eligible for a good 239
cause exemption; and 240
(c) That such student will be retained in grade three. 241
(2) The notification required under subdivision (1) of 242
this subsection shall include a description of the proposed 243
interventions and supports that will be provided to the 244
child to remedy the identified area or areas of reading 245
deficiency in the following school year. 246
[5.] 14. Each school district or charter school shall 247
do all of the following: 248
(1) Provide students who are identified as having a 249
reading deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in 250
reading] under [subsection 1] subsections 5 and 6 of this 251
section, have been identified as being at risk of dyslexia 252
in the statewide dyslexia screening, or have a formal 253
diagnosis of dyslexia with intensive instructional services 254
and supports specified in a reading success plan, as 255
appropriate according to student need, free of charge, to 256
remediate the identified areas of reading deficiency, 257
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including additional scientific, evidence-based reading 258
instruction and other strategies prescribed by the school 259
district or charter school which may include but are not 260
limited to the following: 261
(a) Small group or individual instruction; 262
(b) Reduced teacher-student ratios; 263
(c) More frequent progress monitoring; 264
(d) Tutoring or mentoring; 265
(e) Extended school day, week, or year; [and] 266
(f) Summer reading programs; and 267
(g) A "read at home" plan outlined in a parental 268
contract including, but not limited to, participation in 269
parent training workshops or regular parent-guided home 270
reading activities, or both, that are aligned to 271
scientifically based reading research; 272
(2) For any student with a formal diagnosis of 273
dyslexia or for a student who was found to be at risk of 274
dyslexia in the statewide dyslexia screening, the school 275
district or charter school shall provide evidence-based 276
reading instruction that addresses phonology, sound-symbol 277
association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and 278
semantics provided through systematic, cumulative, explicit, 279
and diagnostic methods; 280
(3) At regular intervals, but no less than four times 281
per year in a manner that reflects progress through each 282
school term, notify the parent or guardian of academic and 283
other progress being made by the student and give the parent 284
or guardian other useful information; 285
(4) In addition to required reading enhancement and 286
acceleration strategies, provide all parents of students, 287
including parents of students who are identified as having a 288
reading deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in 289
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reading] under [subsection 1] subsections 5 and 6 of this 290
section, with a plan that includes suggestions for regular 291
parent-guided home reading. 292
[6.] 15. Each school district and charter school shall 293
ensure that intensive reading instruction through a reading 294
development initiative shall be provided to each 295
[kindergarten] grade one through grade [five] three student 296
who is assessed as exhibiting a reading deficiency or 297
substantial reading deficiency [in reading]. In addition to 298
the requirements otherwise provided, such instruction shall 299
also comply with all of the following criteria: 300
(1) Be provided to all [kindergarten] grade one 301
through grade [five] three students who exhibit a reading 302
deficiency or substantial reading deficiency [in reading] 303
under this section. The assessments shall measure phonemic 304
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; 305
(2) Be provided during regular school hours; 306
(3) Provide a reading curriculum that meets the 307
requirements of section 170.014, and at a minimum has the 308
following specifications: 309
(a) Assists students assessed as exhibiting a reading 310
deficiency or substantial reading deficiency in reading to 311
develop the skills to read at grade level; 312
(b) Provides skill development in phonemic awareness, 313
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; 314
(c) Includes a scientifically based and reliable 315
assessment; 316
(d) Does not include the three-cueing system, as 317
defined in section 170.014, as a primary instructional 318
strategy; 319
(e) Provides initial and ongoing analysis of each 320
student's reading progress; and 321
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[(e)] (f) Provides a curriculum in core academic 322
subjects to assist the student in maintaining or meeting 323
proficiency levels for the appropriate grade in all academic 324
subjects. 325
16. Each school district shall establish at each 326
school, where applicable, an intensive acceleration class 327
for any student retained in grade three under subsection 9 328
of this section who was previously retained in kindergarten, 329
grade one, or grade two. The intensive acceleration class 330
