Oklahoma Senate Bill SB924

Oklahoma 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/23
• Refer: 2/7/23

Caption

Schools; prohibiting certain districts and charter schools from using certain programs of instruction; providing penalty for violation. Effective date. Emergency.

Impact

The bill mandates that beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, if the State Board of Education identifies that a school has violated this prohibition, they must notify the offending school. Schools are then required to remedy their instructional methods within sixty days. Failure to do so will result in a withholding of up to ten percent of their monthly state funding until compliance is achieved. Additionally, the State Board of Education is directed to hire an education ombudsman to facilitate the enforcement of this legislation.

Summary

Senate Bill 924 aims to prohibit public school districts and public charter schools in Oklahoma from using certain programs of instruction for students in kindergarten through second grade. Specifically, it targets programs employing the three-cueing system model of reading, visual memory as the primary method for teaching word recognition, and the three-cueing system based on meaning, structure, syntax, and visual cues, also known as MSV. The bill outlines consequences for non-compliance, including a penalty in the form of withholding state aid funding.

Contention

One notable aspect of SB924 is the debate surrounding the use of specific reading instruction methods. Proponents argue that banning the three-cueing system is necessary to ensure effective reading instruction in early grades. They assert that these methods do not adequately prepare students for successful literacy outcomes. Conversely, opponents contend that such restrictions infringe on local control and the ability of educators to utilize various instructional strategies that may work best for their students. The legislation has sparked discussions about educational philosophy and the implications for curriculum development at the state level.