OK
Oklahoma House Bill HB1981

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1981 Compare Versions

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2828 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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3030 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
3131
3232 HOUSE BILL 1981 By: Ranson
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3838 AS INTRODUCED
3939
4040 An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
4141 Section 1210.508C, as amended by Section 5, Chapter
4242 411, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 20 24, Section
4343 1210.508C), which relates to the Strong Readers Act;
4444 changing the number and timing of reading screenings
4545 for kindergarten students; modifying the number and
4646 timing of screening instruments used for kindergarten
4747 students; providing an effective date; and declaring
4848 an emergency.
4949
5050
5151
5252 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF TH E STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
5353 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508C,
5454 as amended by Section 5, Chapter 411, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
5555 2024, Section 1210.508C), is amended to read as follows:
5656 Section 1210.508C. A. To identify students who have a reading
5757 deficiency including identifying students with characteristics of
5858 dyslexia, each student enrolled in kindergarten and first, second,
5959 and third grade in a public school in this state shall be screened
6060 at the beginning, middle , and end of each school year for reading
6161 skills including, but not limited to, phonological awareness,
6262 decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Kindergarten
6363 students shall be screened at the middle and end of the school year,
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9090 with the first screening provided no later than December. First,
9191 second, and third grade students shall be screened at the beginning,
9292 middle, and end of each school year. A screening instrument
9393 approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
9494 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability and the
9595 Secretary of Education, shall be utilized for the purposes of this
9696 section. In determining which screening instrument to approv e, the
9797 State Board of Education, the Commission for Educational Quality and
9898 Accountability, and the Secretary of Education shall take into
9999 consideration at a minimum the following factors:
100100 1. The time required to conduct the screening instrument with
101101 the intention of minimizing the impact on instructional time;
102102 2. The timeliness i n reporting screening instrument results to
103103 teachers, administrators, and parents and legal guardians of
104104 students; and
105105 3. The integration of the screening instrument into readin g
106106 curriculum.
107107 B. Beginning in the 2025 -2026 school year, the State Board of
108108 Education shall approve no fewer than two (2) screening instruments
109109 for use at the middle and end of the school year for kindergarten
110110 students and no fewer than three (3) screening instruments for use
111111 at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year for first,
112112 second, and third grade students for monitoring of progress and for
113113 measurement of reading skills as required in subsection A of this
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140140 section. The screening instruments shall meet the following
141141 criteria:
142142 1. Assess for phonological awareness, decoding, fluency,
143143 vocabulary, and comprehension;
144144 2. Document the validity and reliability of each assessment;
145145 3. Can be used for identifying students who are at risk for
146146 reading deficiency and progress monitoring throughout the school
147147 year;
148148 4. Can be used to assess students with disabilities and English
149149 language learners; and
150150 5. Accompanied by a data management system that provides
151151 profiles of students, class, grade level, and sc hool building. The
152152 profiles shall identify each student 's instructional point of need
153153 and reading achievement level. The State Board shall also determine
154154 other comparable reading assessments for diagnostic purposes to be
155155 used for students at risk of read ing failure.
156156 C. 1. Exemptions to the screening requirements of this section
157157 may be provided to students who have documented evidence that they
158158 meet at least one of the following criteria as related to the
159159 provision of classroom instruction:
160160 a. the student participates in the Oklahoma Alternate
161161 Assessment Program (OAAP) and is taught using
162162 alternate methods,
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189189 b. the student's primary expressive or receptive
190190 communication is sign language,
191191 c. the student's primary form of written or read text is
192192 Braille, or
193193 d. the student's primary expressive or receptive language
194194 is not English, the student is identified as an
195195 English learner using a state -approved identification
196196 assessment, and the student has had less than one (1)
197197 school year of instruction in an English -learner
198198 program.
199199 2. A public school that grants an exemption pursuant to
200200 paragraph 1 of this subsection shall provide ongoing evidence of
201201 student progression toward English language acquisition with the
202202 same frequency as administration of screening assessm ents. Evidence
203203 may include, but not be limited to, student progression toward OAAP
204204 reading essential elements, proficiency in sign language and reading
205205 comprehension, and proficiency in Braille and reading comprehension.
