S-0937.4 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5753
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 1999 Regular Session
By Senators West, Finkbeiner, Winsley, Johnson, Hale, McDonald, Heavey, Horn, Oke, Hochstatter, Swecker, Stevens, Honeyford, Kohl‑Welles, Morton, Patterson, Deccio, Jacobsen, Rossi, T. Sheldon, Snyder, Rasmussen and Eide
Read first time 02/05/1999. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to funding for redeemable educational certificates; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating a new section; and making appropriations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to increase the reading skills of early learners by encouraging parents to assist in the reading development of their children. Scientific evidence indicates that children whose parents begin reading to them at an early age learn to read sooner and achieve a greater degree of academic success. Teachers find that children without a base in reading are a greater challenge than those with some exposure to reading. Financial incentives provided to parents and children are intended to assist teachers in teaching basic reading.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
A reading incentive program to compensate parents of first grade students who have achieved appropriate reading accuracy and fluency skills is created. The program shall be administered as follows:
(1) Before the end of the academic year, first grade teachers may evaluate the reading abilities of their students. The evaluation shall include the student's skills in recognition of letter sounds, phonemic awareness, word recognition, and reading connected text. Teachers have the sole discretion in determining if a student has achieved the appropriate first grade reading level.
(2) Teachers shall provide a redeemable reading certificate to all first grade students achieving the appropriate first grade reading level as determined under subsection (1) of this section.
(3) Parents of the children who received the certificates may endorse the reading certificate and submit it to the superintendent of public instruction for payment in the amount of fifty dollars, or the parent may choose to donate his or her certificate to a reading endowment fund established by the district.
(4) Upon receiving the certificates the superintendent of public instruction shall redeem the certificates for the face amount. In the case of donated certificates as provided in subsection (3) of this section the superintendent of public instruction shall redeem the certificates in the name of the local district's reading endowment fund.
(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules to implement subsections (2), (3), and (4) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The sum of three million five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.
(2) The sum of three million five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.
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