STORAGE NAME: h1309b.BUC
DATE: 3/25/2025
1
FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BILL ANALYSIS
This bill analysis was prepared by nonpartisan committee staff and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
BILL #: HB 1309
TITLE: Reading Interventions and Instruction
SPONSOR(S): Snyder
COMPANION BILL: SB 442 (Simon)
LINKED BILLS: None
RELATED BILLS: None
Committee References
Student Academic Success
15 Y, 0 N
Budget
Education & Employment
SUMMARY
Effect of the Bill:
The bill requires school district reading instruction plans to include certain evidence-based reading interventions
for students who have reading deficiencies. The bill authorizes the reading instruction plan to include methods for
deploying reading coaches and placing kindergarten through grade 2 classroom teachers to ensure the assignment
of high-quality classroom teachers who are trained in the science of reading. The Department of Education is
required to review and approve the methods. The bill requires, subject to an appropriation, the Florida Center for
Reading Research (FCRR) to develop content, including specified strategies for job-embedded training focused on
reading instruction and interventions for students in grades 4-12. The bill requires Just Read, Florida! to work with
FCRR to identify personnel to participate in the training. Finally, the bill requires schools containing grades 6, 7, or
8 that have a school improvement plan to include specific strategies in the plan to provide training to reading
coaches, classroom teachers, and school administrators in the delivery of reading instruction and interventions,
including specified strategies, to students in grades 4 through 12.
Fiscal or Economic Impact:
The FCRR’s development of content for the training specified in the bill is contingent upon an appropriation, which
is not included in the bill.
JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
ANALYSIS
EFFECT OF THE BILL:
The bill requires a school district’s reading instruction plan
1 to include evidence-based intensive reading
interventions for students who have reading deficiencies. The interventions must include all of the following:
Evidence-based reading instruction proven to accelerate the progress of students exhibiting a reading
deficiency.
Differentiated instruction based on screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or student assessment data
to meet students' specific reading needs.
Explicit and systematic reading strategies to develop phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
and comprehension, with more extensive opportunities for guided practice, error correction, and feedback.
The coordinated integration of civic literacy, science, and mathematics-text reading, text discussion, and
writing in response to reading.
The reading instruction plan may include methods for deploying reading coaches and placing kindergarten
through grade 2 classroom teachers to ensure the assignment of high-quality classroom teachers who are trained
in the science of reading. The Department of Education (DOE) is required to review and approve the methods.
(Section 2).
1
Section 1003.4201, F.S. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
2
Contingent upon a legislative appropriation, the bill requires the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)
2 to
develop content for job-embedded training for school and district leadership, including school principals, and
reading coaches that focuses on the delivery of reading instruction and interventions to students in grades 4
through 12. The training must include evidence-based strategies for motivating and engaging adolescent learners
and research-based strategies for accommodations and scaffolding instruction for struggling readers and writers.
(Section 3).
The bill requires the Just Read, Florida! Office
3 to work with FCRR to identify middle and high school personnel,
including school principals and reading coaches at the district and school level, to participate in the training, with
priority given to personnel from small and rural school districts and district career technical programs. (Section 1).
The bill requires schools including any of the grades 6, 7, or 8 that are also required to have a school improvement
plan
4 to include specific strategies in the plan to provide training to reading coaches, classroom teachers, and
school administrators in the delivery of reading instruction and interventions to students in grades 4 through 12,
including evidence-based strategies for motivating and engaging adolescent learners and research-based strategies
for accommodations and scaffolding instruction for struggling readers and writers. (Section 4).
The effective date for the bill is July 1, 2025. (Section 5).
RULEMAKING:
Current law authorizes the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt rules to administer the School Community
Professional Learning Act. The bill modifies a provision of that law regarding requirements for school
improvement plans, thus allowing the SBE to make rules to implement the bill.
5
Lawmaking is a legislative power; however, the Legislature may delegate a portion of such power to executive
branch agencies to create rules that have the force of law. To exercise this delegated power, an agency must
have a grant of rulemaking authority and a law to implement.
