EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILLS NOS. 681 & 662
101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
4133S.06C ADRIANE D. CROUSE, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 161.097, 167.268, 167.640, 167.645, and 170.014, RSMo, and to enact in lieu
thereof eight new sections relating to educational outcomes.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 161.097, 167.268, 167.640, 167.645, 1
and 170.014, RSMo, are repealed and eight new se ctions enacted 2
in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 161.097, 161.214, 3
161.241, 167.268, 167.640, 167.645, 170.014, and 186.080, to 4
read as follows:5
161.097. 1. The state board of education shall 1
establish standards and procedures by which it w ill evaluate 2
all teacher training institutions in this state for the 3
approval of teacher education programs. The state board of 4
education shall not require teacher training institutions to 5
meet national or regional accreditation as a part of its 6
standards and procedures in making those evaluations, but it 7
may accept such accreditations in lieu of such approval if 8
standards and procedures set thereby are at least as 9
stringent as those set by the board. The state board of 10
education's standards and procedures for evaluating teacher 11
training institutions shall equal or exceed those of 12
national or regional accrediting associations. 13
2. There is hereby established within the department 14
of elementary and secondary education the "Missouri Advisory 15 SCS SBs 681 & 662 2
Board for Educator Preparation", hereinafter referred to as 16
"MABEP". The MABEP shall advise the state board of 17
education and the coordinating board for higher education 18
regarding matters of mutual interest in the area of quality 19
educator preparation programs in Missouri. The advisory 20
board shall include at least three active elementary or 21
secondary classroom teachers and at least three faculty 22
members within approved educator preparation programs. The 23
classroom teacher members shall be selected to represent 24
various regions of the state and districts of different 25
sizes. The faculty representatives shall represent 26
institutions from various regions of the state and sizes of 27
program. The advisory board shall hold regular meetings 28
that allow members to share needs and concerns and plan 29
strategies to enhance teacher preparation. 30
3. Upon approval by the state board of education of 31
the teacher education program at a particular teacher 32
training institution, any person who graduates from th at 33
program, and who meets other requirements which the state 34
board of education shall prescribe by rule, regulation and 35
statute shall be granted a certificate or license to teach 36
in the public schools of this state. However, no such rule 37
or regulation shall require that the program from which the 38
person graduates be accredited by any national or regional 39
accreditation association. 40
4. The state board of education shall, in consultation 41
with MABEP, align literacy and reading instruction 42
coursework for teacher education programs in early 43
childhood, kindergarten to fifth grade elementary teacher 44
certification, middle school communication arts, high school 45
communication arts, and all reading and special education 46
certificates to include the fo llowing: 47 SCS SBs 681 & 662 3
(1) Teacher candidates shall receive classroom and 48
clinical training in: 49
(a) The core components of reading, including phonemic 50
awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, morphology, 51
syntax, and vocabulary; 52
(b) Oral and written language development; and 53
(c) Identification of reading deficiencies, dyslexia, 54
and other language difficulties; 55
(2) Teacher candidates shall also have training on: 56
(a) The selection and use of reading curricula and 57
instructional materials; 58
(b) The administration and interpretation of 59
assessments; 60
(c) How to translate assessment results into effective 61
practice in the classroom specific to the needs of students; 62
and 63
(d) Additional best practices in the field of lite racy 64
instruction as recommended by the literacy advisory council 65
pursuant to section 186.080. 66
5. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is 67
defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 68
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 69
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 70
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 71
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 72
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 73
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 74
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 75
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 76
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 77
2014, shall be invalid and void. 78 SCS SBs 681 & 662 4
161.214. 1. For purposes of this section, the 1
following terms shall mean: 2
(1) "Board", the state board of education; 3
(2) "Department", the department of elementary and 4