206206 D. 1. Students who are administe red a screening instrument
207207 pursuant to subsection A of this section and are found not to be
208208 meeting grade-level targets shall be provided a program of reading
209209 instruction designed to enable students to acquire the appropriate
210210 grade-level reading skills. T he program of reading instruction
211211 shall be based on scientific reading researc h and align with the
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238238 subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education. A
239239 program of reading instruction shall include:
240240 a. sufficient additional in -school instructional time for
241241 the acquisition of phonological awareness, decoding,
242242 fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension,
243243 b. if necessary and if funding is available, tutorial
244244 instruction after regular school hours, on Saturdays,
245245 and during summer; however, such instru ction may not
246246 be counted toward the one -hundred-eighty-day or one-
247247 thousand-eighty-hour school year required in Section
248248 1-109 of this title,
249249 c. assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and
250250 periodic monitoring to measure the acquisition of
251251 reading skills including, but not limited to,
252252 phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary,
253253 and comprehension, as identified in the student 's
254254 program of reading instruction,
255255 d. high-quality instructional materials grounded in
256256 scientifically based reading rese arch, and
257257 e. a means of providing every family of a student in
258258 prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first, second, and
259259 third grade access to free online evidence -based
260260 literacy instruction resources to support the
261261 student's literacy development at home.
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288288 2. A student enrolled in kindergarten or first, second, or
289289 third grade who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based
290290 on the screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of
291291 this section shall receive an individual reading intervention pl an
292292 no later than thirty (30) days after the identification of the
293293 deficiency in reading. The reading intervention plan shall be
294294 provided in addition to core reading instruction that is provided to
295295 all students. The reading intervention plan shall:
296296 a. describe the research-based reading intervention
297297 services the student will receive to remedy the
298298 deficiency in reading,
299299 b. provide explicit and systematic instruction in
300300 phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary,
301301 and comprehension, as applicable,
302302 c. monitor the reading progress of each student 's reading
303303 skills throughout th e school year and adjust
304304 instruction according to the student 's needs, and
305305 d. continue until the student is determined to be meeting
306306 grade-level targets in reading based on scree ning
307307 instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of
308308 this section or assessments identified for diagnostic
309309 purposes and periodic monitoring pursuant to
310310 subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this subsection.
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337337 3. The reading intervention plan for each studen t identified
338338 with a deficiency in reading shall be developed by a Student Read ing
339339 Proficiency Team and shall include supplemental instructional
340340 services and supports. Each team shall be composed of:
341341 a. the parent or legal guardian of the student,
342342 b. the teacher assigned to the student who had
343343 responsibility for reading instruction in that
344344 academic year,
345345 c. a teacher who is responsible for reading instruction
346346 and is assigned to teach in the next grade level of
347347 the student, and
348348 d. a certified reading special ist, if one is available.
349349 4. A school district shall notify the parent or leg al guardian
350350 of any student in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who
351351 exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening
352352 instrument administered pursua nt to subsection A of this section.
353353 The notification shall occur no later than thirty (30) days after
354354 the identification of the deficiency in reading.
355355 E. 1. Every school district shall adopt and implement a
356356 district strong readers plan which has had inp ut from school
357357 administrators, teachers, and parents and legal guardians and i f
358358 possible a reading specialist, and which shall be submitted
359359 electronically to and approved by the State Board of Education. The
360360 plan shall be updated annually. School distric ts shall not be
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387387 required to electronically submit the annual updates to the Board if
388388 the last plan submitted to the Board was approved and expenditures
389389 for the program include only expenses relating to individual and
390390 small group tutoring, purchase of and t raining in the use of
391391 screening and assessment measures, summer school program s, and
392392 Saturday school programs. If any expenditure for the program is
393393 deleted or changed or any other type of expenditure for the program
394394 is implemented, the school district sh all be required to submit the
395395 latest annual update to the Board for approval. The district strong
396396 readers plan shall include a plan for each site which includes an
397397 analysis of the data provided by the Oklahoma School Testing Program
398398 and other reading asse ssments utilized as required in this section,
399399 and which outlines how each scho ol site will comply with the
400400 provisions of the Strong Readers Act.
