6509-S2.E AMH ED H5311.3

6509-S2.E AMH ED H5311.3

E2SSB 6509 - H COMM AMD NOT ADOPTED 3-06-98

By Committee on Education

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the ability to read fluently, accurately, and with comprehension is critical to success in school and in life. Research has found that reading instruction and curriculum in the early grades must consist of a comprehensive program that builds upon the firm foundational skills of phonemic awareness, decoding, and reading comprehension, to provide students with the skills necessary to engage in rich literature activities, and further develop thinking and application skills. Schools and school districts should review their reading programs to verify they are using a comprehensive approach to teaching reading.

The role of professional development in supporting and sustaining a high-quality teaching force is critical. The legislature finds that many primary grade teachers would benefit from additional professional development instruction in beginning reading skills and access to current information regarding research-based, scientifically proven instructional strategies to assist students in meeting the benchmarks established for the essential academic learning requirements.

The legislature also recognizes that when students are experiencing difficulties in advancing their reading skills, the use of volunteers to provide individualized tutoring and mentoring to those students will improve students' ability to overcome those difficulties and increase their reading achievement.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:

Schools interested in providing assistance to improve student learning in reading may apply for the following opportunities to provide professional development in beginning reading instructional strategies and related curriculum and to implement volunteer tutoring programs for students throughout their school.

(1) To the extent funds are appropriated in accordance with this section, elementary schools interested in providing professional development and the purchase of related curriculum or materials in accordance with (b) of this subsection for certificated instructional staff that provide direct instructional services to students in kindergarten, first, and second grade may apply for and receive funding from the superintendent of public instruction. The application for funding shall be limited to:

(a) Verification that the school has developed or makes a commitment to develop a comprehensive school-wide reading improvement plan that includes, but is not limited to, a beginning reading-language arts program for use in kindergarten through second grade. In addition to other elements of the comprehensive school-wide reading improvement plan, the primary, but not sole, elements of the beginning reading-language arts program must:

(i) Provide numerous daily opportunities for teachers in kindergarten and first grade to read to students from a variety of printed materials including rich literature and expository text;

(ii) Provide explicit and sequential instruction in phonemic awareness for all students in kindergarten and first grade;

(iii) Provide explicit systematic decoding instruction and practice in using those skills in decodable text materials;

(iv) Provide explicit instruction in reading comprehension skills and opportunities for students to apply them;

(v) Require diagnosis of a student's ability to decode in first and second grade;

(vi) Provide explicit and systematic instruction in spelling; and

(vii) Provide students with structured assistance in learning to write with ample opportunities to engage in writing activities;

(b) Verification that the intended professional development and related curriculum or materials include primary emphasis on the following beginning reading skills:

(i) Phonemic awareness strategies;

(ii) Explicit and systematic decoding instruction and how to assess a student's ability to decode;

(iii) Explicit spelling instruction;

(iv) Explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies; and

(v) Research findings on the skills needed by beginning and proficient readers, and how beginning reading skills are acquired; and

(c) Verification that grant funds expended in accordance with this section will not be used for staff development, intervention, or remediation programs.

(2) The training in reading instruction shall be provided by public or private nonsectarian contractors that provide training in the methods defined in this section. Priority for reading instruction grants shall be given to those schools in which less than one-quarter of all students tested on the fourth grade assessment in reading met the state-wide standard, or in schools where average performance on the reading component of the state-wide standardized test required in RCW 28A.230.190 were in the bottom quartile for the previous three years. Priority shall then be given to those schools in which less than one-third of all students tested on the fourth grade assessment in reading met the state-wide standard, or in schools where average performance on the reading component of the state-wide standardized test required in RCW 28A.230.190 were in the bottom third for the previous three years. Priority shall then be given to schools in which one-half of all students tested on the fourth grade assessment in reading met the state-wide standard, or in schools where average performance on the reading component of the state-wide standardized test required in RCW 28A.230.190 were in the bottom half for the previous three years.

(3) Reading instruction grants provided under subsection (1) of this section may be used to provide additional professional development materials for interested school principals and classroom volunteers providing assistance in kindergarten, first, and second grades, interested in attending the professional development opportunity identified in this section.

(4) An elementary school receiving funding in accordance with this section shall certify and provide documentation to the superintendent of public instruction that funds received were expended for professional development and curriculum and related materials in accordance with this section.

(5) Schools or school districts that received funds under RCW 28A.300.330 are not eligible to apply for funding in accordance with subsection (1) of this section.

(6) The definitions in this section apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Phonemic awareness instruction" means teaching awareness of letter sounds, and segmenting and blending phonemes, syllables, and words in a sequential progression.

(b) "Explicit systematic decoding instruction" means direct, sequential teaching of how to read words fluently and automatically that includes instruction in letter-sound correspondences, letter combinations, multisyllabic words, blending, and structural elements, and initially incorporates the use of decodable text. "Explicit systematic decoding instruction" does not include the use of context and syntax as word identification strategies in teaching beginning reading skills.

(c) "Decodable text" means connected text containing a high percentage of words that provide practice on the letter-sound correspondences and letter combinations previously taught.

(d) "Diagnosis of a student's ability to decode" means regularly assessing the student's mastery of word recognition, fluency and automaticity, and word analysis in order to plan future instructional activities.

(e) "Explicit and systematic instruction in spelling" means teaching a logical scope and sequence of word knowledge, spelling patterns, syllabication, and frequently used words connected to the sequence used in reading and writing instruction.

(f) "Instruction in reading comprehension skills" means explicit, systematic teaching of vocabulary development, text structure, context, syntax, and syntactic patterns, including but not limited to, strategies for higher order thinking skills such as interpretation, summarization, prediction, clarification, and question generation.

(7) To the extent funds are appropriated in accordance with this section, elementary schools interested in providing teacher training in the use of volunteer tutors and mentors to assist struggling readers in kindergarten through fourth grade may apply for grants from the superintendent of public instruction for volunteer tutoring and mentoring programs that are research based and have proven effectiveness in improving student reading performance. The programs must include the following elements:

(a) Teacher training in program planning and in the use of classroom volunteers;

(b) Training for tutor and mentor volunteers in working with students to overcome reading difficulties before their participation in the program;

(c) An established goal for a minimum number of volunteer contact hours for students to receive individual instruction per week;

(d) An established goal for a minimum number of volunteer contact hours during normal school hours for students to receive individual instruction per week;

(e) Teacher training in recruiting and retaining tutor and mentor volunteers for reading instruction; and

(f) A plan to assess student reading performance before entering the program and upon exit or at the end of the year as appropriate. The results must be compiled and reported to the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent of public instruction shall provide a preliminary report to the legislature by March 1, 1999, and a final report to the legislature by December 1999 on the effectiveness of the various programs.

(8) By April 15th, the superintendent of public instruction shall notify all school districts that the funds under this section are available. Funding provided must be available to schools no later than June 1, 1998. Elementary schools may apply and become eligible for both funding opportunities.

(9) Teachers participating in the programs will receive a stipend from the funds.

(10) This section expires July 30, 2005.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act may be known and cited as the successful readers act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately."

Correct the title.