secondary education; 5
(3) "School innovation te am", a group of natural 6
persons officially authorized by: 7
(a) A single elementary or secondary school; 8
(b) A group of two or more elementary or secondary 9
schools within the same school district that share common 10
interests, such as geographic al location or educational 11
focus, or that sequentially serve classes of students as 12
they progress through elementary and secondary education; 13
(c) A group of two or more elementary or secondary 14
schools not within the same school district that share 15
common interests, such as geographical location or 16
educational focus, or that sequentially serve classes of 17
students as they progress through elementary and secondary 18
education; 19
(d) A single school district; or 20
(e) A group of two or more s chool districts that share 21
common interests, such as geographical location or 22
educational focus, or that sequentially serve classes of 23
students as they progress through elementary and secondary 24
education; 25
(4) "School innovation waiver", a waiver granted by 26
the board to a single school, group of schools, single 27
school district, or group of school districts pursuant to 28
this section, in which the school, group of schools, school 29
district, or group of school districts is exempt from a 30
specific requirement imposed by chapter 160, chapter 161, 31
chapter 162, chapter 167, chapter 170, or chapter 171, or 32 SCS SBs 681 & 662 5
any regulations promulgated thereunder by the board or the 33
department. Any school innovation waiver granted to a 34
school district or group of schoo l districts shall be 35
applicable to every elementary and secondary school within 36
the school district or group of school districts unless the 37
plan specifically provides otherwise. 38
2. Any school innovation team seeking a school 39
innovation waiver may submit a plan to the board for one or 40
more of the following purposes: 41
(1) Improving student readiness for employment, higher 42
education, vocational training, technical training, or any 43
other form of career and job training; 44
(2) Increasing the compensation of teachers; or 45
(3) Improving the recruitment, retention, training, 46
preparation, or professional development of teachers. 47
3. Any plan for a school innovation waiver shall: 48
(1) Identify the specific provision of law for whi ch a 49
waiver is being requested and provide an explanation for why 50
the specific provision of law inhibits the ability of the 51
school or school district to accomplish the goal stated in 52
the plan; 53
(2) Demonstrate that the intent of the specific 54
provision of law can be addressed in a more effective, 55
efficient or economical manner and that the waiver or 56
modification is necessary to implement the plan; 57
(3) Include measurable annual performance targets and 58
goals for the implementation of the pla n; 59
(4) Specify the innovations to be pursued in meeting 60
one or more of the goals listed in subsection 2 of this 61
section; 62 SCS SBs 681 & 662 6
(5) Demonstrate parental, school employee, and 63
community and business support for, and engagement with, the 64
plan; and 65
(6) Be approved by at least the minimum number of 66
people required to be on the school innovation team prior to 67
submitting the plan for approval. 68
4. (1) In evaluating a plan submitted by a school 69
innovation team under subsection 2 of this se ction, the 70
board shall consider whether the plan will: 71
(a) Improve the preparation, counseling, and overall 72
readiness of students for postsecondary life; 73
(b) Increase teacher salaries in a financially 74
sustainable and prudent manner; or 75
(c) Increase the attractiveness of the teaching 76
profession for prospective teachers and active teachers 77
alike. 78
(2) The board may approve any plan submitted under 79
subsection 2 of this section if it determines that: 80
(a) The plan successfully demonstrates the ability to 81
address the intent of the provision of law to be waived in a 82
more effective, efficient or economical manner; 83
(b) The waivers or modifications are demonstrated to 84
be necessary to stimulate improved student readiness for 85
postsecondary life, increase teacher salaries, or increase 86
the attractiveness of the teaching profession for 87
prospective teachers and active teachers; 88
(c) The plan has demonstrated sufficient participation 89
from among the teachers, principals, sup erintendent, 90
faculty, school board, parents, and the community at large; 91
and 92
(d) The plan is based upon sound educational 93
practices, does not endanger the health and safety of 94 SCS SBs 681 & 662 7
students or staff, and does not compromise equal opportunity 95
for learning. 96
(3) The board may propose modifications to the plan in 97
cooperation with the school innovation team. 98
5. Any waiver granted under this section shall be 99
effective for a period of no longer than three school years 100
beginning the school year following the school year in which 101
the waiver is approved. Any waiver may be renewed. No more 102
than one school innovation waiver shall be in effect with 103