FISCAL OR ECONOMIC IMPACT:
STATE GOVERNMENT:
Implementation of the bill’s provision that the FCRR develop content for job-embedded training for school and
district leadership, including school principals, and reading coaches focused on the delivery of reading instruction
and interventions to students in grades 4 through 12 is contingent upon a legislative appropriation.
RELEVANT INFORMATION
SUBJECT OVERVIEW:
Reading Instruction Plans
Each school district is required by law
6 to implement a system of comprehensive reading instruction for students
in prekindergarten through grade 12 and certain students who exhibit a substantial deficiency in early literacy. A
school district must develop, and submit to the district school board for approval, a detailed reading instruction
plan that outlines the components of the district's comprehensive system of reading instruction. The plan must
include all district schools, including charter schools, unless a charter school elects to submit a plan independently
from the school district. A charter school plan must comply with all of the provisions of this section and must be
approved by the charter school's governing body and provided to the charter school's sponsor. Components of the
reading instruction plan may include:
2
Section 1004.645, F.S.
3
Section 1001.215, F.S.
4
Sections 1001.42(18) and 1012.98(5), F.S.
5
Section 1012.98(9), F.S.
6
Section 1003.4201, F.S. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
3
Additional time per day of evidence-based intensive reading instruction which may be delivered during or
outside of the regular school day.
Highly qualified reading coaches, who must be endorsed in reading, to support classroom teachers in
making instructional decisions based on progress monitoring data and improve classroom teacher delivery
of effective reading instruction, reading intervention, and reading in the content areas based on student
need.
Professional learning to help instructional personnel and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the
Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) earn a certification, credential, endorsement, or advanced
degree in scientifically researched and evidence-based reading instruction.
Summer reading camps for all students in kindergarten through grade 5 exhibiting a reading deficiency as
determined by district and state assessments.
Incentives for instructional personnel and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the FEFP who
possess a reading certification or endorsement or micro-credential
7 and provide educational support to
improve student literacy.
Tutoring in reading.
A school district must include in its reading instruction plan the planned school year expenditures for each
component of the plan and submit its approved plan, including any approved plans for a charter school in the
district, to the DOE by August 1 of each fiscal year. The DOE evaluates the implementation of each plan, including
conducting site visits and collecting specific data on reading improvement results. By February 1 of each year, the
DOE is required to report its findings to the Legislature and the SBE, including any recommendations for improving
implementation of evidence-based intensive reading and intervention strategies in the classroom.
The Science of Reading
In 2000, the National Reading Panel issued a final report after a years’ long analysis of available research on how
children learn to read and the most effective reading instruction methods.
8 The science of reading, supported by
the findings of the National Reading Panel, focuses on teaching five components of reading: phonemic awareness;
phonics; fluency; vocabulary; and comprehension.
9 Research shows that instruction based on the science of
reading is proven to provide students the foundational skills needed to learn to read, even for those students with
reading difficulties, such as dyslexia.
10 Reading development can be divided into three stages: letters and sounds;
phonic decoding; and orthographic mapping.
11
For children to be able to construct an orthographic
12 vocabulary, they must be fluent in phonics and phonemic
manipulation. Students must have exposure to decodable text, practice and review in decoding and encoding, and
knowledge and application of concept skills. The ultimate goal for reading is comprehension.
13
In 2023, the Legislature passed HB 7039, requiring reading literacy instruction, curriculum, materials, and
practices to be grounded in the science of reading for effectual student outcomes. The requirement applies to:
The New Worlds Reading Initiative micro-credential.
14
7
Section 1003.485, F.S.
8
National Reading Panel, Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on
Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction (April 13, 2000), available at
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/nrp/Documents/report.pdf.
9
Kymyona Burk, Ed.D, Foundation for Excellence in Education, How the Science of Reading is Transforming Education and
Opportunities for All Students, presentation before the Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee, (Jan. 14, 2021).
