BILL REQ. #:  Z-0921.1 

Read first time 01/17/08.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to improving reading instruction; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that while significant gains have been made in reading achievement by students in public schools during the past decade, additional resources and assistance are needed in middle, junior high, and high schools. In these schools, teachers need additional tools and strategies to increase reading achievement, including professional development pertaining to phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The legislature further finds that without an increased investment by the legislature, a large number of students will continue to leave high school with below-basic reading skills. Without these essential reading skills, these students not only will struggle academically, but also will struggle socially, emotionally, and economically.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The Washington state adolescent reading program is created. The purpose of the program is to develop and implement a statewide, comprehensive program that will provide teachers the tools, skills, and knowledge to successfully teach struggling adolescent students to read. The program will consist of four major components, which shall include: Statewide leadership and coordination; regional leadership, coordination, and assistance provided by reading specialists at educational service districts; school district curriculum support and technical assistance; and school-based assistance that will vary depending on the number of struggling readers. Assistance shall include both the teaching of foundational literacy and implementation of effective, sustainable reading systems within school districts and schools.
     (2) Statewide leadership and coordination shall be provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. In this capacity, the office shall hire staff who: Understand reading research; know how to apply the research in school districts, buildings, and classrooms; and understand the critical elements needed for systemwide change. These staff shall provide statewide leadership, coordination, technical expertise, and logistics to successfully implement the program.
     (3) In order to ensure that technical assistance is provided statewide, a reading specialist shall be hired at each educational service district, with two specialists hired in the Puget Sound educational service district. These reading specialists are responsible for providing training and information to school district curriculum directors, middle, junior high, and high school principals, classroom teachers, English language learner teachers, paraprofessionals who assist students in learning to read, and other individuals who are assisting students to read. Selection of the reading specialists shall be done jointly by the superintendent of each educational service district and a representative of the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
     (4) To help school district curriculum directors understand the foundational skills needed to teach reading and to understand how to implement effective reading systems in school districts and schools, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the educational service district reading specialists shall provide training opportunities for school district curriculum directors and other appropriate district personnel to address specifically how to improve the teaching of reading in school districts, schools, and classrooms.
     (5)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create a school-based assistance program that has three different levels of support depending on the number of students who have not met the reading standard on the Washington assessment of student learning. Schools with larger numbers of students who have not met the reading standard shall receive more intensive assistance, while schools with smaller numbers of struggling readers shall be provided a lower level of assistance. The specific types of assistance that will be provided, depending on the level of support, include, but are not limited to: The provision of training and instructional materials in research-based reading intervention programs; site visits to provide technical assistance; the funding of reading coaches; the provision and training on the use of common reading diagnostic assessments; and information regarding how to design a schoolwide reading system.
     (b) The school-based assistance program shall be initially implemented in high schools in the 2008-09 school year. The school-based assistance program shall be expanded to include middle schools and junior high schools beginning in the 2009-10 school year. The superintendent shall develop criteria and implement a process for selecting the schools that will receive the differing levels of assistance.
     (c) Schools selected for the two highest levels of assistance shall receive assistance for three school years.
     (6) Subject to funds appropriated specifically for this purpose, the superintendent of public instruction shall contract with a third party to evaluate the effectiveness of the adolescent reading program and to recommend actions that could be taken to make the adolescent reading program more effective. The evaluation shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2010.