respect to any one elementary or secondary school at one 104
time. 105
6. This section shall not be construed to allow the 106
state board of education to authorize the waiver of any 107
statutory requirements relating to teacher certification, 108
teacher tenure, or any requirement imposed by federal law. 109
7. The board may promulgate rules implementing the 110
provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, 111
as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created 112
under the authority delegated in this section shall become 113
effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of 114
the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 115
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 116
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 117
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 118
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 119
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 120
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 121
2022, shall be invalid and void. 122
161.241. 1. The state board of education, in 1
collaboration with the coordinating board for higher 2
education and the commissioner's advisory council under 3 SCS SBs 681 & 662 8
section 186.080, shall develop a plan to establish a 4
comprehensive system of services for reading instruction. 5
2. The state board of education shall establ ish and 6
periodically update a statewide literacy plan that supports 7
high quality, evidence -based reading instruction for all 8
students. 9
3. The state board of education shall create an office 10
of literacy. The commissioner of education shall coordi nate 11
staff with roles relating to literacy and align staff work 12
around supporting best practices in reading instruction. 13
4. The state board of education shall align literacy 14
and reading instruction coursework for teacher education 15
programs as required under subsection 4 of section 161.097. 16
5. Subject to appropriation, the department of 17
elementary and secondary education shall recruit and employ 18
quality teacher trainers with expertise in reading 19
instruction and provide opportunities for ev idence-based 20
professional development in reading instruction available 21
for all active teachers. 22
6. The department shall maintain and publish data on 23
reading outcomes, provided that the report shall not include 24
individually identifiable student da ta. 25
7. The department shall publish criteria and examples 26
to help districts and schools select and use evidence -based 27
reading curricula and instructional materials. 28
Additionally, the department shall publish a list of 29
curricula that ensure instr uction is explicit, systematic, 30
diagnostic and based on phonological awareness, phonics, 31
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, morphology, syntax, and 32
semantics. This shall be a resource to districts. 33 SCS SBs 681 & 662 9
8. The department shall provide online tools an d 34
training for active teachers on evidence -based reading 35
instruction. 36
9. There is hereby created in the state treasury the 37
"Evidence-based Reading Instruction Program Fund". The fund 38
shall be administered by the department and used to 39
reimburse school districts and charter schools for efforts 40
to improve student literacy, including, but not limited to: 41
initiatives that provide optional training and materials to 42
teachers regarding best practices in reading pedagogies; 43
resources for parents an d guardians to assist them in 44
teaching their children to read; funding for reading 45
tutoring programs outside of regular school hours; stipends 46
for teachers who undergo additional training in reading 47
instruction, which may also count toward professional 48
development requirements; and funding for summer reading 49
programs. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated 50
annually by the general assembly from general revenue to 51
such fund, any moneys paid into the state treasury and 52
required by law to be cr edited to such fund and any gifts, 53
bequests or donations to such fund. The fund shall be kept 54
separate and apart from all other moneys in the state 55
treasury and shall be paid out by the state treasurer 56
pursuant to chapter 33. Notwithstanding the prov isions of 57
section 33.080 to the contrary, moneys in the fund at the 58
end of the biennium shall not be transferred to the credit 59
of the general revenue fund. All interest and moneys earned 60
on the fund shall be credited to the fund. 61
167.268. 1. Each [local] school district and charter 1
school shall have on file a policy for reading 2
[intervention] success plans [for any pupils of the district 3
in grades kindergarten through three pursuant to the 4 SCS SBs 681 & 662 10
provisions of this section. Such plans shall identify 5
strategies to be followed by the district teachers to raise 6
a pupil identified as reading below grade level by 7
recognized methods to reading at grade level by the end of 8
the third grade. Recognized methods of identification may 9
include but need not be limited to the scores of the pupil 10