shall include criteria established in subsections 13 and 14 331
of this section and: 332
(1) Have a reduced teacher-student ratio; and 333
(2) Provide explicit, systematic, sequential, and 334
cumulative reading instruction and intervention for the 335
majority of student contact time each day. 336
[7.] 17. School districts and charter schools shall 337
report to the department the specific intensive reading 338
interventions and supports implemented by the school 339
district or charter school pursuant to this section as well 340
as the reading assessment data collected for grades 341
[kindergarten] one through [five] three. The department 342
shall annually prescribe the components of required or 343
requested reports. 344
[8.] 18. (1) Each school district and charter school 345
shall address reading proficiency as part of its 346
comprehensive school improvement plan, drawing upon 347
information about children from assessments conducted 348
pursuant to subsection 1 of this section and the prevalence 349
of deficiencies identified by classroom, elementary school, 350
and other student characteristics. As part of its 351
comprehensive school improvement plan or contract, each 352
school district or charter school shall review chronic early 353
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elementary absenteeism for its impact on literacy 354
development. If more than fifteen percent of an attendance 355
center's students are not at grade level in reading by the 356
end of third grade, the comprehensive school improvement 357
plan or contract shall include strategies to reduce that 358
percentage, including school and community strategies to 359
raise the percentage of students who are proficient in 360
reading. 361
(2) Each school district and charter school shall 362
provide professional development services to enhance the 363
skills of elementary teachers in responding to children's 364
unique reading issues and needs and to increase the use of 365
evidence-based strategies. 366
19. Each district school board shall, by October first 367
of each year, report in writing to the department of 368
elementary and secondary education the following information 369
regarding the immediately preceding school year: 370
(1) The school board's policies and procedures 371
regarding student retention and promotion; 372
(2) By grade level, the number and percentage of all 373
students in grades kindergarten through three with reading 374
deficiencies or substantial reading deficiencies; 375
(3) By grade level, the number and percentage of all 376
students retained in grades kindergarten to three due to 377
substantial reading deficiencies; and 378
(4) The total number and percentage of students in 379
grade three who were promoted with good cause exemptions, 380
delineated by each category of good cause exemption 381
specified in subsection 10 of this section. 382
20. Each public school shall make available to the 383
public the title and author of all reading curriculum 384
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materials adopted for each grade and the recommended reading 385
level for such materials. 386
170.014. 1. This section shall be known as the 1
"Reading Instruction Act" and is enacted to ensure that all 2
public schools including charter schools establish reading 3
programs in kindergarten through grade five based in 4
scientific research. "Evidence-based reading instruction" 5
includes practices that have been proven effective through 6
evaluation of the outcomes for large numbers of students and 7
are highly likely to be effective in improving reading if 8
implemented with fidelity. Such programs shall include the 9
essential components of phonemic awareness, phonics, 10
fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and all new teachers 11
who teach reading in kindergarten through grade three shall 12
receive adequate training in these areas. 13
2. (1) For purposes of this subsection, "three-cueing 14
system" means any model of teaching students to read based 15
on meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues, which may 16
also be known as "MSV". 17
(2) A public school district or charter school shall 18
provide reading instruction in accordance with the following 19
requirements: 20
(a) Phonics instruction for decoding and encoding 21
shall be the primary instructional strategy for teaching 22
word reading; 23
(b) Instruction in word reading shall not rely 24
primarily on strategies based on the three-cueing system 25
model of reading or visual memory; and 26
(c) Reading instruction may include visual information 27
and strategies that improve background and experiential 28
knowledge, add context, and increase oral language and 29
vocabulary to support comprehension, but such visual 30
SCS HCS HB 2872 25
information and strategies shall not be used to teach [word 31
reading] decoding. 32
3. Every public school in the state shall offer a 33
reading program as described in subsection 1 of this section 34
for kindergarten through grade five. 35
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