72-3262. Every child can read act; attainment of proficiency in literacy; requirements of school districts; annual reports. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the every child can read act.

(b) The legislature hereby affirms that third grade marks a pivotal grade level in which students must attain proficiency in reading or risk continued learning losses throughout their academic career. To ensure that all students move toward grade-level proficiency in literacy, especially by the third grade level, the board of education of each school district shall provide opportunities for students to participate in targeted educational interventions to promote proficiency in literacy. Reading literacy shall be attained through the science of reading and evidence-based reading instruction and shall include such competencies as may be necessary to attain reading proficiency. The necessary competencies, best practices and screening tools used by school districts shall follow the framework of the dyslexia handbook developed by the state department of education. To ensure that such competencies are achieved, the board of education of each school district shall include as part of instruction in literacy:

(1) Phonics, phonological and phonemic awareness;

(2) vocabulary development;

(3) silent and oral reading fluency; and

(4) reading comprehension.

(c) To promote the goals of the every child can read act, the board of education of each school district shall:

(1) Measure student achievement by participation in the state assessment program and through other universal screening and assessment tools that are approved by a board of education of a school district or by the state department of education;

(2) provide targeted and tiered interventions that are designed to match a student's individual deficiencies through additional contact hours with such student, including, but not limited to, one-on-one instruction, small group instruction, tutoring and summer school programs for all students and especially for those students who are at and below the third grade level who are identified as having a literacy deficit; and

(3) ensure that the teacher of each third grade student communicates with the parent or guardian of each such student to provide information on the student's literacy proficiency or deficiencies and any recommended interventions for such student to achieve proficiency. Such communication shall occur at least once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester. When a teacher provides the communications required pursuant to this paragraph, each such communication shall provide the parent or guardian with:

(A) A summary of the every child can read act and the literacy goals of the act;

(B) any assessment data relating to literacy that pertains to the student;

(C) any recommended interventions for the student; and

(D) how the school district tracks the outcomes of any such interventions.

(d) (1) On or before June 30 of each school year, each school district shall report to the state department of education on the school district's implementation of the every child can read act, the interventions that the school district is using to attain the goals of such act and the resulting outcomes of such interventions. Such report shall include:

(A) The number of third grade students in such school district;

(B) the screening and assessment data from at least the preceding two school years that the school district is using as a baseline to evaluate student progress in literacy; and

(C) the percentage of students that are proficient, moving toward proficiency or deficient, with percentages provided for all students and student subgroups.

(2) The state department of education shall compile such reports and shall submit a summary report to the governor and the legislature on or before January 15 of each year.

(e) This section shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.

History: L. 2022, ch. 94, § 6; May 26.