obtained through any established standardized testing 11
program currently administered by the district, observations 12
of classroom teachers, and documented classroom 13
performance]. Each school district and charter school 14
shall provide all parents and guardians of students, 15
including parents of students who are identified as having a 16
substantial deficiency in reading under subsection 1 of 17
section 167.645, with a plan that includes suggestions for 18
regular parent-guided home reading. 19
2. [The state board of education ] The department of 20
elementary and secondary education shall develop guidelines 21
to assist districts and charter schools in formulating 22
policies for reading [intervention] success plans. Such 23
guidelines may include, but are not limited to, measures of 24
reading proficiency, strategies for addressing reading 25
deficiencies, timelines for measuring pupil improvement in 26
reading, and information on screening [for and treatment] of 27
[auditory] dyslexia[, and information on the Lindamood 28
Auditory Conceptualization Test and the Auditory 29
Discrimination in Depth Program ]. Such guidelines may also 30
identify performance levels for pupils identified as 31
handicapped or severely handicapped and conditions under 32
which such pupils [are] may be exempt from the provisions of 33
this section and section 167.645. 34
3. [Each local school district enrolling a pupil 35
identified as reading below grade level shall develop an 36 SCS SBs 681 & 662 11
individual plan of reading intervention for such pupil. The 37
individual pupil's plan may include individual or group 38
reading development activities. The plan may be developed 39
after consultation with the pupil's parent or legal 40
guardian] Each school district and charter school s hall 41
provide intensive reading instruction to students as 42
provided in section 167.645 . 43
167.640. 1. School districts [may] shall adopt a 1
policy with regard to student promotion which may require 2
remediation as a condition of promoti on to the next grade 3
level for any student identified by the district as failing 4
to master skills and competencies established for that 5
particular grade level by the district board of education. 6
School districts may also require parents or guardians o f 7
such students to commit to conduct home -based tutorial 8
activities with their children or, in the case of a student 9
with disabilities eligible for services pursuant to sections 10
162.670 to 162.1000, the individual education plan shall 11
determine the nature of parental involvement consistent with 12
the requirements for a free, appropriate public education. 13
2. Such remediation shall recognize that different 14
students learn differently and shall employ methods designed 15
to help these students achieve at high levels. Such 16
remediation may include, but shall not necessarily be 17
limited to, a mandatory summer school program focused on the 18
areas of deficiency or other such activities conducted by 19
the school district outside of the regular school day. 20
Decisions concerning the instruction of a child who receives 21
special educational services pursuant to sections 162.670 to 22
162.1000 shall be made in accordance with the child's 23
individualized education plan. 24 SCS SBs 681 & 662 12
3. School districts providing remediatio n pursuant to 25
this section or section 167.245 outside of the traditional 26
school day may count extra hours of instruction in the 27
calculation of average daily attendance as defined in 28
section 163.011. 29
167.645. 1. [For purposes of this section, the 1
following terms mean: 2
(1) "Reading assessment", a recognized method of 3
judging a student's reading ability, with results expressed 4
as reading at a particular grade level. The term reading 5
assessment shall include, but is not limit ed to, standard 6
checklists designed for use as a student reads out loud, 7
paper-and-pencil tests promulgated by nationally recognized 8
organizations and other recognized methods of determining a 9
student's reading accuracy, expression, fluency and 10
comprehension in order to make a determination of the 11
student's grade-level reading ability. Assessments which do 12
not give a grade-level result may be used in combination 13
with other assessments to reach a grade -level 14
determination. Districts are encouraged but not required to 15
select assessment methods identified pursuant to section 16
167.346. Districts are also encouraged to use multiple 17
methods of assessment; 18
(2) "Summer school", for reading instruction purposes, 19
a minimum of forty hours of readin g instruction and 20
practice. A school district may arrange the hours and days 21
of instruction to coordinate with its regular program of 22
summer school. 23
2. For purposes of this section, methods of reading 24
assessment shall be determined by each schoo l district. 25
Unless a student has been determined in the current school 26
year to be reading at grade level or above, each school 27 SCS SBs 681 & 662 13
district shall administer a reading assessment or set of 28
