Purpose

This bill updates Minnesota’s Read Act interventions to strengthen early reading supports for students who are not meeting grade-level reading expectations. It aims to ensure timely, targeted, and evidence-based instruction, with greater emphasis on planning with families, monitoring progress, and using trained personnel for literacy support.

Main Provisions

• Reading Interventions for All Identified Students

  • For each student identified as not meeting reading expectations, districts must provide reading intervention designed to help the student reach grade-level reading by the end of the current grade and school year.
  • The intervention should follow a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework when possible.
  • If a student remains below grade level by year-end, districts must continue interventions until the student reaches grade-level proficiency.
  • Interventions should involve family engagement and collaboration with school and community programs that use evidence-based instructional practices.
  • Targeted skills to be addressed include foundational reading components: phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and oral language.
  • Possible intervention formats include summer school, intensified reading instruction (which could take the student out of the regular classroom for part of the day), extended-day programs, or programs that strengthen students’ cultural connections.

• Personal Learning Plan (PLP) for At-Risk Readers

  • Beginning with students who do not demonstrate grade-level proficiency as measured by the statewide grade 3 reading assessment or a Department of Education screener (under section 120B.123), districts or charter schools must provide a Personal Learning Plan.
  • The PLP must be developed with input from the student’s educators and other appropriate professionals, and in consultation with the student’s parent or guardian.
  • It must include targeted instruction that is evidence-based, ongoing progress monitoring, and strategies to address gaps, delivered during and outside the regular school day. It may include group interventions, periodic assessments, and reasonable timelines.
  • The PLP may include grade retention only if it is in the student’s best interest; a student may not be retained solely due to delays in literacy or not meeting grade-level proficiency.
  • The district must regularly update and modify the PLP until the student reads at grade level. This PLP does not apply to students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

• Use of Evidence-Based Interventions

  • Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, districts must use only evidence-based literacy interventions.
  • Districts are strongly encouraged to use intervention materials approved by the Department of Education under the Read Act.

• Supervision and Training for Paraprofessionals and Volunteers

  • Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, to provide a Tier 2 literacy intervention, paraprofessionals or other unlicensed staff (including volunteers) must be supervised by a licensed teacher.
  • The supervising teacher must have completed training in evidence-based reading instruction approved by the Department of Education and must have completed evidence-based training developed under the Read Act by CAREI or the regional literacy networks under 120B.124, or other Department-approved training meeting or exceeding those requirements.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Formalizes and expands the use of MTSS as the framework for reading interventions.
• Adds a mandatory Personal Learning Plan for students not meeting grade-level reading by third grade, with explicit collaboration requirements and progress monitoring.
• Establishes a clear implementation timeline (evidence-based interventions required starting 2025-2026; supervised paraprofessional support beginning 2026-2027).
• Tightens standards to require only evidence-based literacy interventions and materials approved by the Department of Education.
• Increases accountability around staff qualifications for Tier 2 interventions, emphasizing licensed teachers’ supervision and formal training in evidence-based instruction (with specific references to CAREI and regional literacy networks).

Implementation Timeline Highlights

• 2025-2026: Districts must use only evidence-based literacy interventions and favor DOE-approved materials under the Read Act.
• 2026-2027: Paraprofessionals/unlicensed staff delivering Tier 2 interventions must be supervised by qualified licensed teachers with approved training.

Practical Implications

• Schools will need to coordinate MTSS-based interventions, track progress, and maintain detailed PLPs for students not reaching grade-level reading by third grade.
• Districts may expand or structure supports such as summer programs, after-school options, and culturally connected literacy activities.
• Staffing requirements will shift to ensure qualified supervision for paraprofessionals involved in literacy interventions.

Relevant Terms - Read Act / Minnesota Read Act - MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) - reading intervention - grade-level proficiency - grade 3 reading assessment - screener (Department of Education, section 120B.123) - personal learning plan (PLP) - evidence-based literacy interventions - evidence-based reading instruction - foundational reading skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, oral language) - summer school - extended-day programs - cultural connections - grade retention - individualized education program (IEP) - paraprofessional - licensed teacher - CAREI (Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement) - regional literacy networks - 120B.124 (related statutory reference) - Department of Education (DOE) approval of materials - progress monitoring - targeted instruction