401401 2. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the
402402 implementation and evaluation of the provisions of t he Strong
403403 Readers Act. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to,
404404 an analysis of the data required in subsection L of this section.
405405 F. 1. Any first-grade, second-grade, or third-grade student
406406 who demonstrates proficiency in reading through a g rade-level
407407 appropriate screening instrument approved pursuant to subsection B
408408 of this section shall not require a program of reading instruction
409409 or an individual reading intervention plan. After a student has
410410 demonstrated proficiency through a screening i nstrument, the
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437437 district shall provide notification to the parent or legal guardian
438438 of the student that he or she has satisfied the requirements of the
439439 Strong Readers Act. The district shall continue to monitor the
440440 student in the next successive grade leve l to ensure he or she
441441 maintains proficiency.
442442 2. Beginning with the 2025 -2026 school year, if a third -grade
443443 student is identified at any point of the academic year as having a
444444 significant reading deficiency, which shall be defined as not
445445 meeting grade-level targets on a screening instrument administered
446446 pursuant to subsection A of this section, the district shall provide
447447 the student with intensive intervention services for the appropriate
448448 amount of the instructional day consistent with the individual
449449 reading intervention plan developed pursuant to paragraph 2 of
450450 subsection D of this section and as determined by the Student
451451 Reading Proficiency Team. Intensive intervention services shall
452452 continue until the student demonstrates proficiency at his or her
453453 grade level based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to
454454 subsection A of this section.
455455 G. Each school district shall annually report in an electronic
456456 format to the State Department of Education, the Office of
457457 Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of
458458 Education the number of students in kindergarten through third grade
459459 per grade level who exhibit grade -level reading proficiency, the
460460 number of students per grade level who received intensive
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487487 intervention services pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection F of
488488 this section, the number of students per grade level who attended a
489489 summer academy as provided for in Section 1210.508E of this title,
490490 the number of students per grade level who exhibited improved
491491 reading proficiency after completion of intensive intervention
492492 services, and the number of students per grade level who are still
493493 in need of intensive intervention services. The State Department of
494494 Education shall publicly report the aggregate and district -specific
495495 numbers submitted pursuant to this subsection on its website and
496496 shall provide electronic copies of the report to the Governor,
497497 Secretary of Education, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker
498498 of the House of Representatives, and to the respective chairs of the
499499 committees with responsibility for common education policy in each
500500 legislative chamber.
501501 H. The parent of any student who is found to have a reading
502502 deficiency and is not meeting grade -level reading targets and has
503503 been provided a program of reading instruction as provide d for in
504504 paragraph 1 of subsection D of this section shall be notified in
505505 writing of the following:
506506 1. That the student has been identified as having a substantial
507507 deficiency in reading;
508508 2. A description of the current services that are provided to
509509 the student pursuant to subsection D of this section;
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536536 3. A description of the prop osed intensive intervention
537537 services and supports that will be provided to the student that are
538538 designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency as
539539 provided for in paragraph 2 of subsection F of this section;
540540 4. That a student who is promoted to the fourth grade shall
541541 receive supplemental intensive intervention services;
542542 5. Strategies for parents to use in helping their child succeed
543543 in reading proficiency; and
544544 6. The grade-level performance scores of the student.
545545 I. No student may be ass igned to a grade level based solely on
546546 age or other factors that constitute social promotion.