assessments to each student within forty -five days of the 29
end of the third-grade year, except that the provisions of 30
this subsection shall not apply to students receiving 31
special education services under an individualized education 32
plan pursuant to sections 162.670 to 162.999, to students 33
receiving services pursuant to Section 504 of the 34
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 whose services plan includes an 35
element addressing reading or to students determined to have 36
limited English proficiency or to students who have been 37
determined, prior to the beginning of any school year , to 38
have a cognitive ability insufficient to meet the reading 39
requirement set out in this section, provided that districts 40
shall provide reading improvement plans for students 41
determined to have such insufficient cognitive ability. The 42
assessment required by this subsection shall also be 43
required for students who enter a school district in grades 44
four, five or six unless such student has been determined in 45
the current school year to be reading at grade level or 46
above. 47
3. Beginning with school year 2002-03, for each 48
student whose third-grade reading assessment determines that 49
such student is reading below second -grade level, the school 50
district shall design a reading improvement plan for the 51
student's fourth-grade year. Such reading improvement plan 52
shall include, at a minimum, thirty hours of additional 53
reading instruction or practice outside the regular school 54
day during the fourth -grade year. The school district shall 55
determine the method of reading instruction necessary to 56
enforce this subsection. The school district may also 57
require the student to attend summer school for reading 58
instruction as a condition of promotion to fourth grade. 59 SCS SBs 681 & 662 14
The department of elementary and secondary education may, 60
from funds appropriated for th e purpose, reimburse school 61
districts for additional instructional personnel costs 62
incurred in the implementation and execution of the thirty 63
hours of additional reading instruction minus the revenue 64
generated by the school district through the foundat ion 65
formula for the additional reading instruction average daily 66
attendance. 67
4. Each student for whom a reading improvement plan 68
has been designed pursuant to subsection 3 of this section 69
shall be given another reading assessment, to be 70
administered within forty-five days of the end of such 71
student's fourth-grade year. If such student is determined 72
to be reading below third -grade level, the student shall be 73
required to attend summer school to receive reading 74
instruction. At the end of such summer school instruction, 75
such student shall be given another reading assessment. If 76
such student is determined to be reading below third -grade 77
level, the district shall notify the student's parents or 78
guardians, and the student shall not be promoted to fifth 79
grade. No student shall be denied promotion more than once 80
solely for inability to meet the reading standards set out 81
in this section. 82
5. The process described in subsections 3 and 4 of 83
this section shall be repeated as necessary throu gh the end 84
of the sixth grade, with the target grade level rising 85
accordingly. Mandatory retention in grade shall not apply 86
to grades subsequent to fourth grade. 87
6. The mandatory process of additional reading 88
instruction pursuant to this section shall cease at the end 89
of the sixth grade. The permanent record of students who 90
are determined to be reading below the fifth -grade level at 91 SCS SBs 681 & 662 15
the end of sixth grade shall carry a notation advising that 92
such student has not met minimal reading standards . The 93
notation shall stay on the student's record until such time 94
as the district determines that a student has met minimal 95
reading standards. 96
7. Each school district shall be required to offer 97
summer school reading instruction to any student wi th a 98
reading improvement plan. Districts may fulfill the 99
requirement of this section through cooperative arrangements 100
with neighboring districts; provided that such districts 101
shall timely make all payments provided pursuant to such 102
cooperative agreements. 103
8. A school district may adopt a policy that requires 104
retention in grade of any student who has been determined to 105
require summer school instruction in reading and who does 106
not fulfill the summer school attendance requirement. 107
9. Nothing in this section shall preclude a school 108
district from retaining any student in grade when a 109
determination is made in accordance with district policy 110
that retention is in the best interests of the student. 111
10. The state board of education shall not incorporate 112
information about the number of students receiving 113
additional instruction pursuant to this section into any 114
element of any standard of the Missouri school improvement 115
program or its successor accreditation program; provided, 116
however, each district shall make available, upon the 117