10
Id. (As described in the National Reading Panel Report and summarized by Dr. Burk in her presentation to the
subcommittee, instruction and interventions based on the science of reading are evidence-based instruction and
interventions.)
11
Id.
12
Keys to Literacy, The Role of Orthographic Mapping in Learning to Read, https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/the-role-of-
orthographic-mapping-in-learning-to-read/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2025). Through orthographic mapping, students use the oral
language processing part of the brain to map the sounds of words they already know to the letters in a word. They then
permanently store the connected sounds and letters of words as instantly recognizable words. Id.
13
Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, What is the Science of Reading?, https://journal.imse.com/what-is-the-science-of-
reading/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2025).
14
Section 1003.485, F.S. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
4
Training for literacy support directors and the tutoring program under the Reading Achievement Initiative
for Scholastic Excellence (RAISE) Program.
15
Curricula for teacher preparation and alternative certification programs, to include initial teacher
preparation programs and educator preparation institutes offered at the postsecondary level, and district
school board provided Professional Development Certification and Education Competency programs.
16
State approved instruction and intervention programs for students in K-3 that have been identified as
having a substantial reading deficiency or characteristics of dyslexia.
17
District school board instruction, interventions, curricula, and programs for retained grade 3 students.
18
Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program performance standards and curriculum.
19
Courses in emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors.
20
The law provides teachers, school leaders, parents, and educator preparation programs and associated faculty with
resources focused on the science of reading by requiring the Just Read, Florida! Office
21, in collaboration with the
Lastinger Center at the University of Florida, to develop and provide access to an online repository of such digital
resources.
22
Florida Center for Reading Research
The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University
that was established in 2002 by the Governor's office and Legislature.
23 FCRR is required by law to:
24
Provide technical assistance and support to all Florida school districts and schools in the implementation of
evidence-based literacy instruction, assessments, programs, and professional learning.
Conduct applied research that will have an immediate impact on policy and practices related to literacy
instruction and assessment in this state with an emphasis on struggling readers and reading in the content
area strategies and methods for secondary teachers.
Conduct basic research on reading, reading growth, reading assessment, and reading instruction which will
contribute to scientific knowledge about reading.
Collaborate with the Just Read! Florida Office and school districts in the development of frameworks for
comprehensive reading intervention courses for possible use in middle schools and secondary schools.
Collaborate with the Just Read! Florida Office and school districts in the development of frameworks for
professional learning activities, using multiple delivery methods for teaching reading in the content area.
Disseminate information about research-based practices related to literacy instruction, assessment, and
programs for students in preschool through grade 12.
Collect, manage, and report on assessment information from screening, progress monitoring, and outcome
assessments through the Florida Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network. The network is a statewide
resource that is operated to provide valid and timely reading assessment data for parents, teachers,
principals, and district-level and state-level staff in the management of instruction at the individual,
classroom, and school levels.
Just Read, Florida! Office
In 2001, Just Read, Florida! was established to serve as the comprehensive and coordinated reading initiative for
the state,
25 prioritizing reading in Florida’s public schools, community groups, and volunteer organizations that
15
Section 1008.365, F.S.
16
Section 1004.04, F.S.
17
Section 1008.25, F.S.
18
Id.
19
Section 1002.67, F.S.
20
Section 1002.59, F.S.
21
Section 1001.215, F.S.
22
Florida Department of Education, Just Read, Florida!, Just Read, Florida! (last visited Mar. 13, 2025).
23
Florida Center for Reading Research, About FCRR, About | Florida Center for Reading Research (last visited Mar. 13, 2025).
24
Section 1004.645, F.S.
25
Executive Order 01-260 (2001), available at
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7539/urlt/just_read_florida_executive_order.pdf. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
5
support literacy.
26 Just Read, Florida! is based on the latest reading research that includes emphasis on oral
language development, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
27
Created within the DOE, the Just Read, Florida! Office is responsible for:
Working with the FCRR to identify scientifically researched and evidence-based reading instructional and
intervention programs that incorporate explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching
phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension and incorporate decodable or
phonetic text instructional strategies.