547547 J. 1. Each school district board of education shall annually
548548 publish on the school website and report electronically to the State
549549 Department of Education, the Office of Educational Quality and
550550 Accountability, and the Secretary of Education by September 1 of
551551 each year the following information on the prior school year:
552552 a. the policies and procedures adopted by the school
553553 district board of education to implement th e
554554 provisions of this section. The information submitted
555555 shall include expenditures related to implementing the
556556 provisions of this section, the number of staff
557557 implementing the provisions of this section, and
558558 average daily classroom time devoted to implementing
559559 the provisions of this section,
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586586 b. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in
587587 kindergarten through third grade who did not meet
588588 grade-level targets based on a s creening instrument
589589 administered pursuant to subsection A of this section,
590590 c. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in
591591 kindergarten through third grade who have been
592592 enrolled in the district for fewer than two (2) years,
593593 d. by grade, the number and percentage of students in
594594 kindergarten through third grade who demonstrated
595595 grade-level proficiency based on a screening
596596 instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of
597597 this section, and
598598 e. by grade, the number and percentage of students in
599599 kindergarten through third grade who are on an
600600 individualized education program (I EP) in accordance
601601 with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
602602 (IDEA) and who demonstrated grade -level proficiency
603603 based on a screening instrument administered pursuant
604604 to subsection A of this section or an alternative
605605 assessment prescribed by the student 's IEP.
606606 2. The State Department of Education shall establish a uniform
607607 format for school districts to report the information required in
608608 this subsection. The format shal l be developed with input from
609609 school districts and shall be provided not late r than ninety (90)
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636636 days prior to the annual due date. The Department shall annually
637637 compile the information required, along with state -level summary
638638 information, and electronica lly report the information to the
639639 public, the Governor, the Secretary of Education, the President Pro
640640 Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
641641 Representatives.
642642 K. The State Department of Education shall provide technical
643643 assistance as needed to aid school districts in administering the
644644 provisions of the Strong Readers Act.
645645 L. On or before January 31 of each year, the State Department
646646 of Education shall electronically submit to the Governor, the
647647 President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speake r of the House of
648648 Representatives, and members of the committees with responsibility
649649 over common education in both houses of the Legislature a Strong
650650 Readers Report which shall include, but is not limited to, trend
651651 data detailing three (3) years of data, d isaggregated by student
652652 subgroups to include economically disadvantaged, major racial or
653653 ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and English language
654654 learners, as appropriate for the following:
655655 1. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of studen ts in
656656 kindergarten through third grade determined to be at risk for
657657 reading difficulties compared to the total number of students
658658 enrolled in each grade;
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685685 2. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in
686686 kindergarten who continue to be at ri sk for reading difficulties as
687687 determined by the year -end administration of th e screening
688688 instrument required subsection A of this section;
689689 3. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in
690690 kindergarten through third grade who have successfu lly completed
691691 their program of reading instruction and are reading on grade level
692692 as determined by the results of screening instruments administered
693693 pursuant to subsection A of this section;
694694 4. The statewide aggregate and district -specific number and
695695 percentage of students that meet or do not meet grade -level targets
696696 for reading based on screening instruments administered pursuant to
697697 subsection A of this section;
698698 5. The amount of funds received by each district for
699699 implementation of the Strong Readers Act ;
700700 6. An evaluation and narrative interpretation of the report
701701 data analyzing the impact of the Strong Readers Act on students '
702702 ability to read at grade level;
703703 7. The type of reading instruction practices and methods
704704 currently being used by school distric ts in the state;
705705 8. Socioeconomic information, access to reading resources
706706 outside of school, and screening for and identification of learning
707707 disabilities for students not reading at the appropriate grade level
708708 in kindergarten and first through third gra de;
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735735 9. By grade level, the types of intensive intervention efforts
736736 being conducted by school districts for students who are not on an
737737 IEP and who are not reading at the appropriate grade level and for
738738 students who are on an IEP and who are not reading at the
739739 appropriate grade level; and
740740 10. Any recommendations for improvements or amendments to the
741741 Strong Readers Act.
742742 The State Department of Education may contract with an
743743 independent entity for the reporting and analysis requirements of
744744 this subsection.
745745 M. Copies of the results of the screening instruments
746746 administered pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be made
747747 a part of the permanent record of each student.
748748 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
749749 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
750750 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
751751 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
752752 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
753753
754754 60-1-11161 SW 01/11/25