request of any parent, patron, or media outlet within the 118
district, the number and percentage of students receiving 119
remediation pursuant to this section. The information shall 120
be presented in a way that does not permit personal 121
identification of any student or educational personnel. 122 SCS SBs 681 & 662 16
11. Each school district shall make a systematic 123
effort to inform parents of the methods and materials used 124
to teach reading in kindergarten through fourth grade, in 125
terms understandable to a layperson and shall similarly 126
inform parents of students for whom a reading improvement 127
plan is required pursuant to this section ] Each school 128
district and charter school shall assess all students 129
enrolled in kindergarten through grade three at the 130
beginning and end of each school year for their level of 131
reading or reading readiness on state -approved reading 132
assessments. Additionally all school districts and charter 133
schools shall assess any newly enrolled student in grades 134
one through five for their level of reading or reading 135
readiness on a reading assessment from the state -approved 136
list. At the beginning of the school year, each school 137
district and charter school shall provide a reading success 138
plan to any student who: 139
(1) Exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading which 140
creates a barrier to the child's progress learning to read. 141
The identification of such deficiency may be based upon the 142
most recent assessments or teacher observation; or 143
(2) Has been identified as being at risk of dyslexia 144
in the statewide dyslexia screening or has a formal 145
diagnosis of dyslexia. 146
For the purposes of this section, a substantial reading 147
deficiency shall refer to a student who is one or more grade 148
level or levels behi nd in reading or reading readiness; 149
provided that nothing in this section shall be interpreted 150
to prevent a school district or charter school from offering 151
a reading success plan to any student based on an assessment 152
completed at the start and end of t he school year or teacher 153 SCS SBs 681 & 662 17
observation. For any student entering the school district 154
or charter school after the start of the school year, such 155
student shall be provided a reading success plan in the 156
event the student has been identified as having a 157
substantial reading deficiency based on the student's most 158
recent assessment or otherwise being identified through 159
teacher observation. The student's reading proficiency 160
shall be reassessed by reading assessments on the state - 161
approved list. The student shall continue to be provided 162
with intensive reading instruction under a reading success 163
plan until the reading deficiency is remedied. 164
2. The district or charter school shall notify the 165
parent or guardian of any student in kindergarten through 166
grade three who exhibits a substantial deficiency in 167
reading, as described in subsection 1 of this section, at 168
least annually in writing, and in an appropriate, 169
alternative manner for the parent or other guardian if 170
necessary, of the following: 171
(1) That the child has been identified as having a 172
substantial deficiency in reading; 173
(2) A description of the services currently provided 174
to the child; 175
(3) A description of the proposed supplemental 176
instructional services and supports that the school district 177
will provide to the child that are designed to remediate the 178
identified area of reading deficiency. For students 179
identified being at risk of dyslexia or those that have a 180
diagnosis of dyslexia the district shall provide an 181
explanation that the instruction that will be used to teach 182
the child reading shall be explicit, systematic, and 183
diagnostic and based on phonological awareness, phonics, 184 SCS SBs 681 & 662 18
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, morphology, syntax, and 185
semantics; 186
(4) Strategies for parents and guardians to use in 187
helping the child succeed in reading proficiency, including 188
but not limited to the promotion of parent -guided home 189
reading. 190
3. If the school district or charter school provides a 191
summer reading program under this section, the district or 192
charter school shall notify the parent or guardian of each 193
student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading of 194
the opportunity to attend the summer reading program. 195
4. If a student has a substantial reading d eficiency 196
at the end of third grade, the student's parent or guardian 197
and appropriate school staff shall discuss whether the 198
student should be retained in grade level, based on a 199
consideration of all relevant factors, including the reading 200
deficiency, the student's progress in other subject areas, 201
and the student's overall intellectual, physical, emotional, 202
and social development. A decision to promote or retain a 203
student with a substantial reading deficiency at the end of 204
grade three shall be mad e only after direct personal 205
