Purpose

• Establish a statewide focus on ensuring every student reads at or above grade level each year starting in kindergarten.
• Support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in meeting individualized reading goals.
• Strengthen the Read Act framework with clear expectations for evidence-based instruction, screening, progress monitoring, and targeted interventions.
• Encourage districts to use a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework and culturally responsive teaching.

Key Goals and Focus Areas

• Mastery of foundational reading skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, oral language, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.
• Provide teachers, staff, and licensed library media specialists with training on evidence-based reading instruction.
• Use universal screening and ongoing progress monitoring to identify and support students who struggle with reading.
• Ensure instruction is inclusive of multilingual learners and students with special education services.
• Regularly review and update literacy materials and curricula to be evidence-based, structured, and culturally responsive.

Main Provisions

• Foundational reading instruction and MTSS (Sec. 1)

  • By the 2026-2027 school year, districts must provide evidence-based reading instruction focusing on foundational reading skills and oral language development.
  • Districts must have teachers and licensed library media specialists who receive training approved by the Department of Education.
  • Districts are encouraged to adopt MTSS and to engage families, monitor progress, evaluate program fidelity, and design culturally responsive instruction and interventions.

• Identification and screening (Sec. 2)

  • Universal screening for every student in kindergarten through grade 3 three times per year (within the first six weeks, by February 15, and in the last six weeks of the year) using an approved tool.
  • Screenings cover foundational reading skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, oral language) and characteristics of dyslexia. Screenings can be integrated with other language assessments.
  • Data from screenings must be reported to the Department of Education in the annual local literacy plan.
  • For dual language immersion, screenings follow the program’s language of instruction; if no partner-language screener is available, districts must describe how proficiency is assessed and supported.
  • Students in grades 4 and above who are not reading at grade level must continue to be screened and to receive evidence-based interventions and progress monitoring until they reach proficiency.
  • Parents may opt a student out of the literacy screener after consultation with a teacher, but progress monitoring and literacy interventions must continue.

• Staff development and training (Sec. 3 and Sec. 6)

  • Districts must provide training on evidence-based structured literacy to teachers and instructional staff, covering phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and culturally/linguistically responsive pedagogy.
  • Training requirements apply to various staff roles (teachers, literacy intervention staff, curriculum directors, library media specialists, etc.) with specific timelines:
  • By 2026: train elementary teachers in explicit, systematic, evidence-based instruction; train staff on language needs of multilingual learners; provide cross-cultural, multilingual supports.
  • By 2027: extend foundational reading instruction training to teachers serving grades 4–12 and to other specified staff.
  • Districts may use approved facilitators or department-approved programs to satisfy requirements; extensions may be granted in some cases.
  • A temporary reduction in required instructional hours for certain years is allowed if a district or charter school enters into an agreement ensuring at least 512 hours of approved evidence-based training on days when students are in school (for 2024-25 through 2026-27; applies to elementary and secondary levels and has specific conditions for charters).

• Local literacy plans (Sec. 4)

  • Each district must adopt and annually update a local literacy plan that aligns with the Read Act and ensures every child reads at or above grade level.
  • Plans must include: assessment processes, parent involvement, targeted instruction and interventions with progress monitoring, staff development needs, curricula, adoption timelines for evidence-based curricula, MTSS alignment, and library media center supports.
  • Plans must indicate whether the district uses an MTSS framework and include data on staff training and the use of literacy funding.
  • Districts must post the plan on their website and submit it to the Department using a department-developed template; the department will publish a summarized report by December 1 each year, with updates in 2026 and 2027 including dual language immersion program details.
  • A streamlined template is provided to reduce teacher paperwork and focus resources on foundational reading skills.

• Screeners and professional development standards (Sec. 5 and Sec. 6)

  • Districts must administer screened, evidence-based tools approved by the Department within the required windows and document which screeners are used.
  • Starting with 2024-2025, screeners used by district staff and external partners must be department-approved.
  • A department-approved menu of professional development programs must be provided to required staff, with specific deadlines and waivers available for certain situations (e.g., new to state, not yet trained in foundational reading using structured literacy).

• Accessibility and digital resources (Sec. 7)

  • All professional development and digital curriculum resources must meet accessibility standards (as defined by state requirements).
  • Read Act-based professional development must comply with applicable accessibility laws.

• Ongoing review of literacy materials (Sec. 8)

  • By June 1, 2027, the Department must establish an ongoing review process to identify evidence-based, structured literacy materials that are culturally and linguistically responsive and representative of diverse populations.
  • The Department may partner with higher education institutions or third parties; publishers may submit materials for review and pay the review costs.
  • Materials are judged using a Read Act rubric and categorized as highly aligned, partially aligned, minimally aligned, or not aligned.
  • Highly aligned materials may qualify for literacy aid funding; the other categories do not.
  • Districts must ensure selected materials align with evidence-based structured literacy practices and address any red flags identified in the review.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds comprehensive, district-level requirements for universal screening, progress monitoring, and dyslexia-related identification.
• Establishes a mandatory local literacy plan with annual updates and a standardized reporting framework.
• Expands and formalizes MTSS and culturally responsive teaching as central components of literacy achievement.
• Institutes department-approved screeners and a department-approved professional development program menu.
• Creates a state-led, ongoing materials review process for literacy curricula and interventions, tying funding to alignment with structured literacy and Read Act standards.
• Introduces new reporting and transparency measures, including annual and multi-year summary reports on district literacy activities, training, and dual language immersion data.

Timeline and Deadlines (highlights)

• By 2026-27: districts must implement evidence-based reading instruction focused on foundational skills; MTSS encouraged; training required for relevant staff.
• 2024-2025 onward: use only Department-approved screeners; staff training requirements begin to take effect with phased timelines through 2027.
• June 15: annual literacy plan submission/update deadline; data reporting to the Department.
• December 1, 2025 and in subsequent years: DOE will provide summarized reporting on local literacy plans; updates required in 2026 and 2027.
• June 1, 2027: department-wide ongoing review process for literacy materials to be in place.

Potential Implications

• Increased emphasis on explicit, structured literacy instruction for all elementary students and targeted supports for multilingual learners and students with reading difficulties.
• Enhanced data collection and accountability through universal screenings, progress monitoring, and regular reporting.
• Greater availability and use of department-approved screeners and professional development to align practice with evidence-based literacy methods.
• Resource implications for districts to train staff, implement MTSS, and update curricula and library materials.
• Greater emphasis on accessibility and culturally responsive teaching across reading programs.

What This Means in Everyday Terms

• Schools would systematically check every young child’s reading skills several times a year, identify those who struggle, and give them targeted, proven reading help.
• Teachers and librarians would receive training on how to teach reading in clear, science-backed ways that work for students who speak other languages or who have special learning needs.
• Schools would plan year-by-year how to teach reading, track progress, involve families, and pick books and materials that are proven effective and inclusive.
• New rules would guide which curricula and teaching materials schools can use, with funding tied to meeting those proven standards.

Relevant Terms - Read Act, foundational reading skills, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, oral language, vocabulary, reading comprehension, evidence-based instruction, structured literacy, MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports), universal screening, progress monitoring, dyslexia, characteristics of dyslexia, dual language immersion, multilingual learners, special education services, local literacy plan, literacy plan, literacy aid, Read Act rubric, culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, accessibility standards, 16E.03, Read Act rubric, screening tool approval, department-approved screeners, professional development, literacy curricula, curriculum alignment, ongoing review, publisher review, data reporting, equity in literacy.