Bill Text: CT HB07205 | 2017 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Early Literacy.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-30 - Signed by the Governor [HB07205 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2017-HB07205-Introduced.html
General Assembly |
Raised Bill No. 7205 | ||
January Session, 2017 |
LCO No. 4685 | ||
*04685_______ED_* | |||
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION |
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Introduced by: |
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(ED) |
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AN ACT CONCERNING EARLY LITERACY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-145r of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):
For the school year commencing July 1, 2014, and biennially thereafter, the local or regional board of education that employs a certified individual who holds an initial, provisional or professional educator certificate with an early childhood nursery through grade three or an elementary endorsement in a position requiring such an endorsement in kindergarten to grade three, inclusive, shall require each such certified individual to take a survey on reading instruction, developed by the Department of Education that is based on the reading instruction examination approved by the State Board of Education on April 1, 2009, or a comparable reading instruction examination with minimum standards that are equivalent to the examination approved by the State Board of Education on April 1, 2009. The department shall design such survey in a manner that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of such certified individuals in reading instruction practices and knowledge on an individual, school and district level. Such survey shall be administered at no financial cost to such certified individual. [and in a manner that protects the anonymity of such certified individual.] The results of such survey shall be distributed to such certified individual and the supervisor of such certified individual who is responsible for designing and facilitating the program of professional development conducted pursuant to section 10-148b for such certified individual, but shall not be included as part of any summative ratings for performance evaluations, conducted pursuant to section 10-151b, and not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200. Such results shall be used for the purpose of improving reading instruction by developing student learning objectives and teacher practice goals that will be included in the professional development conducted pursuant to section 10-148b for such certified individuals.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2017) (a) The Department of Education shall establish a reading readiness program that provides tiered supports in early literacy to local and regional boards of education. The department shall determine the reading readiness of each school and school district by considering any combination of the following: (1) Whether the school or school district has developed and is implementing a multiyear plan and allocated resources specifically for kindergarten through grade three literacy, (2) whether teachers and administrators have received training regarding the science of teaching reading, and the extent to which teachers and administrators have completed the program of professional development in scientifically based reading research and instruction, pursuant to section 10-148b of the general statutes, (3) the level of access to external coaches in literacy, and (4) whether there is reading intervention staff embedded at the school or in the school district.
(b) The department shall offer tiered supports in literacy to local and regional boards of education based on the reading readiness of a school or school district, as determined in subsection (a) of this section. Such tiered supports shall be provided as follows:
(1) Tier one universal supports shall be provided to all schools and school districts and include online professional development modules aligned with the reading instruction survey, as described in section 10-145r of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and other literacy modules and programs available in the state;
(2) Tier two targeted supports shall be provided to those schools and school districts with an identified need and requires (A) certain teachers and administrators to complete a two-year program of literacy leadership training, (B) targeted professional development, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-148b of the general statutes, using the results of the reading instruction survey, as described in section 10-145r of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and (C) external coaching support using alliance district or commissioner's network of schools funding; and
(3) Tier three intensive supports shall be provided to those schools and school districts with an identified need and requires multiyear support from the department and commitment from the school or school district, including, but not limited to, the use of alliance district funding to support a kindergarten through grade three reading literacy program, technical support in the drafting and submission of alliance district reading plans, identifying and embedding dedicated literacy coaches and reading interventionists, targeted and intensive professional development, and funds for assessment and instructional materials.
(c) If such tiered supports are for a school participating in the commissioner's network of schools, pursuant to section 10-223h of the general statutes, or a school located in or a school district for a town designated as an alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u of the general statutes, such tiered supports shall be aligned with any turnaround plan, developed pursuant to section 10-223h of the general statutes, or alliance district plan, developed pursuant to section 10-262u of the general statutes.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2017 |
10-145r |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2017 |
New section |
Statement of Purpose:
To require that the results of the reading instruction survey be distributed to teachers and supervisors for the purpose of informing such teacher's professional development in reading instruction and to establish a reading readiness program that provides tiered supports in early literacy to schools and school districts.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]