Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 195 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 206 3
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By: Senator Crowell 5
By: Representative R. Burkes 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; TO AMEND THE 9
AMOUNT OF THE LITERACY TUTORING GRANT AWARDED UNDER 10
THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO AMEND THE RIGHT TO READ ACT; AND TO 15
AMEND THE AMOUNT OF THE LITERACY 16
TUTORING GRANT AWARDED UNDER THE RIGHT 17
TO READ ACT. 18
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 20
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(b) and (c), concerning 22
requirements for certain individuals to have proficient knowledge and skills 23
to teach reading and obtain certain professional development under the Right 24
to Read Act, are amended to read as follows: 25
(b)(1)(A) No later than 2023, the The following shall have proficient 26
knowledge and skills to teach reading consistent with the best practices of 27
scientific reading instruction: 28
(i) A person who completes a state -approved educator 29
preparation program; and 30
(ii) A person seeking teacher licensure by 31
reciprocity or by adding an endorsement. 32
(B) No later than 2023, a A person who completes a state -33
approved educator preparation program other than a teacher of elementary 34
education program shall demonstrate an awareness of the best practices of 35
scientific reading instruction. 36 SB206
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(2) Beginning no later than the 2022 -2023 school year, each Each 1
state-approved educator preparation program shall post on its website 2
information describing its program to prepare teachers to teach reading using 3
scientific reading instruction aligned with but not limited to the content 4
measured by the stand -alone reading assessment adopted by the State Board of 5
Education under § 6-17-402. 6
(c)(1) Beginning with the 2018 -2019 school year, a Each public school 7
district and an open -enrollment public charter school shall provide the 8
following professional development in scientific reading instruction: 9
(A) For teachers licensed at the elementary level in 10
kindergarten through grade six (K -6), teachers with a special education 11
license in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), and teachers licensed as 12
reading specialists in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), professional 13
development for one (1) of the prescribed pathways to obtaining a proficiency 14
credential in knowledge and practices in scientific reading instruction; and 15
(B) For teachers licensed at a level other than the 16
elementary level in kindergarten through grade six (K -6), teachers with a 17
special education license in kindergarten through grade twelve (K -12), and 18
teachers licensed as reading specialists in kindergarten through grade twelve 19
(K-12), professional development for one (1) of the prescribed pathways to 20
obtaining an awareness credential in knowledge and practices in scientific 21
reading instruction. 22
(2) Beginning with the 2020 -2021 school year, a Each public 23
school or open-enrollment public charter school that does not provide the 24
professional development under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall: 25
(A) Be placed in probationary status; and 26
(B) Provide notice to parents that the public school 27
district has not met the requirements of this section. 28
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(d)(2), concerning the requirement 30
for teachers to demonstrate proficiency or awareness in the knowledge and 31
practices of scientific reading instruction under the Right to Read Act, is 32
amended to read as follows: 33
(2) All teachers who begin employment in the 2023 -2024 school 34
year and each following school year shall demonstrate proficiency or 35
awareness in knowledge and practices of scientific reading instruction as is 36 SB206
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applicable to their teaching position by completing the prescribed 1
proficiency or awareness in knowledge and practices of scientific reading 2
instruction credential either: 3
(A) As a condition of licensure; or 4
(B) Within one (1) year if the teacher is: 5
(i) Already licensed; or 6
(ii) Employed under a waiver from licensure. 7
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(f)-(h), concerning resources, 9
curriculum programs, and professional development requirements under the 10
Right to Read Act, are amended to read as follows: 11
(f) By the beginning of the 2020 -2021 school year, the The division 12
shall identify and create an approved list of materials, resources, and 13
curriculum programs for public school districts and open -enrollment public 14
charter schools that are supported by the science of reading and based on 15
instruction that is explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic, 16
including without limitation: 17
(1) Dyslexia programs that are evidence -based and: 18
(A) Aligned to structured literacy; or 19
(B) Grounded in the Orton -Gillingham methodology; 20
(2) Evidence-based reading intervention programs; and 21
(3) Evidence-based reading programs that are grounded in the 22
science of reading. 23
(g)(1) By the beginning of the 2021 -2022 school year, any A public 24
school district and open -enrollment public charter school purchasing that 25
purchases a curriculum program shall choose a curriculum program from the 26
division's approved list of curriculum programs created under subsection (f) 27
of this section. 28
(2) A public school district or open -enrollment public charter 29
school that chooses to purchase a curriculum program that is not from the 30
division's approved list of curriculum programs shall submit the following to 31
the division for approval of the alternative curriculum program: 32
(A) A rationale for choosing the alternative curriculum 33
program; and 34
(B) Evidence-based research regarding the alternative 35
curriculum program. 36 SB206
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(3) By the beginning of the 2023 -2024 school year, any A public 1
school district or open -enrollment public charter school that is using uses a 2
curriculum program that is not from the division's approved list created 3
under subsection (f) of this section shall notify all parents, legal 4
guardians, and persons standing in loco parentis to students in writing and 5
on the public school district's or open -enrollment public charter school's 6
website. 7
(h) By the beginning of the 2019 -2020 school year, a Each public 8
school district and an open -enrollment public charter school shall establish 9
a professional development program as required by § 6 -15-2914(b)(1)(B) that 10
shall: 11
(1) Include without limitation instruction based on the science 12
of reading; and 13
(2) Be provided on an annual basis after the professional 14
development required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section is complete. 15
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(i)(3)(B)(i), concerning 17
notification of a public school district's or an open -enrollment public 18
charter school's violation of requirements under the Right to Read Act, is 19
amended to read as follows: 20
(B)(i) Beginning with the 2023 -2024 school year, if If the 21
state board determines that a public school district or an open -enrollment 22
public charter school has violated subdivision (i)(3)(A) of this section, the 23
state board shall notify the public school district or the open -enrollment 24
public charter school of its violation. 25
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SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(j)(2)(B), concerning the 27
establishment, administration, and amount of a literacy tutoring grant under 28
the Right to Read Act, is amended to read as follows: 29
(B) The literacy tutoring grant created under subdivision 30
(j)(2)(A) of this section shall be in the amount of five hundred dollars 31
($500) one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per eligible student per 32
year on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to eligible 33
students who are to be retained in grade three (3). 34
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-429(j)(2)(C)(vi), concerning 36 SB206
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responsibilities of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to 1
administer and implement the literacy tutoring grant under the Right to Read 2
Act, is amended to read as follows: 3
(vi) Remit payment for services provided, up to a 4
maximum of five hundred dollars ($500) one thousand five hundred dollars 5
($1,500) per eligible student per school year, which may be used for any of 6
the following purposes designed to improve reading or literacy skills: 7
(a) Online or in-person, high-dosage tutoring 8
services from a list of state -approved providers whose employees are trained 9
in the science of reading and hold: 10
(1) Valid teaching certificates in 11
either elementary education or reading; or 12
(2) Baccalaureate or graduate degrees in 13
education, English, or another subject area indicative of expertise in 14
reading and literacy; or 15
(b) Evidence-based digital literacy 16
applications or software programs from a list of state -approved programs that 17
are in alignment with the science of reading; 18
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APPROVED: 2/27/25 21
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