Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB206 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 195 of the Regular Session
3	2		TNL105 02/06/2025 7:44:04 AM TNL105
4	3		State of Arkansas 1
5	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
6	5		Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 206 3
7	6		4
8	7		By: Senator Crowell 5
9	8		By: Representative R. Burkes 6
10	9		7
11	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
12	11		AN ACT TO AMEND THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; TO AMEND THE 9
13	12		AMOUNT OF THE LITERACY TUTORING GRANT AWARDED UNDER 10
14	13		THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
15	14		12
16	15		13
17	16		Subtitle 14
18	17		TO AMEND THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; AND TO 15
19	18		AMEND THE AMOUNT OF THE LITERACY 16
20	19		TUTORING GRANT AWARDED UNDER THE RIGHT 17
21	20		TO READ ACT. 18
22	21		19
23	22		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 20
24	23		21
25	24		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(b) and (c), concerning 22
26	25		requirements for certain individuals to have proficient knowledge and skills 23
27	26		to teach reading and obtain certain professional development under the Right 24
28	27		to Read Act, are amended to read as follows: 25
29	28		(b)(1)(A) No later than 2023, the The following shall have proficient 26
30	29		knowledge and skills to teach reading consistent with the best practices of 27
31	30		scientific reading instruction: 28
32	31		(i) A person who completes a state -approved educator 29
33	32		preparation program; and 30
34	33		(ii) A person seeking teacher licensure by 31
35	34		reciprocity or by adding an endorsement. 32
36	35		(B) No later than 2023, a A person who completes a state -33
37	36		approved educator preparation program other than a teacher of elementary 34
38	37		education program shall demonstrate an awareness of the best practices of 35
39	38		scientific reading instruction. 36 SB206
40	39
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42	41		(2) Beginning no later than the 2022 -2023 school year, each Each 1
43	42		state-approved educator preparation program shall post on its website 2
44	43		information describing its program to prepare teachers to teach reading using 3
45	44		scientific reading instruction aligned with but not limited to the content 4
46	45		measured by the stand -alone reading assessment adopted by the State Board of 5
47	46		Education under § 6-17-402. 6
48	47		(c)(1) Beginning with the 2018 -2019 school year, a Each public school 7
49	48		district and an open -enrollment public charter school shall provide the 8
50	49		following professional development in scientific reading instruction: 9
51	50		(A) For teachers licensed at the elementary level in 10
52	51		kindergarten through grade six (K -6), teachers with a special education 11
53	52		license in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), and teachers licensed as 12
54	53		reading specialists in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), professional 13
55	54		development for one (1) of the prescribed pathways to obtaining a proficiency 14
56	55		credential in knowledge and practices in scientific reading instruction; and 15
57	56		(B) For teachers licensed at a level other than the 16
58	57		elementary level in kindergarten through grade six (K -6), teachers with a 17
59	58		special education license in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), and 18
60	59		teachers licensed as reading specialists in kindergarten through grade twelve 19
61	60		(K-12), professional development for one (1) of the prescribed pathways to 20
62	61		obtaining an awareness credential in knowledge and practices in scientific 21
63	62		reading instruction. 22
64	63		(2) Beginning with the 2020 -2021 school year, a Each public 23
65	64		school or open-enrollment public charter school that does not provide the 24
66	65		professional development under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall: 25
67	66		(A) Be placed in probationary status; and 26
68	67		(B) Provide notice to parents that the public school 27
69	68		district has not met the requirements of this section. 28
70	69		29
71	70		SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(d)(2), concerning the requirement 30
72	71		for teachers to demonstrate proficiency or awareness in the knowledge and 31
73	72		practices of scientific reading instruction under the Right to Read Act, is 32
74	73		amended to read as follows: 33
75	74		(2) All teachers who begin employment in the 2023 -2024 school 34
76	75		year and each following school year shall demonstrate proficiency or 35
77	76		awareness in knowledge and practices of scientific reading instruction as is 36 SB206
78	77
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80	79		applicable to their teaching position by completing the prescribed 1
81	80		proficiency or awareness in knowledge and practices of scientific reading 2
82	81		instruction credential either: 3
83	82		(A) As a condition of licensure; or 4
84	83		(B) Within one (1) year if the teacher is: 5
85	84		(i) Already licensed; or 6
86	85		(ii) Employed under a waiver from licensure. 7
87	86		8
88	87		SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(f)-(h), concerning resources, 9
89	88		curriculum programs, and professional development requirements under the 10
90	89		Right to Read Act, are amended to read as follows: 11
91	90		(f) By the beginning of the 2020 -2021 school year, the The division 12