28
Providing training to reading coaches and school administrators on evidence-based strategies for
implementation, modeling, and classroom observations to support professional growth and inform
performance evaluations of instructional personnel.
29
Developing and providing access to sequenced, content-rich curriculum programming, instructional
practices, and resources that help elementary schools use state-adopted instructional materials to increase
students’ background knowledge and literacy skills.
30
Creating multiple designations of effective reading instruction, with accompanying credentials, to enable all
teachers to integrate reading instruction into their content areas.
31
Working with the Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida to create training for
kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, reading coaches, and school administrators on effective content-
area-specific reading strategies, the coordinated integration of content-rich curriculum from other core
subject areas into reading instruction, with a focus on civic literacy, and evidence-based reading strategies
identified to improve student reading performance.
32
Providing parents information and strategies that have been proven effective to help their children learn to
read, including reading in content areas.
33
Working with state-approved teacher preparation programs to integrate effective, evidence-based reading
instructional and intervention strategies, including explicit, systematic, and sequential reading strategies,
multisensory intervention strategies, and reading in content area instructional strategies into teacher
preparation programs.
34
Providing technical assistance to school districts in the development and implementation of district plans
for use of the evidence-based reading instruction allocation
35 and annually reviewing and approving such
plans.
36
Reviewing, evaluating, and providing technical assistance to school districts’ implementation of the
comprehensive reading plan.
37
Periodically reviewing the State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) to determine their
appropriateness at each grade level.
38
Periodically reviewing teacher certification requirements and examinations to ascertain whether the
examinations measure the skills needed for evidence-based reading instruction and instructional strategies
for teaching reading.
39
School Improvement Plans
26
Florida Department of Education, Just Read, Florida!, Just Read, Florida! (last visited Mar. 24, 2025).
27
Id.
28
Section 1001.215(8), F.S.
29
Section 1001.215(1), F.S.
30
Section 1001.215(4), F.S.
31
Section 1001.215(2), F.S.
32
Section 1001.215(3), F.S.
33
Section 1001.215(5), F.S.
34
Section 1001.215(11), F.S.
35
Section 1011.62(8), F.S.
36
Section 1001.215(6), F.S.
37
Sections 1001.215(7) and 1011.62(8), F.S.
38
Section 1001.215(9), F.S.
39
Section 1001.215(10), F.S. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
6
District school boards are required by law to maintain a system of school improvement and education
accountability, including annually approving and requiring implementation of school improvement plans for each
school in the district that has:
40
Earned a school grade of “D” or “F”.
41
A significant gap in achievement on statewide, standardized assessments
42 by one or more student
subgroups, as defined in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
43
Not significantly increased the percentage of students passing statewide, standardized assessments.
Not significantly increased the percentage of students demonstrating Learning Gains.
44 who passed
statewide, standardized assessments
Been identified as requiring instructional supports under the RAISE Program.
45
Significantly lower graduation rates for a subgroup when compared to the state's graduation rate.
The school improvement plan must include strategies for improving these results. The SBE adopts rules to
establish thresholds and determine compliance with the school improvement plan requirements.
46
RECENT LEGISLATION:
YEAR BILL # HOUSE SPONSOR(S) SENATE SPONSOR OTHER INFORMATION
2023 CS/CS/HB 7039 Trabulsy Calatayud Became law on May 17, 2023
and took effect on July 1, 2023.
BILL HISTORY
COMMITTEE REFERENCE ACTION DATE
STAFF
DIRECTOR/
POLICY CHIEF
ANALYSIS
PREPARED BY
Student Academic Success
Subcommittee
15 Y, 0 N 3/18/2025 Sanchez Blalock
Budget Committee Pridgeon Bailey
Education & Employment
Committee
40
Section 1001.42(18), F.S.
41
Section 1008.34, F.S.
42
Section 1008.22, F.S.
43
20 U.S.C. s. 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II).
44
Section 1008.34, F.S.
45
Section 1008.365, F.S.
46
Section 1001.42(18)(a), F.S.