consultation with the student's parent or guardian and after 206
the formulation of a specific plan of action to remedy the 207
student's reading deficiency. 208
5. Each school district or charter school shall do all 209
of the following: 210
(1) Provide students who are identified as having a 211
substantial deficiency in reading under subsection 1 of this 212
section, have been identified as being at risk of dyslexia 213
in the statewide dyslexia screening or have a formal 214
diagnosis of dyslexia with intensive instructional services 215
and supports specified in a reading success plan, as 216 SCS SBs 681 & 662 19
appropriate according to student need, free of charge, to 217
remediate the identified areas of reading deficiency, 218
including additional scientific, evidence -based reading 219
instruction and other strategies prescribed by the school 220
district or charter school which may include but are not 221
limited to the following: 222
(a) Small group or individual instruction; 223
(b) Reduced teacher-student ratios; 224
(c) More frequent progress monitoring; 225
(d) Tutoring or mentoring; 226
(e) Extended school day, week, or year; and 227
(f) Summer reading programs; 228
(2) For any student with a formal diagnosis of 229
dyslexia or for a student who was found to be at risk of 230
dyslexia in the statewide dyslexia screening, the school 231
district or charter school shall provide evidence -based 232
reading instruction that addresses phonology, sound -symbol 233
association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and 234
semantics provided through systematic, cumulative, explicit, 235
and diagnostic methods; 236
(3) At regular intervals, but no less than four times 237
per year in a manner that reflects progress through each 238
school term, notify the parent or guardian of academic and 239
other progress being made by the student and give the parent 240
or guardian other useful information. 241
(4) In addition to required reading enhancement and 242
acceleration strategies, provide all parents of students, 243
including parents of students who are identified as having a 244
substantial deficiency in reading under subsection 1 of this 245
section, with a plan that includes suggestions for regular 246
parent-guided home reading. 247 SCS SBs 681 & 662 20
6. Each school district and charter school shall 248
ensure that intensive read ing instruction through a reading 249
development initiative shall be provided to each 250
kindergarten through grade five student who is assessed as 251
exhibiting a substantial deficiency in reading. In addition 252
to the requirements otherwise provided, such inst ruction 253
will also comply with all of the following criteria: 254
(1) Be provided to all kindergarten through grade five 255
students who exhibit a substantial deficiency in reading 256
under this section. The assessment initiative shall measure 257
phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and 258
comprehension; 259
(2) Be provided during regular school hours; 260
(3) Provide a reading curriculum that meets the 261
requirements of section 170.014, and at a minimum has the 262
following specifications: 263
(a) Assists students assessed as exhibiting a 264
substantial deficiency in reading to develop the skills to 265
read at grade level; 266
(b) Provides skill development in phonemic awareness, 267
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; 268
(c) Includes a scientifically based and reliable 269
assessment; 270
(d) Provides initial and ongoing analysis of each 271
student's reading progress; and 272
(e) Provides a curriculum in core academic subjects to 273
assist the student in maintaining or meeting proficiency 274
levels for the appropriate grade in all academic subjects. 275
7. School districts shall report to the department the 276
specific intensive reading interventions and supports 277
implemented by the school district or charter school 278
pursuant to this section as well as the reading assessment 279 SCS SBs 681 & 662 21
data collected for grades kindergarten through five. The 280
department shall annually prescribe the components of 281
required or requested reports. 282
8. (1) Each school district and charter school shall 283
address reading proficiency as part of its comprehensive 284
school improvement plan, drawing upon information about 285
children from assessments conducted pursuant to subsection 1 286
and the prevalence of deficiencies identified by classroom, 287
elementary school, and other stu dent characteristics. As 288
part of its comprehensive school improvement plan or 289
contract, each school district or charter school shall 290
review chronic early elementary absenteeism for its impact 291
on literacy development. If more than fifteen percent of a n 292
attendance center's students are not at grade level in 293
reading by the end of third grade, the comprehensive school 294
improvement plan or contract shall include strategies to 295
reduce that percentage, including school and community 296
strategies to raise th e percentage of students who are 297
proficient in reading. 298