92	91		shall identify and create an approved list of materials, resources, and 13
93	92		curriculum programs for public school districts and open -enrollment public 14
94	93		charter schools that are supported by the science of reading and based on 15
95	94		instruction that is explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic, 16
96	95		including without limitation: 17
97	96		(1) Dyslexia programs that are evidence -based and: 18
98	97		(A) Aligned to structured literacy; or 19
99	98		(B) Grounded in the Orton -Gillingham methodology; 20
100	99		(2) Evidence-based reading intervention programs; and 21
101	100		(3) Evidence-based reading programs that are grounded in the 22
102	101		science of reading. 23
103	102		(g)(1) By the beginning of the 2021 -2022 school year, any A public 24
104	103		school district and open -enrollment public charter school purchasing that 25
105	104		purchases a curriculum program shall choose a curriculum program from the 26
106	105		division's approved list of curriculum programs created under subsection (f) 27
107	106		of this section. 28
108	107		(2) A public school district or open -enrollment public charter 29
109	108		school that chooses to purchase a curriculum program that is not from the 30
110	109		division's approved list of curriculum programs shall submit the following to 31
111	110		the division for approval of the alternative curriculum program: 32
112	111		(A) A rationale for choosing the alternative curriculum 33
113	112		program; and 34
114	113		(B) Evidence-based research regarding the alternative 35
115	114		curriculum program. 36 SB206
116	115
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118	117		(3) By the beginning of the 2023 -2024 school year, any A public 1
119	118		school district or open -enrollment public charter school that is using uses a 2
120	119		curriculum program that is not from the division's approved list created 3
121	120		under subsection (f) of this section shall notify all parents, legal 4
122	121		guardians, and persons standing in loco parentis to students in writing and 5
123	122		on the public school district's or open -enrollment public charter school's 6
124	123		website. 7
125	124		(h) By the beginning of the 2019 -2020 school year, a Each public 8
126	125		school district and an open -enrollment public charter school shall establish 9
127	126		a professional development program as required by § 6 -15-2914(b)(1)(B) that 10
128	127		shall: 11
129	128		(1) Include without limitation instruction based on the science 12
130	129		of reading; and 13
131	130		(2) Be provided on an annual basis after the professional 14
132	131		development required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section is complete. 15
133	132		16
134	133		SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(i)(3)(B)(i), concerning 17
135	134		notification of a public school district's or an open -enrollment public 18
136	135		charter school's violation of requirements under the Right to Read Act, is 19
137	136		amended to read as follows: 20
138	137		(B)(i) Beginning with the 2023 -2024 school year, if If the 21
139	138		state board determines that a public school district or an open -enrollment 22
140	139		public charter school has violated subdivision (i)(3)(A) of this section, the 23
141	140		state board shall notify the public school district or the open -enrollment 24
142	141		public charter school of its violation. 25
143	142		26
144	143		SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(j)(2)(B), concerning the 27
145	144		establishment, administration, and amount of a literacy tutoring grant under 28
146	145		the Right to Read Act, is amended to read as follows: 29
147	146		(B) The literacy tutoring grant created under subdivision 30
148	147		(j)(2)(A) of this section shall be in the amount of five hundred dollars 31
149	148		($500) one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per eligible student per 32
150	149		year on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to eligible 33
151	150		students who are to be retained in grade three (3). 34
152	151		35
153	152		SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(j)(2)(C)(vi), concerning 36 SB206
154	153
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156	155		responsibilities of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to 1
157	156		administer and implement the literacy tutoring grant under the Right to Read 2
158	157		Act, is amended to read as follows: 3
159	158		(vi) Remit payment for services provided, up to a 4
160	159		maximum of five hundred dollars ($500) one thousand five hundred dollars 5
161	160		($1,500) per eligible student per school year, which may be used for any of 6
162	161		the following purposes designed to improve reading or literacy skills: 7
163	162		(a) Online or in-person, high-dosage tutoring 8
164	163		services from a list of state -approved providers whose employees are trained 9
165	164		in the science of reading and hold: 10
166	165		(1) Valid teaching certificates in 11
167	166		either elementary education or reading; or 12
168	167		(2) Baccalaureate or graduate degrees in 13
169	168		education, English, or another subject area indicative of expertise in 14
170	169		reading and literacy; or 15
171	170		(b) Evidence-based digital literacy 16
172	171		applications or software programs from a list of state -approved programs that 17
173	172		are in alignment with the science of reading; 18
174	173		19
175	174		20
176		-	~~APPROVED: 2/27/25~~ 21
	175	+	21
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