(2) Each school district and charter school shall 299
provide professional development services to enhance the 300
skills of elementary teachers in responding to children's 301
unique reading issues and needs and to increase the use of 302
evidence-based strategies. 303
170.014. 1. This section shall be known as the 1
"Reading Instruction Act" and is enacted to ensure that all 2
public schools establish reading programs in kindergarten 3
through grade [three] five based in scientific research. 4
"Evidence-based reading instruction" includes practices that 5
have been proven effective through evaluation of the 6
outcomes for large numbers of students and are highly likely 7
to be effective in impro ving reading if implemented with 8 SCS SBs 681 & 662 22
fidelity. Such programs shall include the essential 9
components of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, 10
vocabulary, and comprehension, and all new teachers who 11
teach reading in kindergarten through grade three shall 12
receive adequate training in these areas. 13
2. [The program described in subsection 1 of this 14
section may include "explicit systematic phonics", which, 15
for the purposes of this section, shall mean the methodology 16
of pronouncing and reading words by l earning the phonetic 17
sound association of individual letters, letter groups, and 18
syllables, and the principles governing these associations. 19
3.] Every public school in the state shall offer a 20
reading program as described in subsection 1 of this se ction 21
for kindergarten through grade [three] five. 22
186.080. 1. The commissioner of education shall 1
establish a literacy advisory council. The council shall 2
consist of no more than twenty members, appointed by the 3
commissioner, and shall include members representing the 4
following stakeholder groups: 5
(1) School boards; 6
(2) Charter schools; 7
(3) School superintendents; 8
(4) Elementary and secondary building principals; 9
(5) At least three teachers, includin g at least two 10
teachers with expertise in reading instruction; 11
(6) At least two special education educators; 12
(7) At least two parents of elementary and secondary 13
school-age pupils who have struggled with literacy 14
proficiency; 15
(8) At least two community members who have struggled 16
with literacy proficiency or supported others who have 17 SCS SBs 681 & 662 23
struggled with literacy proficiency, at least one of whom 18
shall be a high school student; 19
(9) One member from dyslexia advocacy group; 20
(10) Faculty members of institutions of higher 21
education with approved teacher preparation programs; 22
(11) Professionals with expertise in reading 23
instruction, reading interventions and how students learn to 24
read including one certified academic language therapist; and 25
(12) Professionals with expertise in educational 26
assessment data analysis. 27
2. The council shall meet at least twice per year to 28
review best practices in literacy instruction and related 29
policy provisions. The department shall provide necessary 30
staff and resources for the work of the advisory council. 31
3. The council shall periodically provide 32
recommendations to the commissioner and the state board of 33
education regarding any identified improvements to literacy 34
instruction and policy for students. The recommendations 35
may include recommendations for changes to state law, and 36
the commissioner shall furnish any such recommendations to 37
the joint committee on education. 38
4. The council recommendations shall: 39
(1) Advise the department of elementary and secondary 40
education on how to implement and maintain the statewide 41
literacy plan required under section 161.241 and advise the 42
department, school districts and charter schools on ways to 43
inform and engage pare nts and other community members about 44
the literacy plan; 45
(2) Provide advice as to what services the department 46
should provide to school districts and charter schools to 47
support implementation of the plan and on staffing levels 48 SCS SBs 681 & 662 24
and resources needed at the department to support the 49
statewide effort to improve literacy; 50
(3) Provide advice regarding the statewide plan for 51
collecting literacy-related data that informs: 52
(a) Literacy instructional practices; 53
(b) Teacher professional d evelopment in the field of 54
literacy; 55
(c) What proficiencies and skills should be measured 56
through literacy assessments and how those assessments are 57
incorporated into local assessment plans; and 58
(d) How to identify school progress in achievi ng 59
literacy outcomes, including closing literacy gaps for 60
students from historically underserved populations; 61
(4) Recommend best practices for tiered literacy 62
instruction within a multi -tiered system of supports to best 63
improve and sustain litera cy proficiency; 64
(5) Review literacy assessments and outcomes and 65
provide ongoing advice as to how to continuously improve 66
those outcomes and sustain improvement; and 67
(6) Provide a means for members of the public to 68
provide input and ask ques tions concerning literacy issues. 69